Space Policy Edition: Mars Sample Return, but at what (fixed) price?

Space Policy Edition: Mars Sample Return, but at what (fixed) price?

Author: The Planetary Society February 7, 2025 Duration: 1:20:22
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck outlines a $4B fixed-price plan for Mars Sample Return — and reveals new Venus mission details — before VP Richard French explains how a single, integrated team cuts costs and ensures success.

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
Artemis update: NASA reshapes the road back to the Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:15
NASA has restructured the Artemis program, shifting Artemis III from a planned lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit systems test following the rollback of Artemis II. We hear remarks from NASA leadership and break down wha…
Did an impact trigger cryovolcanism on Umbriel? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:57
A new study explores whether a massive ancient impact briefly triggered cryovolcanism on Uranus’s moon Umbriel. Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Adeene Denton about how crater modeling reveals clues to the moon’s hidden interi…
Where did Earth’s water come from? Clues hidden in Apollo Moon dust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:01
Scientists are using Apollo Moon dust to trace where Earth’s water came from and how our planet became habitable. Planetary scientist Tony Gargano explains how lunar samples reveal the history of ancient impacts, with a…
Space Policy Edition: What a NASA Authorization bill actually does [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:35
Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier and Director of Government Relations Jack Kiraly break down what NASA authorization bills actually do and why these laws matter for long-term U.S. space policy, from science missions to…
Europa’s quiet seafloor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:42
New research suggests the seafloor beneath Europa’s vast ocean may be geologically quiet today, reshaping how scientists think about habitability on one of the Solar System’s most intriguing ocean worlds. Planetary geolo…
Artemis II and III: The science that brings us back to the Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:10
This week on Planetary Radio, Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Kelsey Young, Artemis Science Flight Operations Lead and lead of the Artemis II Lunar Observations and Imaging Campaign, and Noah Petro, project scientist for Art…
NASA science saved: Inside the 2026 budget victory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:08
Congress has passed a budget that restores near-full funding for NASA science after months of uncertainty. We break down what was saved, what was lost, and what comes next.