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WeMartians Podcast — Natural Sciences
WeMartians Podcast

The WeMartians Podcast delves into all aspects of the exploration of Mars, including robotic/human spacecraft and rocket engineering, planetary science, astronomy and other upcoming technology. Our episodes are research-supported and feature topical audio clips and special guests.

Copyright: © Jake Robins

Latest Episodes:

6 – Mars; God of War (feat. Kyle Dally) May 30, 2016

Show notes

Mars reached opposition (when it, Earth and the Sun form a straight line) on May 22nd. It’s closest approach (today, May 30th) is another important astronomical event. All of these work on a 26-month cycle. Astronomers around the world have their eyes trained on the blood-coloured planet, tracking its retrograde motion, supreme brightness, and near-approach with great interest. We went on site with Kyle Dally of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada to learn about what these events mean, why they are important, and how someone like you or me can get involved with amateur astronomy without spending thousands of dollars on equipment and training.

Links

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

5 – Space Habitats and the Story of Bigelow Apr 28, 2016

Show notes

Habitation in space will become a very important topic as we venture out into deep space and eventually to Mars. Turning space from a place to travel through to a place to live will be a prime objective of technology development in the near term. In this episode we’ll explore the history of habitation, from the earliest Skylab and Salyut stations to the modular Mir and ISS designs. Then we’ll talk about Bigelow Aerospace, its NASA roots, and the commercial impact on the industry as it sets its sights on Mars.

Audio Links from the show:

NASA Audio provided under Public Domain. All others used under Fair Use.

Other Links for further info

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

4 – Citizen Science on Mars (feat. Michael Aye) Apr 03, 2016

Show notes

In the fourth episode of the WeMartians podcast, we explore the growing problem in Planetary Science – there’s too much data! With the dawn of the digital age, the volume of data coming back to Earth from planetary missions is increasing exponentially.

We’ll talk with Michael Aye, project scientist for Planet Four. Planet Four is a Citizen Science project which lets everyday people participate in planetary science by classifying features on the surface. It helps scientists like Michael get through the massive amounts of imagery from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and lets people like you do science on Mars!

Audio Links from the show:

Chris Lintott on the Galaxy Zoo

Other Links

Planet Four
Planet Four: Terrains
Zooniverse
Michael Aye’s Twitter Account
The team’s poster from Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2016

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

3 – Go! Go! Go! Exomars! (feat. Michael Coarezza) Mar 29, 2016

Show notes

In the third episode of the WeMartians Podcast, we learn a little bit about the 1877 perihelic opposition of Mars, during which many famous astronomers, Giovanni Schiaparelli included, made crucial discoveries about the Red Planet.

Then, we’ll explore how this affects us today and for the launch of ExoMars. To help explain the massive process that goes in to building and launching a spacecraft, we’re joined by Assembly Integration and Test Engineer Michael Coarezza of Thales Alenia. He shares some stories about meeting deadlines, working with the historical Proton rocket, and the importance that international collaboration plays in space exploration today.

Audio Links from the show:

Other Links
Learn more about historical observations of Mars from the book The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery, available for free online here.

WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

2 – Every Twenty-Six Months Feb 05, 2016

Show notes

In the second episode of the WeMartians Podcast, we explore the topic of Launch Windows, answering questions like “why do they happen?”, “when do they happen?”, and “are any windows more important than others?” From there, we’ll talk about Mars’ windows specifically.

Then follow along as we explore the two mission profiles in the upcoming launch windows in March – the delayed InSight mission from NASA and the European Space Agency’s ExoMars 2016 mission, including the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli Entry and Landing Demonstrator.

Audio links from the show

Other links

NASA audio used under public domain. All others used under fair use policy.
WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

1 – The Waxing Interest in Mars Jan 20, 2016

Show notes

In this first episode of the WeMartians podcast, we explore the fundamental question facing all space exploration but especially those seeking to travel to Mars – why go? Why spend the money and take the risk on this important endeavour? We’ll hear from industry experts and visionaries as well as my own opinions.

Then we explore a 2015 Year in Review, covering topics from NASA’s Evolvable Mars Campaign (using the Orion capsule, Space Launch System rocket, and more) as well as efforts from the private industry including Elon Musk and SpaceX. We’ll talk about pop culture influences like Mars One and The Martian and ultimately show that 2015 was an amazing year for Mars – we want to go, and we’re making real progress to get there!

Audio Links from the show:

NASA audio used under public domain. All others used under fair use policy.

WeMartians Cover Art Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
WeMartians Theme Song is “RetroFuture” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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