Spacepod

Latest Episodes:

71: Rovers on an asteroid with Dr. Takir Nov 13, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Driss Takir stops by the show. He explains how he looks for water that's molecularly bound up in the rocks on asteroids. He also tells us about the Hayabusa-2 mission, which will put rovers on the the surface of asteroid Ryugu.

70: Every crater tells a story with Dr. Scully Nov 06, 2016

Show notes

Dr Jennifer Scully talks about the geology of Ceres and Vesta, two large asteroids in the main belt that have been visited by NASA's DAWN mission. She's talks about the experience of getting to know each and every crater, and why the first images from Ceres surprised some people.

69: Pinging passing asteroids with Dr. Naidu Oct 30, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Shantanu Naidu tells us about planetary radar. Using large telescopes in California and Puerto Rico, he bounces radio waves off of asteroids and "listens" for the return signal. With this technique, he's discovered moons on several asteroids.

68: Building a new instrument with Dr Hosseini Oct 23, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Sona Hosseini talks about spectroscopy, a technique that allows scientists to determine what celestial bodies are made of. She's developing new spectrometer that will allow her to look at an entire planet, or comet, all at once.

67: The most ambitious measurement ever made, with Dr. Reitze (Part 2) Oct 16, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Dave Reitze, the Executive Director of LIGO, talks about how each source of noise at LIGO must be meticulously accounted for— from wolves howling, to tidal flexing of the Earth's surface, to the motion of the atoms in the observatory's mirrors.

66: The most ambitious measurement ever made, with Dr. Reitze (Part 1) Oct 09, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Dave Reitze, the Executive Director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) talks about the extraordinary detection of gravitational waves earlier this year, and the incredible engineering that made it possible.

65: Black holes don't suck with Dr. Gorjian Oct 02, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Varoujan Gorjian thoroughly debunks a misconception he hates— the idea that black holes suck. Find out what would happen to the Earth if our Sun was suddenly replaced with a black hole of the same mass, and why is is so challenging to send a probe to Mercury.

64: Hubble's Tuning Fork with Dr. Seidel Sep 25, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Marja Seidel stops by the show to talk about galaxy evolution. She also talks about a unique outreach effort she co-founded, called Cielo y Tierra, that shares science with remote communities.

63: Deciphering dark matter with Dr. Benson Sep 18, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Andrew Benson talks about dark matter, the mysterious stuff that makes up most of the mass of the universe. Andrew explains how we can learn about dark matter, even though we don't yet know what it is.

62: Exoplanets and the fate of Earth with Dr. Schlaufman Sep 11, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Kevin Schlaufman tells us about exoplanets that orbit around their stars in an unusual manner. He also explains what his research says about the Earth's fate when our sun dies, billions of years from now.

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