Jupiter's moon Europa is one of the most promising targets in the search for life. The Planetary Society and space advocates around the world fought to make Europa Clipper a reality. This week, we learn more about the tumultuous history of the mission with Casey Dreier, our chief of space policy. Mat Kaplan, senior communications adviser, gives an update on the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Hera mission and the delayed launch of Europa Clipper due to Hurricane Milton. Then, Bruce Betts, chief scientist at The Planetary Society, discusses two opportunities to view comets in the October sky in What's Up.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-clippers-champions

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Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins the show to discuss the potential space policy priorities of a Harris Administration. We explore Harris’ interests in her role as head of the National Space Council, the major issues facing NASA, and Garver’s thoughts on the evolution of Elon Musk, whom she championed during her tenure at NASA in an effort to kickstart the commercial space industry.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/harris-admin-space-policy-preview 

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We look forward to the Oct. 7 launch of the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft with Michael Küppers, project scientist for the mission. Then Ambre Trujillo, our digital community manager at The Planetary Society, lets you know how to celebrate Europa Clipper by joining NASA's Runway to Jupiter style challenge. We'll close out with Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, and a discussion of the potential future meteor shower caused by the DART impact in What's Up. 

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-hera-launch

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We return to the 2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium for part two of our coverage. Astronaut and NIAC external council member Mae Jemison honors Lou Friedman, the co-founder of The Planetary Society, for his contributions to the space community and the NIAC program. Then Kenneth Carpenter from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and his colleagues pitch their plan for an Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager. Steven Benner from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution and his team tell us about their plan for an add-on to large-scale water mining operations on Mars to screen for introduced and alien life. We close out with Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, in What's Up, as we celebrate LightSail 2 being announced as one of the winners of this year's Gizmodo Science Fair. 

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-niac-part-2

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Join us on a journey to the 2024 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium. We'll hear from the teams behind two NIAC projects that could help us study distant planets and potentially reach them ourselves. Marshall Eubanks from Space Initiatives, Inc. and his colleagues will introduce us to their concept for a swarm of laser sailing pico spacecraft that could travel interstellar distances. Then Ryan Sprenger from Fauna Bio Inc. joins us to discuss how hibernation could help humans reach other worlds. Then, our chief scientist, Bruce Betts, joins us for What's Up and a new random space fact.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-niac-part-1

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We are near solar maximum, a time in the solar cycle when our Sun is most active. That means more sun spots, coronal mass ejections, and auroras on worlds across our solar system. This week, Vince Ledvina, also known as the Aurora Guy, joins Planetary Radio to discuss the science behind the northern and southern lights and what they can tell us about our Sun, our planet, and worlds across our galaxy. Then Bruce Betts joins in for What's Up, a chat about global magnetic fields on terrestrial worlds and a new random space fact.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-aurora-guy 

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Dr. Greg Autry, who served on Trump’s NASA transition team in 2016 and was nominated for the position of NASA CFO in 2020, joins the show to discuss the space policy issues facing a potential second Trump administration in 2025. We discuss the role of competition versus cooperation in space exploration, how space politics have changed since Trump’s first term, and what major issues at NASA must be faced by the next presidential administration.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/space-policy-issues-second-trump-term

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With less than two months to go until the highly anticipated launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission, we take a look back at over twenty years of Planetary Radio episodes about Jupiter's most intriguing moon. You'll hear from Elizabeth 'Zibi' Turtle, planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Bob Pappalardo, project scientist for Europa Clipper, and many more, as we reflect on all of the dreams and science it took to make the upcoming mission a reality. Then, Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, joins in for What's Up as host Sarah Al-Ahmed gears up for next week's NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts symposium. 

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-europa-in-reflection

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Get up to speed on the latest in commercial space news. Mat Kaplan, the senior communications advisor for The Planetary Society, returns with an update on the fate of the Boeing Starliner astronauts, the imploding and exploding adventures of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, and a brief look forward to SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. Asa Stahl, our science editor, shares the good news about the European Space Agency's Ramses mission, which hopes to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis before its closest approach to Earth in 2029. Then our public education specialist, Kate Howells, shares some tips on how to deal with space rocks in her new article, "What would happen if we nuked an asteroid?" We end our show with What's Up with Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, and a new random space fact.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-ramses-and-rockets

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As we look to build a more sustainable human presence in space, we will need to find new and innovative ways to feed our travelers. This week, we hear from Team Insecta, a group of Canadian students exploring crickets as a viable source of space food. Newton Campell Jr., a member of The Planetary Society's board of directors and co-founder of Heritage Space Food, discusses gastrodiplomacy and the importance of representation in space food. Then we close out with What's Up with Bruce Betts and a look at one of The Planetary Society's STEP grant-winning projects studying the complexities of growing plants in space. 

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-crickets-and-gastrodiplomacy

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Planetary Radio takes a melodic adventure to the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, USA, for the public premiere of the "Moons Symphony." Mat Kaplan, senior communications advisor at The Planetary Society, speaks with a panel of amazing guests, including members of the Europa Clipper, Dragonfly, and Cassini teams, about the discoveries that inspired the music. Then, Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, marks the end of the 2024 Summer Olympics with a random space fact in What's Up.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-moons-symphony 

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