Universe Today Podcast

Support Universe Today Podcast

Today I was joined by Dr. Casey Handmer, an accomplished theoretical physicist who currently works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Casey has a fascinating blog where he considers current trends in space exploration and what the future holds. Learn more about Casey here: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/ We talked about the implications of SpaceX Starship, Starlink, why power beamed from space or a...

When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better. That’s true down here on Earth, and it’s especially true out in space. As astronomers and engineers design the next generation of giant space telescopes, they’re running up against the limits of current launch providers. There are only so many ways you can fold a huge telescope to get it to fit inside a 5-meter launch fairing. The upcoming James Webb...

In this week's questions show, I tackle all the questions about James Webb generated by the videos we did this week. Can it be refueled? How can it see the entire sky? Is the delay a blessing? And more... 00:30 How will JWST run out of propellant? 03:12 Are there spacecraft that could service JWST? 05:00 Can JWST only see half the sky? 08:21 Is the delay a blessing in disguise? 10:58 Why not const...

Today I'll be joined by Paul Geithner, the Deputy Project Manager for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. You've had questions about this mission. Well... now's your chance to get them answered directly from the source. Paul started working with NASA in 1991 on the Hubble Space Telescope, shifting over to James Webb. In 2011, he became the Deputy Project Manager, Technical for James Webb. Learn mor...

On March 30, 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will blast off from the European Space Agency’s European spaceport in Kourou, French Giana on board an Ariane 5 rocket. It’ll fly to the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, a relatively stable spot in space that keeps the glare from the Sun, Earth, and Moon all in a tiny spot in the sky. Then, it’ll unfurl its tennis court-sized sunshade, fold out its...

Today's guest is Dustin Gibson from Oceanside Photo and Telescope (OPT). Dustin will talk about his journey to becoming an astrophotographer and eventually running one of the most successful telescope retailers in the world. Follow Dustin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gibsonpics/ Or visit Oceanside Photo and Telescope https://optcorp.com/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-...

In this week's questions show, I answer what will bring geostationary satellites back to Earth, if you could use the heat on Venus to power a rover, why are we so arrogant to believe that life formed only here on Earth, and more. 01:38 How long will geostatationary satellites survive? 04:31 Could you use the heat on Venus to power a rover? 05:50 Arrogant to think Earth is unique with life 07:33 Wh...

It was another solo live QA this week and I did my best to answer as many audience questions as I could do, closing in on 60 questions during the hour. Needless to say it was a wide-ranging conversation with questions about where I think rovers should go, what do I think about time travel, and whether we should do more SETI or build more space telescopes. The thumbnail is for a Greenland rover cal...

Solar energy is the ideal way to power a spacecraft. There’s no weather, there’s no pesky atmosphere, just pure photons streaming from the Sun to harvest for whatever you need. Well, as long as you’re within the inner Solar System. But solar panels are complicated and fragile made of sensitive electronics and glass - not to mention, really heavy. Any spacecraft equipped with solar panels needs to...

In this week's questions show, I tackle questions about seeding Europa with hardy Earth life, what makes galaxies spin, what are we competing with aliens for, and why is it so hard for second stages of rockets to land? Subscribe to Back to Space https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHZ63YtVtdQDqLxKyTDmtmw 01:46 Why not take Earth life to Europa? 04:00 What if the aliens are aligned to Planet 9? 06:09...

The race is on to find life in other places in the Solar System, from underground reservoirs on Mars to the subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus. If spacecraft, rovers or even astronauts make the momentous discovery of life on another world, that’ll just open up new questions. Did it originate all on its own, completely independently from Earth, or are we somehow related? And if we are relate...

If you’ve watched this channel enough, you might have the impression that I hate Venus. It’s possible, just possible I’ve even suggested that the planet is so terrible it should be pushed into the Sun. The reality, of course, is that it’s an absolutely fascinating world - the closest twin to the Earth that we have in the Solar System. It’s nearly the same mass and has the same surface gravity. Whi...

In this week's questions show, I explain why it's probably not time to reconsider the definition of a moon, if we could make artificial gravity with a chunk of a neutron star, and why a supermassive black hole isn't the anchor for an entire galaxy. 00:47 Should we reconsider the definition of a moon? 03:35 Could we make artificial gravity with mass? 05:48 Why didn't the Big Bang collapse back into...

Scientists have had the opportunity to examine several asteroids in the Solar System now, and what they’ve learned is how much variety is out there, depending on the mass, distance from the Sun and composition. Astronomers currently know of 829,400 asteroids across the Solar System, and they’d love to visit as many of them as possible to learn more about them. Considering the price of a single spa...

In this week's live QA, we talked about rotating space stations, the materials that can be made in space, what telescopes and binoculars I use. And there were a lot of questions about James Webb. 04:15 When will we see a rotating space station? 09:27 Are there materials that can only be made in space? 11:11 What's my telescope? 12:51 What are my binoculars? 13:47 What's the status of the B612 Foun...

People always ask me how I think humanity will react if we discover life somewhere out there in the Universe, whether it’s bacteria under the surface of Mars, a biosignature of alien life in the atmosphere of another world, or a radio signal from another civilization. Will our civilization lose its collective mind and have a temper tantrum on a global scale? Will we become one of those purge plane...

In this week's questions show, I explain why we'll never know which stars have no planets. How we could prevent a catastrophe to Earth, and why aliens might still be a threat to us. Check out more of Dustin Gibson's photographs at: https://www.instagram.com/gibsonpics/ 00:48 How many stars don't have planets? 02:29 Could we prevent a catastrophe? 05:16 No aliens would be a threat to us 07:38 Can I...

No guest this week, just a live QA with me and the audience about all things space and astronomy. People had questions about how planets can capture asteroids to turn them into moons, what rocket James Webb will use to fly to space, and why you can't use antimatter to destroy a black hole. 05:45 How can a planet capture an asteroid? 07:21 Why are quasars so far from us? 09:26 How could you make a...

Even as the first rockets were launched into space decades ago, aerospace knew it was a wasteful process. Rocket stages, motors, and complex equipment crashed into the ocean or burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Could spaceplanes bring the costs down? Flying to orbit with a combination of jet engines and rockets and then safely re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere again. Single-stage to orbit spacecr...

While we’re all waiting for James Webb to launch - which it will - the Extremely Large Telescope to be constructed, and LUVOIR to get approved. (Please get approved, please get approved.) We’re going to need a way to pass the time. So let’s have our imaginations take flight, out into the Universe, and consider some of the most incredible ideas suggested for telescopes. Unless you’ve been crawling...

In this week's questions show, I explain why Starship probably won't contribute to human carbon emissions, if there's a galactic Prime Directive, and if SpaceX has finally perfected the single-stage to orbit. Featuring Tony Darnell from Deep Astronomy and the Space Junk Podcast https://www.youtube.com/user/tdarnell https://optcorp.com/blogs/podcast 00:30 Won't Starship cause global warming? 02:33...

This week I was joined by astronaut Ron Garan to talk about his new book "Floating in Darkness". Ron is an accomplished F-16 pilot, flying combat missions during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He flew to space twice, first aboard STS-124, and then a six-month stay on board the International Space Station as part of Expedition 27. Learn more about his new book: https://publishizer.com/floating-in-...

After decades of research, including multiple landers and orbiters, science can definitively say: Venus sucks. Seriously, that place is the worst, with its boiling temperature, intense pressure, sulfuric acid rain, and more. But was it always this bad? According to new research from NASA and various universities in Sweden and the US, Venus might have actually been the first habitable world in the...

On Saturday, September 28th, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stood in front of an audience in Boca Chica, Texas, and presented the fully assembled SpaceX Starship, 50 meters tall and made from shiny stainless steel. As part of his presentation, Musk showed off the history of the company’s developments so far and gave us an updated view of what Starship and its first stage Superheavy booster will look like wh...