Do Aliens Speak Physics?

Do Aliens Speak Physics?

Author: The Planetary Society November 5, 2025 Duration: 59:44
Physicist Daniel Whiteson and cartoonist Andy Warner join Sarah Al-Ahmed to explore their new book, “Do Aliens Speak Physics?”

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: 100

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
Podcast Episodes
Emily Calandrelli becomes the hundredth woman in space [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:41
Emily Calandrelli, also known as “the Space Gal,” shares her experience becoming the hundredth woman in space after blasting off on a Blue Origin suborbital rocket.
Space Policy Edition: The Challenges of Change at NASA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:17
Marcia Smith, founder of Space Policy Online, joins the show to discuss the motivations and risks of pursuing change at NASA—and how much change can ultimately happen with Congress holding the purse strings.
Looking back on 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:48
The Planetary Society team reviews the best space moments of 2024, from the China National Space Administration's return of samples from the far side of the Moon to the triumphant launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission.
Mars “spiders” recreated in the lab [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:59
Lauren Mc Keown, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses her experiences recreating Martian araneiform terrain, also called Mars spiders, in the lab.
Space Policy Edition: The Myth of Presidential Leadership [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
We revisit a classic book on the limits of presidential power in setting the nation’s space agenda and explore how the increasingly powerful executive branch might be rewriting those expectations.
StarTalk with Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:24
We take you to Planetary Society headquarters, where Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of StarTalk, interviews Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye.

«1...678910