Book Club Edition: “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” with Becky Chambers

Book Club Edition: “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” with Becky Chambers

Author: The Planetary Society June 19, 2026 Duration: 1:06:10
Hugo and Locus-winning author Becky Chambers talks with Mat Kaplan about “To Be Taught, If Fortunate,” her outstanding novella. It’s a passionate plea for space science and exploration told across the interstellar journey of four equally passionate human voyagers.

Every week, Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science charts the human adventure from our own Solar System out to the distant cosmos. This isn't just a recap of headlines; it's a direct conversation with the people making discovery happen. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed guides these discussions, sitting down with the engineers plotting spacecraft trajectories, the scientists interpreting data from alien worlds, and the astronauts who have experienced orbit firsthand. The Planetary Society's own advocates and experts, like Bill Nye and Bruce Betts, frequently join in to offer their unique perspective, making complex topics both accessible and genuinely exciting. You'll hear the latest on robotic missions to Mars, the search for exoplanets, and the technology pushing our boundaries. Alongside these deep dives, the podcast includes lighter, regular segments designed to inform and entertain, turning abstract concepts into engaging stories. It’s a comprehensive audio journey for anyone curious about our place in the universe, offering both the grand vision of exploration and the detailed human stories behind it. Tune in to let your curiosity roam as far as the subjects covered in each episode of this essential science podcast.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
Podcast Episodes
TERP RAPTOR: A student-built mission to asteroid Apophis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:46
A team of University of Maryland students is building a CubeSat to fly past asteroid Apophis during its historic close approach to Earth in 2029. Four members of the TERP RAPTOR team join us to share how they're turning…
Sian Proctor and John Read on teaching babies to love the Cosmos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:56
Commercial space astronaut Sian Proctor and astronomer John Read join Planetary Radio to discuss “Baby's Guide to the Night Sky,” their new book introducing the youngest children to constellations and the wonders of the…
Small Town Universe: Inside Green Bank's Radio Quiet Zone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:27
Green Bank, West Virginia bans cell phones and Wi-Fi so its giant radio telescope can listen undisturbed. This week, Senior Communications Advisor Mat Kaplan talks with director Katie Dellamaggiore and physicist Ellie Wh…
Rosalind Franklin and the search for life on Mars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:56
The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover finally has a path to Mars. ExoMars Project Scientist Jorge Vago joins Planetary Radio to discuss the rover's 2-meter drill, its onboard astrobiology lab, and what it w…
Tianwen-2: China closes in on Kamoʻoalewa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:58
China’s Tianwen-2 mission has arrived at the quasi-moon Kamoʻoalewa. We sit down with Planetary Society contributing editor and freelance space journalist Andrew Jones to explore what this ambitious sample-return mission…
Flying on Titan: The engineering of Dragonfly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:45
NASA's Dragonfly mission is sending a car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan. Lead rotor engineer Felipe Ruiz and principal investigator Zibi Turtle from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory joi…