Universe Today Podcasts With Fraser Cain

Michael Amato is an engineer at NASA and has been a member of the team behind NASA's DAVINCI spacecraft which will be launching to Venus in 2029. The spacecraft will be exploring the atmosphere of Venus with more clarity and detail than has ever been seen before, giving us a better sense about how the world became so different from Earth. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/amato-helped-keep-davinci-probe-on-track

In this week's episode, I talk about how close to the Sun Parker Solar Probe can get, what is the smallest possible star that's turned into a red giant, why do I think aliens will need to adhere to the laws of physics, and more. Oh, and why am I so cynical? 00:00 Start 01:17 [Tatooine] Will Parker Solar Probe fly low enough to dodge prominences? 03:32 [Coruscant] What is the smallest mass star to have turned into a red giant? 06:23 [Hoth] Why do we think aliens have to adhere to the laws of physics? 09:46 [Naboo] Am I too cynical? 13:13 [Kamino] What would the night sky look like on Mars? 14:11 [Bespin] Can black holes grow endlessly? 15:35 [Mustafar] Do black holes eat dark matter? 16:00 [Alderaan] How can we get high bandwidth to Mars? 18:10 [Dagobah] What if aliens don't remake the Universe? 22:32 [Yavin] Could dark energy tear a black hole apart? 25:25 [Mandalore] Am I sad that I won't see the future? 27:54 [Geonosis] How long would trips take if you could go faster than light speed? 30:07 [Corellia] Cou

We finally have the SgrA* supermassive black hole image by the Event Horizon Telescope, China announces their plans to launch a space telescope, and Russia threatens to leave the ISS. 00:00 Intro 00:20 Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole https://www.universetoday.com/155874/this-is-it-meet-the-supermassive-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way/ 03:48 China will launch a space telescope https://www.universetoday.com/155825/china-announces-its-new-flagship-space-telescope-mission/ 05:57 Another ISS bluff from Russia https://www.universetoday.com/155765/russia-says-itll-quit-the-international-space-station-over-sanctions-also-russia-says-a-lot-of-stuff-that-doesnt-happen/ 07:49 Support us on Patreon https://patreon.com/universetoday 08:46 Another test by Spinlaunch 09:52 Record marsquakes by Insight https://www.universetoday.com/155870/insight-just-detected-a-record-breaking-marsquake-magnitude-5/ 11:05 Ingenuity starts having problems https://www.universetoday.com/155864/martian-dust-is-starting-to-darken-in

Edward Balaban is a research scientist at NASA Ames and the principal investigator of the Fluidic Telescope Experiment, or FLUTE. The idea is to create a giant lens in space out of a fluid that could maintain its shape in microgravity. The technology was recently tested during the Axiom-1 mission to the International Space Station. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nasa-tries-new-ways-fluid-materials-to-build-giant-space-telescopes

Dr. Kevin Cannon is an assistant professor of geology and geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Cannon has been studying the properties of lunar regolith, developing techniques that could help to mitigate its dangers during long-duration lunar exploration missions. https://geology.mines.edu/project/cannon-kevin/

In this week's Questions and Answers show, I explain why we don't see much stuff in space unfolding in real time, how long will Musk's Tesla be a recognizable object, and what are some feasible structures we could build to help send payloads to space. 00:00 Start 03:38 [Tatooine] Why don't we see space stuff in real time? 07:40 [Coruscant] When will the Voyagers actually leave the Solar System? 09:43 [Hoth] What do I use to take notes? 12:04 [Naboo] Could we make better rocket fuel? 14:41 [Kamino] Could ion engines reach the speed of light? 16:23 [Bespin] Should we modify the Drake Equation more? 17:18 [Mustafar] How long will Musk's Tesla be recognizable? 19:02 [Alderaan] Is there any research to have humans survive in space for a long time? 20:49 [Dagobah] Are the Voyagers slowing down? 21:58 [Yarvin] How can galaxies collide if the Universe is expanding? 23:38 [Mandalore] What launch systems should we develop? 25:51 [Geonosis] Could there be life without a magnetic field? 27:39 [Corellia] Could balloons la

Rocket Lab almost catches their Electron booster with a helicopter, China building an asteroid redirection mission, NASA gives out awards and astronomers find a new type of space explosions. 00:00 Intro 00:35 Rocket Lab Almost Caught a Booster with a Helicopter https://www.universetoday.com/155706/they-did-it-rocket-lab-uses-copter-to-catch-and-release-a-rocket/ 02:06 China is Building an Asteroid Deflection Mission https://www.universetoday.com/155683/china-is-building-an-asteroid-deflection-mission-of-its-own-due-for-launch-in-2025/ 03:35 Micronova. A New Kind of Stellar Explosion Has Been Discovered https://www.universetoday.com/155626/a-new-kind-of-stellar-explosion-has-been-discovered-micronovae/ 05:42 A Space Telescope Could Reveal a Black Hole's Photon Ring https://www.universetoday.com/155614/a-space-telescope-could-reveal-a-black-holes-photon-ring/ 07:21 Astronomers Discover Eight Echoes from Black Holes https://www.universetoday.com/155709/astronomers-discover-eight-echoes-from-black-holes/ 09:13 Su

My guest today is Dr. Sam Howell, a planetary scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sam studies the interiors of icy worlds, like Europa and Enceladus and is pioneering methods to explore their subsurface oceans. https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/showell/

In this week's Questions and Answers show, I explain why James Web still can't see the Big Bang, if black holes can "unblack hole" later in life and what is the cutest nebula in the Universe? 00:00 Start 03:17 [Tatooine] Can Webb see back to the Big Bang? 08:20 [Corusant] Could antimatter destroy a black hole? 10:06 [Hoth] Why can't the aliens be hiding? 15:02 [Naboo] Can black holes lose enough mass to stop being black holes? 17:51 [Kamino] Why don't supermassive black holes suck everything up? 19:38 [Bespin] Would I go to space? 21:43 [Mustafar] Could a telescope see features on an exoplanet? 23:57 [Alderaan] Can we see cosmic rays hitting our retinas? 25:26 [Dagobah] How can Parker Solar Probe fly so close to the Sun? 27:10 [Yarvin] Does the density of the Universe matter to advanced civilizations? 30:34 [Mandalore] Am I worried about solar flares? 32:31 [Geonosis] What if we put Hubble out to the orbit of Neptune? 34:46 [Corellia] What are some good targets for astrophotography? 37:05 [Crait] Is the Sun p

My guest today is Dr. Franck Marchis, a senior planetary astronomer and chair of the exoplanet group at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute and Chief Scientific Officer and Founder at Unistellar. Franck helps develop adaptive optics systems for research observatories and helped develop the fully automated eVscope telescope which helps amateurs do astrophotography and contribute to astronomical research. https://www.seti.org/our-scientists/franck-marchis

Every day about 100 tonnes of space dust strikes the Earth's atmosphere. Most of these space rocks vaporize, but some fall to the Earth at meteorites. Did you know that there are particles from space falling on the roof of your house? My guest today is Scott Peterson. Scott collects micrometeorites from his house and takes pictures of them using a microscope. We'll talk about how to find them, identify them and photograph them for yourself. https://micro-meteorites.com

NASA extended 8 space missions, EHT has groundbreaking announcements on the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, James Webb shows first images, SOFIA telescope is getting shut, Starship evaluation gets another delay, and more space news. 00:00 Intro 00:37 EHT announced ‘groundbreaking Milky Way results’ https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann22006/ 02:25 Webb Has Almost Reached its Final, Coldest Temperature https://www.universetoday.com/155568/webb-has-almost-reached-its-final-coldest-temperature/ 03:44 New Engineering Images from JWST Will Blow Your Mind https://www.universetoday.com/155649/prepare-yourself-new-engineering-images-from-jwst-will-blow-your-mind/ https://twitter.com/andrasgaspar/status/1520184730985148418?s=21&t=sR0-_t0BaKUwvDUPPbwCTQ 05:51 Eight Missions Planetary are Getting Extensions https://www.universetoday.com/155606/eight-missions-are-getting-extensions-most-exciting-osiris-rex-is-going-to-asteroid-apophis/ 08:19 NASA is Ready to try and fix Lucy’s Unlatched Solar Panel https:

In this week's questions and answers show, I talk about supermassive black hole nucleosynthesis, the threat of grabby aliens and why would we ever bother building Von Neumann Probes. 00:00 Start 01:00 [Tatooine] Are elements being formed in quasars? 03:50 [Corusant] What will the coverage of the Moon landings be like? 06:39 [Hoth] How close will Comet C/2014 UN271 get to us? 08:29 [Naboo] Why send out Von Neumann Probes? 09:56 [Kamino] Will we actually develop the technology for Von Neumann Probes? 12:34 [Bespin] Why do colliding black holes turn mass into gravitational waves? 13:56 [Mustafar] Should we broadcast signals into space? 18:05 [Alderaan] Would bowl-spin habitats help with lower gravity? 21:07 [Dagobah] What will the first pictures from Webb be? 22:31 [Yarvin] How do we know the Oort Cloud exists? 23:31 [Mandalore] What telescopes can fly with Starship? 26:46 [Geonosis] Could a heavy suit mimic Earth gravity? 28:41 [Corellia] Why do people want to colonize other planets? Want to be part of the ques

My guest today is Dr. Renu Malhotra, a planetary scientist who specializes in planetary migration and orbital mechanics. Dr. Malhotra and her team have discovered that Pluto's orbit is surprisingly chaotic at small timescales and yet surprisingly stable at larger timescale. We'll talk about her research and the science of orbital mechanics that led to the current orbits of the planets in the Solar System. https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~renu/

Planetary Science Decadal Survey recommends a mission to Uranus, SLS is set for another delay, Perseverance sees a Phobos solar eclipse, all Hubble's images in a single picture and other most important space and astronomy news of the week. 00:00 Intro 00:43 Planetary Science Decadal Survey is out https://www.universetoday.com/155519/planetary-decadal-survey-says-its-time-for-a-mission-to-uranus-and-enceladus-too-1/ 04:11 NASA is Having a Tough Time Testing the SLS https://www.universetoday.com/155485/nasa-is-having-a-tough-time-testing-the-sls/ 05:46 US goes for a ban of anti-satellite weapons https://spacenews.com/dod-a-main-proponent-of-anti-satellite-test-ban-we-are-not-disarming/ 07:13 Wow! Perseverance Sees a Solar Eclipse on Mars https://www.universetoday.com/155538/wow-perseverance-sees-a-solar-eclipse-on-mars/ 08:15 Perseverance Begins the Next Phase of its Mission, Studying an Ancient River Bed on Mars https://www.universetoday.com/155553/perseverance-begins-the-next-phase-of-its-mission-studying-an

My guest today is Dr. Slava Turyshev, a physicist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He helped to solve the Pioneer Anomaly, and is developing a mission that could use the Sun's gravity as a natural lens to focus the light from distant objects. https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Turyshev/

My guest today is Dr. Margaret Meixner, the Director of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Science Mission Operations. Previous to this role, Dr. Meixner was a Distinguished Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and a Project Scientist at James Webb Space Telescope. https://www.sofia.usra.edu/about-sofia/science-team/margaret-meixner

My guest today is Celeste Keith, a graduate student at the University of Chicago. Celeste and her team are searching for ways to detect the presence of primordial black holes, leftover from the Big Bang. These could be an explanation for dark matter and other phenomena in the Universe. https://astrophysics.uchicago.edu/people/profile/celeste-keith/

In this week's live Questions and Answers show, I provide the exact number of alien worlds that could detect the Earth, are we made of heavier elements made in other galaxies, will lasers remain perfectly parallel in space? And more... 00:00 Start 01:15 [Tatooine] Could any aliens see us by the transit/radial velocity method? 04:05 [Corusant] Are we made from atoms made in other galaxies? 07:23 [Hoth] Will lasers remain parallel in space? 09:32 [Naboo] Is the Universe just a coincidence? 10:16 [Kamino] Are there too many satellites? 13:30 [Bespin] What do I think of ISRO? 15:31 [Mustafar] Will we ever reach the speed of light? 16:47 [Alderaan] Do I find the Great Filter convincing? 18:20 [Dagobah] How can we avoid planetary contamination? 20:53 [Yarvin] Does Pluto have an atmosphere? 22:22 [Mandalore] When will astronauts drop their poop on Mars? 22:38 [Geonosis] Do I see Starlink trails? 24:46 [Corellia] How big can objects get? 26:08 [Crait] Could there be space science startups? 27:19 [Endor] What will low

Perseverance found its parachute, JWST cooling down its experiments, Standard Model once again in danger, Space Force releasing data to scientists, yet another approach for expensive space tourism and more top news stories of this week. 00:00 Intro 00:52 Space Force is Releasing Decades of Tracking Data on a Thousand Bright Meteor Fireballs https://www.universetoday.com/155380/space-force-is-releasing-decades-of-tracking-data-on-a-thousand-bright-meteor-fireballs/ 02:18 An overweight boson might be threatening the Standard Model https://www.universetoday.com/155396/weird-measurement-of-w-boson-doesnt-match-standard-model-of-physics/ Interview with Dr Paul Sutter https://youtu.be/9ZUd9SqOJBQ 05:20 James Webb Almost Cooled Down Enough https://www.universetoday.com/155453/brrr-webbs-miri-has-reached-6-4-kelvin-just-a-few-degrees-above-absolute-zero/ 07:02 Yet another approach to high altitude tourism https://www.universetoday.com/155400/get-an-inside-look-at-space-perspectives-stratospheric-lounge-with-bar/ 09: