Universe Today Podcast

I'm pleased to welcome back Dr. Casey Handmer, a software systems architect at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to his work at NASA, Casey has a fascinating blog where he considers the future of human and robotic space exploration:

In this week's episode, I talk about the various ways we measure the age of the Universe. What's next for OSIRIS-REx? And what are the next frontiers for gravitational wave astronomy?

In this week's questions show, I consider what the night sky might look like if you could stand at the center of the Milky Way where the stars are denser. Do all stars have Oort clouds? And could Starship really send humans to Mars for the price of a house?

My guest is Dr. Ken Olum, a research professor at Tufts University. His primary research is into cosmic strings, and how they could be detectable through techniques like gravitational waves.

My guest is Dr. Michael H. Hecht, a research scientist and associate director at MIT's Haystack Observatory. Hecht is also the principal investigator for the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment onboard Perseverance:

In this special interview, I was fortunate to speak with Dr. Ronald Mallet, an emeritus professor at UConn. In addition to a lifetime's work in cosmology and astrophysics, Mallet has been trying to work out how our understanding of Einstein's theories of General Relativity might lead to a practical form of time travel.

In this week's questions show, I explain why we'd be able to recognize aliens, even if they were vastly more technologically advanced than us. Why I don't do any promotional ads on my videos, and if we have any examples of energy turning into matter.

It's time for another interview with me on someone else's podcast. This time it's with Demystifying Science, where we talked about how the lessons of space exploration can help us learn more about conservation and sustainability here on Earth. https://demystifyingscience.com/

My guest is Dr. Jessie Christiansen, an astrophysicist with NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute. Jessie will give us an update on TESS and the 2,200 planets it's discovered so far.

In this week's questions show, I explain whether or not gravity is infinite, will we need to cure cancer to go to space? Will SpaceX help Artemis' chances for landing humans on Mars in 2024, and more...

My guest is Dr. Rebecca K. Leane, an astroparticle physicist with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The work involves innovative ways to detect dark matter.

In this week's questions show I explain why we could be first in the Universe, do galaxies flip or spin, did I pick a good career? And more.

My guest is Mick West, a game developer and writer. Mick has been studying UFO claims and contrail conspiracy theories for many years and has a useful toolkit to help identify unidentified objects in the sky.

My guest is Dr. Klaus Pontoppidan, an astronomer and project scientist working with the James Webb Space Telescope. Klaus is on the committee that helped choose targets that the telescope will be studying once it flys (and it will).

My guest is astronomer and science communicator Dr. Maggie Lieu. Lieu is a research fellow of machine learning and cosmology at the University of Nottingham and has been working on the upcoming Euclid space mission to help in the search for Dark Energy.

In this week's questions show, I explain why a heat-powered rover wouldn't work on Venus. I explain how spacecraft navigate, and wonder what James Webb's Deep Field survey will look like.