Spacepod

Prof. Sabine Stanley, author of "What's Hidden Inside Planets," tells us how the interior of Earth helps make this planet a nice place to live. She tells us that the Earth's mantle is actually solid rock, not liquid rock. She also explains what the Earth's interior and birthday balloons have in common. Spacepod listeners can get a 30% discount on "What's Hidden Inside Planets" with the code HPLAN if you order through Hopkins Press at press.jhu.edu. (This code is shared as a courtesy, Spacepod does not receive compensation if you order a book.)

Dr. Jon Merrison talks about the Mars Simulation Laboratory. Here, scientists study what happens in low temperature, low pressure, windy environments.  He says visiting scientists often "come to our lab with some idea based on the conventional model and go away with data which makes no sense to them."

Dr. Morgan Cable returns to the show after nine years!  She tells us how she creates new minerals in her laboratory. She explains how this work helps shape NASA's Dragonfly mission. She encourages listeners to have confidence in their results.

Dr. Geronimo Villanueva tells us about solar system discoveries with JWST. He talks about several projects, including observing water plumes from Saturn's moon Europa and looking for rings around Mars. He shares what it feels like to use this incredible space telescope. 

I was sick for a few weeks this month and had to delay the scheduled interview. In the meantime, I've got a bonus episode for you. In this episode I talk about FindPOTATOs, which is software written by Nicole Tan and me, Carrie Nugent, to find asteroids and comets. I share some challenges we faced and how we overcame them. We hope that findPOTATOs can help astronomers find more asteroids, comets, and trans-Neptunian objects in their images of the sky!

Professor Bill McKinnon, 2023 recipient of the Kuiper Prize, reflects on his career as a planetary scientist. He tells us about a theory of his that was proven right, one that was proven wrong, and what he thinks might be proven wrong in the future.

Dr. Gareth Williams tells us about asteroid names. He explains the rules around naming asteroids and tells us how an asteroid name lead to a surprise trip to meet one of his heroes.

Dr. Brett Denevi talks to us about the planned Artemis missions to the moon's South Pole. There, astronauts will collect rocks and other samples. She describes how geologists are working with the astronauts to ensure that the best, most interesting samples are collected. These samples will create a legacy set that scientists will study for decades.

Loren Grush talks about her new book, "The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space." She explains why Sally Ride was chosen to be the first American woman to go to space, and how the resulting attention was difficult for her. Loren also tells us how she researched and wrote the book during the pandemic.

We hear from Dr. Diana Blaney, the principal investigator of the mapping imaging spectrometer on Europa Clipper. Europa Clipper will travel to Jupiter to see if its moon Europa is habitable. She describes how they tested the spectrometer in special rooms to make sure it will work at Europa.

Professor Lamiya Mowla tells us about an exciting JWST discovery. She describes gravitational lensing as "nature's magnifying glass." She also explains why she likes calling telescopes time machines. We discuss pretty and shiny things, and why prettiness might indicate something is scientifically interesting.

A quick bonus episode about the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse in Mexico, the US, and Canada! I talk about the difference between a partial and total solar eclipse, and share some tips in case you want to travel to see it.

Professor Raman Prinja talks about his new book, "Wonders of the Night Sky."  He tells us how we are lucky to live on a planet with a transparent atmosphere. He also shares stargazing tips for city dwellers as well as long-haul truck drivers. The book is available at Simon and Schuster's website. Note: I received a free copy of the book. 

Dr. Olivier Witasse tells us about the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or JUICE mission, which is currently traveling through space. JUICE will conduct 34 flybys of Jupiter's moons before orbiting Ganymede. Ganyemede may have significant liquid water, and perhaps the elements needed for life. 

Dr. Andrés Plazas Malagón tells us about a field of astronomy called cosmology. He explains that either our universe is mostly made of mysterious stuff called dark energy, or the laws of physics are wrong. He also explains the difference between dark matter and dark energy.