Gravity Assist

Latest Episodes:

Season 5, Episode 2: Talking to Ingenuity and Other Space Robots Apr 23, 2021

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The Ingenuity helicopter made history on April 19, 2021, with the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. How do engineers talk to a helicopter all the way out on Mars? How about other spacecraft? We’ll hear about it from Nacer Chahat of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ...

Season 5, Episode 1: Black Hole Mysteries, with Jeremy Schnittman Apr 16, 2021

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What is a black hole? How do we study them when we can’t see them? Astrophysicist Jeremy Schnittman from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center joins NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green for a fascinating conversation about the latest black hole research.

Season 5 Trailer – What’s Your Gravity Assist? Apr 09, 2021

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Go behind the scenes at NASA with Chief Scientist Jim Green in the Gravity Assist podcast.

Season 4, Episode 25: Driving on Mars, with Sophia Mitchell Feb 12, 2021

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What does it take to drive a rover that’s more than 100 million miles away? Sophia Mitchell at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been driving the Mars Curiosity rover since 2018.

Season 4, Episode 24: Your Questions About Life Out There & Down Here Dec 23, 2020

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Why don’t we go live on Saturn’s moon Titan? What would it mean if we found life elsewhere? How did life get its start on Earth? NASA’s chief scientist Jim Green and astrobiologist Lindsay Hays discuss these and other audience questions from social media.

Season 4, Episode 23: The Bright Spot of the Asteroid Belt Dec 18, 2020

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Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is a mysterious dwarf planet called Ceres. Its surface is dark and muddy, but has hundreds of patches of bright material.

Season 4, Episode 22: Set Sail for Europa, with Bob Pappalardo Dec 04, 2020

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NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will give us the most detailed look yet at Jupiter’s extraordinary moon Europa.

Season 4, Episode 21: Mars Takes a Breath, with Jen Eigenbrode Nov 13, 2020

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The Curiosity rover has been probing the secrets of Mars since its arrival in 2012. Its discoveries include chemical signatures that could be related to life – or, alternatively, to geological processes.

Season 4, Episode 20: The History of the Future, with Steven Dick Oct 30, 2020

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Astronomer and historian Steven Dick tells us there are many approaches to consider and many questions we should ask ourselves to get ready, in case extraterrestrial life is found.

Season 4, Episode 19: Life in the Clouds, with David J. Smith Oct 09, 2020

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While more research is needed, Smith and others are fascinated by the possibility that airborne microbes could also be found elsewhere in the solar system, and beyond.

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