Universe Today Podcast

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Episode 746: Interview: Dr. Michael Hecht, Making Oxygen with MOXIE May 17, 2021

Show notes

My guest is Dr. Michael H. Hecht, a research scientist and associate director at MIT's Haystack Observatory. Hecht is also the principal investigator for the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment onboard Perseverance:

https://www.haystack.mit.edu/researcher/mike-hecht/

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Read by 50,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
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Weekly Space Hangout: Weekly news roundup with Fraser, special guests, and other space journalists.

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Astronomy Cast: Award-winning, long-running deep dive into space and astronomy with Fraser and Dr. Pamela Gay.
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Episode 745: Interview: Dr. Ken Olum, Boltzmann Brains, Cosmic Strings and Gravitational Waves May 17, 2021

Show notes

My guest is Dr. Ken Olum, a research professor at Tufts University. His primary research is into cosmic strings, and how they could be detectable through techniques like gravitational waves.

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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

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Episode 747: Q&A 147: The Night Sky at the Center of the Milky Way? And More... May 17, 2021

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I consider what the night sky might look like if you could stand at the center of the Milky Way where the stars are denser. Do all stars have Oort clouds? And could Starship really send humans to Mars for the price of a house?

00:00 Start
00:50 What would the sky look like at the center of the Milky Way?
04:05 Will the Neutron be competitive?
07:40 Do all stars have Oort Clouds?
09:59 Would it be realistic to send humans to Mars for the price of a house?
11:38 Next cool space mission I'm excited about?
13:20 Do I think there's microbial life in the Universe?
16:48 How far away was the Big Bang?
19:26 Why was L2 chosen for JWST?
21:52 Does SpaceX need NASA?
25:11 Would Starlinks be brighter if they were lower?
28:21 Multiple nukes to destroy an asteroid?
30:21 Could we make a telescope the size of Earth's orbit?

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

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You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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Episode 743: Q&A 146: Could We Even Comprehend Aliens... as Aliens? And More.. May 10, 2021

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I explain why we'd be able to recognize aliens, even if they were vastly more technologically advanced than us. Why I don't do any promotional ads on my videos, and if we have any examples of energy turning into matter.

00:00 Start
01:09 Can we actually recognize aliens?
04:18 Why don't I have sponsors?
06:33 Could we detect light pollution?
08:36 Can energy turn into matter?
10:18 How do we measure the age of the solar system?
12:52 What other prototypes will we need for Mars?
16:26 Can we extend the life of the Sun?
21:10 Is it time to map Mars?
23:43 Are there ultraviolet telescopes?
25:43 What would Starship be used for?
28:01 Can we match velocity with other stars?
29:50 Do we know the rate of the Universe's expansion?

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

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Episode 744: Interview: Practical Time Travel with Prof. Ronald Mallet May 10, 2021

Show notes

In this special interview, I was fortunate to speak with Dr. Ronald Mallet, an emeritus professor at UConn. In addition to a lifetime's work in cosmology and astrophysics, Mallet has been trying to work out how our understanding of Einstein's theories of General Relativity might lead to a practical form of time travel.

https://physics.uconn.edu/person/ronald-mallett/

This interview was part of the Weekly Space Hangout for May 5th, 2021. You can watch the whole episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBwEAKA2ylw&t=2s

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

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🚀 CONTACT FRASER:
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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

🚀 LICENSE:
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You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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Episode 742: Interview with Fraser on Demystifying Science May 06, 2021

Show notes

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Episode 739: Interview: Dr. Rebecca K. Leane, Detecting Dark Matter May 06, 2021

Show notes

My guest is Dr. Rebecca K. Leane, an astroparticle physicist with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The work involves innovative ways to detect dark matter.

http://rebeccaleane.com/

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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

🚀 LICENSE:
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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Episode 740: Interview: Dr. Jessie Christiansen, 2,200 Planets for TESS May 06, 2021

Show notes

My guest is Dr. Jessie Christiansen, an astrophysicist with NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute. Jessie will give us an update on TESS and the 2,200 planets it's discovered so far.

http://web.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/christia/

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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

🚀 LICENSE:
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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Episode 741: Q&A 145: Is Gravity Infinite? And More... May 06, 2021

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I explain whether or not gravity is infinite, will we need to cure cancer to go to space? Will SpaceX help Artemis' chances for landing humans on Mars in 2024, and more...

00:00 Start
00:54 Is gravity infinite?
02:33 How deep does lunar regolith go?
04:09 Could nearby star systems contain planets that we don't know about?
06:59 Will dust diminish Ingenuity's performance?
10:14 Difference between micro-gravity and zero-gravity?
11:57 Will the Russians abandon the ISS?
14:57 Shouldn't the expansion of space be greater than gravity?
17:00 Biggest exoplanet we could live on?
19:42 What's happening with MOXIE?
22:00 Will we need to cure cancer for space exploration?
24:52 Why are there no privately funded missions?
27:01 What are astronauts "big questions"?
29:37 Could there be a balloon habitat on gas giants?
33:01 How will we produce power on Mars?
35:24 Does SpaceX improve Artemis chances for landing in 2024?

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

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https://www.universetoday.com/

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🚀 CONTACT FRASER:
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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

🚀 LICENSE:
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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Episode 738: Q&A 144: Are We First in the Universe? Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

In this week's questions show I explain why we could be first in the Universe, do galaxies flip or spin, did I pick a good career? And more.

00:00 Start
00:47 Are we first in the Universe?
03:01 Do galaxies flip end over end?
04:28 Bro, get a better career
06:46 How much longer can SLS going?
10:33 Did I watch Ingenuity fly?
12:08 Am I looking forward to the movie version of the Three-Body Problem?
13:42 Does it make sense to try and watch a rocket launch?
16:32 Could we build space elevator on Mars.
18:38 What one mystery about space would I like to know?
21:00 Why don't we take the low gravity on Mars seriously?
24:47 What astronomy career is good if you're bad at math?

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

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https://www.universetoday.com/

🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY:
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday

🚀 CONTACT FRASER:
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Email: frasercain@gmail.com

🚀 LICENSE:
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.

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