Planetary Radio

Series produced by Mat Kaplan

Series image

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: Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Credit: Susan Karlin @SueKarlin
Happy Yuri’s Night! We’re partying under Space Shuttle Endeavour in the first of two shows featuring interviews from the worldwide celebration of s...

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


  • Added: Apr 12, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Professor Emeritus Michel Mayor, discoverer of the first extrasolar planet, and recipient of a 2015 Kyoto Prize., Credit: UC San Diego
Michel Mayor and his team rocked the astronomy world with their 1995 announcement, but this modest man says it was a discovery whose time had come....

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


  • Added: Apr 05, 2016
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory became the project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory Project in January 2015., Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The new Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist is not new to the mission. Ashwin Vasavada has worked on the Curiosity rover since 2004. Emily L...

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


  • Added: Mar 28, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Artistic rendering of Planet 9 with the distant Sun in the background., Credit: Caltech / R. Hurt (IPAC)
Our live conversation about “Planet 9” and the amazing diversity of our solar system, featuring Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of Caltech, Senio...

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  • Added: Mar 22, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), Credit: NASA/GSFC/Conceptual Image Lab
NASA has given the go-ahead for creation of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope. It might help reveal the nature of dark energy and point the ...

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


  • Added: Mar 15, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Julielynn Wong and her alter ego, Dr. “J”, Credit: Jared Chambers
Julielynn Wong came directly from her 30-day long HERA IX deep space simulation to our microphone. We talk with her about the experience, and her p...

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  • Added: Mar 08, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: “Aurora” is the latest novel from Kim Stanley Robinson, Credit: Orbit
Famed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson is back with Aurora, a cautionary tale about just how difficult interstellar travel may be. Emil...

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


  • Added: Mar 01, 2016
  • Length: 28:51
  • Purchases: 8
Piece image
Cassini Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker returns with the latest discoveries at the beautiful ringed planet, its moons and its rings. Emily...

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


  • Added: Feb 23, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: The carefully-planned madness and joy of OK Go’s Upside Down and Inside Out Zero-G Video Shoot, Credit: OK Go
Have you seen it? OK Go has gone where no band has gone before to make a music video. Mat talks with Damian Kulash and Tim Nordwind about the hazar...

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  • Added: Feb 16, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: 2)	Planet 9 theorists Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin study the data in Mike’s Caltech office., Credit: Mat Kaplan
Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin fully expect a new and undemotable ninth planet will be found in the outer reaches of the solar system. The Calte...

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  • Added: Feb 08, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Chelyabinsk 2013 explodes over the city on February 15, 2013., Credit: YouTube
Lindley Johnson has just been named NASA's first Planetary Defense Officer. He's joined on this week's PlanRad by astronomer Kelly Fast, the new m...

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  • Added: Feb 02, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Messier 5 is a globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars.  It is about 25,000 light years from our solar system., Credit: ESA/Hubble
New research indicates that globular clusters—collections of up to a million stars—could provide stable environments for life, along with opportuni...

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


  • Added: Jan 26, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Dawn had this view of Ceres at 86 degrees south latitude on Dec. 10, only three days after completing its descent to an average orbital altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers). , Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA
The Dawn Mission Chief Engineer Marc Rayman returns for another report on the ion-engine powered mission, now orbiting 240 miles above dwarf planet...

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


  • Added: Jan 19, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Host Mat Kaplan and moon rock curator Francis McCubbin, Credit: Mat Kaplan
Francis McCubbin is the new Astromaterials Curator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the priceless collection includes the Apollo moonrocks. J...

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  • Added: Jan 12, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Artist's concept of a VASIMIR-powered human interplanetary mission., Credit: Ad Astra Rocket Company
Mat Kaplan visits the Ad Astra Rocket Company in Texas where they are perfecting the VASIMIR electric rocket engine. Emily Lakdawalla has created a...

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  • Added: Jan 05, 2016
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Enhanced color image of Pluto from New Horizons, Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI
Our year-end review features the “best of 2015” lists from Jason Davis, Casey Dreier, Emily Lakdawalla and Bill Nye the Science Guy. What’s Up offe...

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  • Added: Dec 28, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: An artist imagines viewing a Europa water geyser from the surface of Jupiter’s moon., Credit: NASA/ESA/K. Retherford/SWRI
The newly-approved federal budget includes great news for fans of space exploration and development. Texas Congressman John Culberson led the fight...

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  • Added: Dec 22, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Business End of Planetary Deep Drill, Credit: Bruce Betts
Drilling through many meters of ice to Europa’s ocean or to the pristine sub-surface layers of Mars will be hard. The Planetary Deep Drill prototyp...

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  • Added: Dec 15, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Humans near Mars in this still image from Journey to Space 3D, Credit: K2 Films/Giant Screen Films
Journey to Space is both a new and spectacular IMAX movie and an exciting, hands-on exhibition at the California Science Center. We learn about bot...

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  • Added: Dec 08, 2015
  • Length: 28:50
  • Purchases: 10
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. ...

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