Planetary Radio

Series produced by Mat Kaplan

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The Planetary Society's travel show that takes you to the final frontier, featuring commentary by Society CEO Bill Nye the Science Guy.

For over 20 years, we've been proud to bring Planetary Radio to our dedicated listeners. However, after careful consideration, we discontinued our traditional broadcast distribution on Aug. 2, 2023. We invite Radio stations to continue airing the extended podcast version of the show, along with any of our previous episodes. You can find the extensive archive of our broadcasts and our new podcast MP3s here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/radio-episodes-files For more information about Planetary Radio, visit our website at https://www.planetary.org/radio. For inquiries or support, contact Sarah Al-Ahmed, the host and producer of Planetary Radio, at planetaryradio@planetary.org. Thank you again for being an integral part of the Planetary Radio family. We look forward to continuing our cosmic journey together through the wonders of our podcast and beyond. Hide full description

For over 20 years, we've been proud to bring Planetary Radio to our dedicated listeners. However, after careful consideration, we discontinued our traditional broadcast distribution on Aug. 2, 2023. We invite Radio stations to continue airing the extended podcast version of the show, along with any of our previous episodes. You can find the extensive archive of our broadcasts and our new podcast MP3s here: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/radio-episodes-files For more information about Planetary Radio, visit our website at https://www.planetary.org/radio. For inquiries or support, contact Sarah Al-Ahmed, the host and producer of Planetary Radio, at planetaryradio@planetary.org. Thank you again for being an integral part of the Planetary Radio family. We look forward to... Show full description


519 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Mat Kaplan and guests at KPCC waiting for New Horizons to phone home from Pluto., Credit: Southern California Public Radio
Join our live audience for highlights of an amazing evening, featuring Jim Bell, Bruce Betts, Mike Brown, Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science...

Bought by KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KFCF FM, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and KWMR


  • Added: Jul 20, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 5
Piece image
Come with us on a visit to the home of the prime meridian for a conversation with the curator of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich about the race to...

Bought by WQCS, KMUD, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KFCF FM, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Jul 28, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: The Green Bank Telescope is the world's largest, fully-steerable telescope. It will be used in the Breakthrough Listen SETI initiative over the next 10 years., Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF
The Breakthrough Initiatives will pump $100 million into the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the next 10 years, vastly expanding humani...

Bought by KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KWMR, and KFCF FM


  • Added: Aug 04, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Screen shot of SETI@Home at work, digging through data for ET’s call., Credit: SETI@Home
We follow last week’s conversation with Ann Druyan about the $100 million funding of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by visiting two o...

Bought by WMUU-LP, KMUD, WQCS, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 11, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: The NEEMO 20 crew poses for a group shot., Credit: NASA
NEEMO is a long-running NASA project that is helping to prepare us for mission to Mars and other destinations. Mat Kaplan talked with engineer and ...

Bought by KMUD, KFCF FM, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, KRZA and more


  • Added: Aug 17, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: This artist's sketch is based on the Curiosity rover in NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, with proposed modifications based on the science definition team's recommendations. , Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The 2020 Mars Rover may be years away, but determining where it will land is already a hot topic among scientists and engineers. Many of the former...

Bought by WMUU-LP, KMUD, KBBI Alaska, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and more


  • Added: Aug 25, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Early plan for the lenses in a Mastcam-Z camera planned for the 2020 Mars rover., Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
Our reporting from the 2nd Mars 2020 Rover Landing Site Selection Workshop continues as we talk with Jim Bell and Justin Maki, leaders of the devel...

Bought by KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and KFCF FM


  • Added: Aug 31, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: With the sliding door over its 17-ton infrared telescope wide open, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy – or SOFIA – soars over California's snow-covered Southern Sierras., Credit: NASA/Jim Ross
Planetary Radio returns to SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, but this time we fly in the giant 747 turned telescope plat...

Bought by KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and more


  • Added: Sep 08, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: PI Dante Lauretta (r.) and Kevin Walsh in the Lockheed Martin clean room with OSIRIS-REx, Credit: Dante Lauretta
Dante Lauretta heads the most ambitious mission to an asteroid ever mounted. With one year left till launch, he returns to Planetary Radio with an ...

Bought by KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., KMUD, KFCF FM, KWMR, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Sep 15, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Ice Giant Neptune, Credit: NASA
They are the most neglected planets in our solar system, but that status may be changing. Planetary scientist Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle celebrates NA...

Bought by KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., KMUD, KFCF FM, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR and more


  • Added: Sep 22, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Artist's conception of the view above Mars, Credit: NASA
Scott Hubbard and John Logsdon led the Humans Orbiting Mars Workshop last spring. They return with Casey Dreier as the report on that workshop is ...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KWMR, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: Sep 29, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: “Hot young Jupiter” 51 Eri b as imagined in an artist’s conception., Credit: Danielle Futselaar & Franck Marchis, SETI Institute
Franck Marchis is on the team that has delivered an actual image of a young, hot world about 100 light years from Earth. We talk with him on the 20...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, KFCF FM and more


  • Added: Oct 06, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Space Launch System on the Launchpad, Credit: NASA
Digital editor Jason Davis is a lucky guy. He follows and reports on human spaceflight progress, as well as the progress of the LightSail solar sai...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Oct 12, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: The enhanced, rich colors of Pluto, Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
Hal Weaver is a very happy Project Scientist. His New Horizons spacecraft has shocked his fellow researchers with magnificent images and data. He s...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KFCF FM, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Oct 20, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Matt Damon as "The Martian", Credit: 20th Century Fox
It was the #1 New York Times bestseller, and as this week’s Planetary Radio premiered it was once again the most popular movie in the USA. “The Ma...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR and more


  • Added: Oct 27, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Nichelle Nichols presents the Cosmos Award to Neil deGrasse Tyson, Credit: Navid Baraty/The Planetary Society
It was a grand night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. CEO Bill Nye led the Planetary Society’s 35th anniversary party with guests including Neil d...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KFCF FM, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Nov 03, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Lou Friedman’s new book offers an inspiring view of our future in space., Credit: University of Arizona Press
The founding Executive Director of the Planetary Society has just written “Human Spaceflight: From Mars to the Stars,” an optimistic view of humani...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Nov 10, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, Credit: NAIC - Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSF
Emily Lakdawalla returns from the annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting with big news from around the solar system. Then we talk with scie...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Nov 16, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: NASA spacecraft models at SpaceCom Expo, Credit: Mat Kaplan
We join 1,600 space entrepreneurs and visionaries in Houston, and talk with Boeing, XCOR, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and more. Emily...

Bought by WRGY, KMUD, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, KWMR, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Nov 24, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Artist’s conception of Twinkle, the UK exoplanet atmosphere explorer, Credit: SSTL/Twinkle/DSS
A small but talented UK team is building Twinkle, a small spacecraft with a big mission—exploring the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars. ...

Bought by KREV-LP, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WRGY, KMUD, KWMR and more


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 10