Universe Today Podcast

Scientists came up with a method to produce concrete on the Moon and Mars using potato starch. In this interview, I'm talking with Dr Aled Roberts, who is the Principle Investigator of this research.

Can we build star-tram-like launch facilities in space? What will JWST see next? Can red or brown dwarfs be the source of dark matter? Should SpaceX just be the only launch service for the USA so they can save money?

James Webb recently found six examples of galaxies that are too big too early. This discovery can significantly change our understanding of the early Universe. In this interview, I'm talking with Dr Joel Leja, who is a part of the team behind the research.

Venus has active volcanoes, we get a glimpse of NASA’s new lunar exploration suits, and scientists build a completely flat telescope lens.

In this interview, I'm talking with Heidi Newberg. Her team won a NIAC grant that will investigate building a telescope that will be hunting for Earth-like worlds. The project is called DICER, which stands for Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver.

How does Venus hold its atmosphere without a magnetosphere? Is the Sun moving to the Milky Way's centre? What happens when the space elevator cable snaps? Can we solve the Hubble Tension? All this and more in this week's Q&A!

Can there be habitable planets orbiting around red dwarfs? My guest, Mariano Battistuzzi, performed experiments to check it! So, can life survive in the conditions created by red dwarf stars? Let's find out in this interview.

The official verdict on Artemis 1. Canadian kids discovered something NASA didn’t know. Was there a Dark Big Bang? The next bright comet for 2024.

Making habitats from available materials will be a big part of Mars missions. One of the 2023 NIAC awards explored the possibility of growing structures on Mars with the help of fungi and bacteria. We're discussing this project with Dr Congrui Jin.

How long can a modern spacecraft last on Venus? How to develop electronics, batteries and other things that can survive these harsh conditions? What could the lifespan of such a mission be? We discuss all that with Dr Tibor Kremic from NASA Glenn Research Center.

How many stars did our radio signals reach? How to visualize the expansion of the Universe? Can we save the Earth from the Sun's red giant phase? How can we tell that an object has interstellar origin? All this and more in this week's Q&A!

How do you plan a trip through the Solar System? What are the orbital mechanics tools that can be used for that? How can all that be used to intercept an interstellar visitor like Oumuamua?

Hubble shows us exactly what happened after DART’s impact, a new way to clean off lunar regolith, seeing the same supernova at three different times in a gravitational lens, and a new version of Starlink launches.

In this interview, I'm talking with Shawn Buckley who is the Senior Director of Engineering at Sierra Space. We talk about the development of their LIFE module, discuss how inflatable habitats can change space exploration and what part they play in humanity's space future.

Could black holes collapse directly in the early Universe? How do two galaxies become one after they collide? How would you communicate time units to aliens? How much will Starship change the prices of space launches? All this and more in this week's Q&A!

Dr Michael Way explains how we can explore Venus, study its atmosphere and understand what hides underneath. It's also a crucial part of astrobiology and studying exoplanets.