Synopsis
The Guide to Space is a series of space and astronomy poddcasts by Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today
Episodes
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Episode 705: Open Space 99: Would Alien AI Be Friendly to Us? And More...
15/12/202000:00:00 Start 00:04:45 Can we know how much of the Moon is Earth and what is Theia? 00:06:41 Where did the Earth's water come from? 00:09:24 Would alien AI be friendly? 00:12:01 How far could we detect alien civilizations? 00:15:58 Why isn't metallic hydrogen made with nuclear weapons? 00:19:37 Is there water on Titan? 00:22:35 Is the outer Solar System rich in water? 00:24:03 Do stars leak hydrogen? 00:26:32 Can we own mining facilities on the Moon? 00:31:08 Is the Universe orbiting a huge black hole? 00:33:20 What are all the stuff behind me? 00:34:35 Why is it taking so long to send missions to the ice giants? 00:36:58 Favorite lunar lander? 00:40:13 Why is everyone making fun of Starship? 00:44:10 Can ion engines be scaled up? 00:48:00 Could a Falcon 9 carry Orion? 00:51:13 Am I happy to see Bridenstine step down? 00:52:30 What are the limitations of horizontal launches? 00:55:15 What about Sea Dragon? 00:59:05 Why does it take so long to get to Jupiter?
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Episode 704: Interview: Elizabeth Howell PhD, Canada's Role in Space Exploration
14/12/2020My guest this week is the science journalist Elizabeth Howell. Dr. Howell is one of the most prolific space journalists working in the field, contributing thousands of articles across almost every space news site (including Universe Today). She has also written and collaborated on several books. Her latest book is called "Canadarm and Collaboration", and it's all about Canada's role in spaceflight. https://elizabethhowell.ca/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at
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Episode 703: Open Space 98: Can White Dwarf Stars Have Habitable Planets? And More...
08/12/2020In this week's live questions show, I explain why planets can remain habitable long after their stars have died, what we're going to do now that Arecibo has collapsed, how we'll explore the oceans underneath Europa. I also answer the question of whether or not I'm ready to learn about the secret Galactic Federation. Our live shows are provided ad-free thanks to the support of our amazing patrons. Join our community at https://patreon.com/universetoday. 00:00:00 Start 00:06:07 Can white dwarf stars have planets? Is it habitable in the long term? 00:09:50 Can bugs fly on the space station? 00:11:16 How will we track asteroids without Arecibo? 00:13:41 Could Arecibo have been collapsed safely? 00:16:28 Can ISS dodge meteors? 00:18:45 What would it take to rebuild Arecibo? 00:19:45 Is there dark matter here in the Solar System? 00:22:59 No ads 00:23:17 Will we be watching the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter? 00:23:40 Will Arecibo engineers be able to get other jobs? 00:24:20 Could there be captured interstella
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Episode 702: Interview: Alex Ignatiev and Manufacturing on the Moon
08/12/2020My guest this week is Alex Ignatiev, from Lunar Resources. Alex and his team are working on a rover that could build solar panels, wiring and even radio antennae out of lunar regolith. This could support future bases or even radio telescopes. You can learn more about Lunar Resources here: http://lunarresources.space/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.t
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Episode 701: Open Space 97: What if SagA* Turned into a Quasar? And More...
02/12/2020In this week's live questions show, I explain how amateurs can contribute to space and astronomy research, will I sign up for Starlink, and what would happen if the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way turned into a quasar? 00:00:00 Start 00:03:13 How can amateurs can contribute to science? 00:05:50 What if Sgr* turned into a quasar? 00:07:00 Will the Universe end in a Big Rip? 00:10:32 How can solar sails be pushed by massless photons? 00:12:45 Do we know what rocky planets are made out of? 00:14:18 How did my mind change after interviewing Wallace Arthur 00:18:06 Will I sign up for Starlink Beta? 00:20:00 Am I looking forward to Dune? 00:23:30 Isn't the buy in cost for Starlink too expensive? 00:26:08 How can the methuselah star be older than the Universe? 00:27:31 Can we observe Oort clouds in other Solar Systems? 00:30:00 Does Andromeda have a supermassive black hole? 00:32:43 Any progress on Event Horizon Telescope? 00:34:35 What if an Earth-sized world fell into the Sun? 00:36:01 How ca
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Episode 700: Interview: Wallace Arthur and the Biological Universe
26/11/2020Wallace Arthur is an evolutionary biologist and emeritus professor of Zoology at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His newest book is called the Biological Universe, and features the search for life in the Milky Way and Beyond. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/biological-universe/4599E17C7FAAECE4A87038C62039C755 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https:
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Episode 699: Open Space 96: The End of the International Space Station? And More...
24/11/2020In this week's Open Space, we had a series of questions about the International Space Station. How long will it remain in orbit, and what role will it continue to play with other space stations under construction? We also talked about how much longer the Earth will remain habitable, and if it could be possible to replace Arecibo. 00:00:00 Start 00:03:35 How much longer with the Earth be habitable? 00:06:30 The great conjunction 00:09:11 Is nuclear power a good option in space? 00:13:31 What is the future of the ISS? 00:18:24 What are the chances of replacing Arecibo? 00:21:57 Couldn't we melt down the station for raw material? 00:23:35 What do I think of Axiom's private space station? 00:27:28 What's the best supernova candidate? 00:32:25 Could we add mass to Mars to restart its core? 00:36:03 Am I excited about the next Gaia release? 00:40:45 Are we looking backwards in time? 00:42:00 How's Chinese going? 00:46:39 What's the future of the Thirty Meter Telescope? 00:50:24 Will there be more international coll
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Episode 698: Open Space 95: Would SpaceX Have Survived without NASA? And More...
23/11/202000:00:00 Start 00:01:31 How much oxygen is too difficult? 00:03:46 Do the Falcon 9 boosters really land, or does the camera always cut out? 00:04:55 Could SpaceX have succeeded without NASA? 00:07:53 Will Gateway get delayed too? 00:11:20 Too drunk to control a telescope? 00:12:38 Is the Universe heating up? 00:16:00 Why rush to Mars? 00:19:50 Why research things that'll happen in the far future? 00:22:10 Could we use railguns? 00:26:00 Does thinking about the Universe drive you crazy? 00:28:45 Why don't we send cubesats in all directions? 00:31:32 Why could reduce the atmospheric pressure of Venus? 00:33:13 What's the farthest humans will go? 00:37:17 Will self replicating robots be built? 00:41:47 Will we never go to other stars? 00:44:07 Could a Dyson Sphere hide its radiation? 00:46:30 Where is the life in the Universe? 00:48:00 Dyson Sphere is a dumb idea. 00:49:47 What will be attributed to aliens next? 00:50:00 What are the cause of fast radio bursts? 00:53:30 Will we control space junk? Our Book is ou
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Episode 697: Interview: Theoretical Physicist Dr. Peter Woit
16/11/2020Dr. Peter Woit is a theoretical physicist and senior lecturer in the math department at Columbia University. He's a critic of string theory, wrote a book called "Not Even Wrong" and maintains a blog of the same name. http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on
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Episode 696: Open Space 94: Is It Realistic to Declare a "Free Mars"? And More...
10/11/2020In this week's live QA, I talk about Elon Musk's hope of establishing a free Mars, the future of gravitational wave detectors, and what do I think about trying to live in other places in the Solar System? 00:00:00 Start 00:03:00 Thoughts on Bridenstine leaving NASA? 00:08:10 Should we declare a Free Mars? 00:11:43 How sensitive will gravitational wave detectors become? 00:17:05 More damage at Arecibo 00:19:20 Why is the Moon the same visual size as the Sun? 00:22:02 Are white holes real? 00:25:48 Any hard sci-fi 00:28:30 Why doesn't Elon talk about nuclear propulsion or artificial gravity? 00:31:03 Why is artificial gravity research so expensive? 00:33:00 What's going to happen with Artemis? 00:37:33 What do I think about GPT-3? 00:42:43 Could we live on Venus? 00:48:00 Give Venus an artificial satellite? 00:49:22 Would Mercury be better to live on? 00:51:00 What is the Great Attractor? 00:52:27 Is Titan the best? 00:53:16 Live underground on Venus? 00:55:00 Is Mercury a good source of metals? 00:55:56 Could
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Episode 695: Q&A 130: Does the Dark Forest Explain the Fermi Paradox? And More...
02/11/2020In this week's questions show, I talk about the Dark Forest theory in the Three-Body Problem series of books. Is it a compelling answer to the Fermi Paradox? How much of a risk is dust to interstellar travel? Is black hole evaporation negated by black holes absorbing additional material and energy? 00:00 Start 00:46 Is the Dark Forest a reasonable answer to the Fermi Paradox? 04:05 How much dust is in interstellar space? 05:57 Can we go faster than the Voyagers? 08:24 Are black holes gaining mass faster than they're evaporating? 10:07 Is abiogenesis happening right now? 13:47 How do we calculate the habitable zones around other stars? 15:45 How close can binary stars be and still be habitable? 17:50 Could we find debris in the Lagrange Points? 19:27 Can gravitational waves let us see past the CMB? 22:07 What is a galactic halo? 23:49 Are there gas dwarfs? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here. Our Book is out!
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Episode 694: Interview: Fred Watson, Australia's Astronomer at Large
27/10/2020https://www.darkskytraveller.com.au/fredwatson Space Nuts Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-space-and-science-news/id1080090608 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team:
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Episode 693: Open Space 92: Why I Hate Embargoed News Stories, and More...
27/10/202000:00:00 Start 00:04:10 Searching for exomoons 00:07:35 Why I hate embargoes 00:11:29 Discovery of water on the Moon 00:17:00 Could Spitzer target the Moon? 00:17:30 Would Jupiter's magnetosphere protect you? 00:20:56 Any space telescopes for Starship? 00:26:27 Cost of a replacement James Webb? 00:27:45 Do you need gravitational assists to go to the outer Solar System? 00:30:49 Is Juno still flying? 00:31:17 When will Starship do its next hop? 00:32:35 Could you have a world made entirely of water? 00:36:05 Will amateurs be able to use Gaia? 00:38:16 What's the impact of James Webb on other missions? 00:43:26 How can small businesses work with NASA? 00:47:00 Quantum foam particles. 00:48:40 What are the most habitable stars? 00:52:36 Does nothingness exist? 00:55:10 What does it mean that the Universe is expanding? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/
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Episode 692: Open Space 91: Any Updates on Venus? And More...
22/10/202000:00 Start 05:54 Have we learned any more about Venus? 08:31 Elon Musk interview with the Mars Society 11:15 How small would Earth be as a black hole? 11:31 Could space be infinite at the Big Bang? 13:57 Will we mine the Moon for Helium 3? 17:08 How does inflation improve the Big Bang? 23:22 Why didn't the Universe collapse again? 27:03 OSIRIS-REx update 28:17 Could you turn condensed light into matter? 30:11 Will the magnetic reversal be devastating? 32:35 How can you have atmospheric pressure without a container? 33:45 What will Starship land on? 34:47 Will it cost more than a ton of gold to bring gold back from the Moon. 36:20 Why do I think multicellular life is rare? 41:47 Starfleet or Space Force? 42:38 Would there be a Universe without us to observe it? 44:27 What rocket launch do I want to see? 45:39 What's the difference between the SpaceX suits and the shuttle suits? 47:43 Will the first person on Mars be Chinese? 49:23 Could we start building our Dyson Sphere now? 51:37 Are there any full views of
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Episode 691: Interview: Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute
14/10/2020This week I'll be talking Dr. Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute about his work searching the Universe for evidence of extraterrestrials. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain
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Episode 689: Open Space 90: Could We Drill for Life on Mars? And More...
06/10/2020In this week's live questions show, I answer questions about drilling for microbes on Mars, missions that could survive the surface of Venus, and if anyone else is dissatisfied with the Big Bang. 00:00 Start 04:18 Any updates on the Chinese mission to Mars? 05:41 How many exoplanets are confirmed? 07:18 Can any rovers drill for microbes? 10:31 Any ways to survive the surface of Venus? 13:10 How do you know if an exoplanet has cleared its path? 15:31 Is anyone dissatisfied with the Big Bang? 19:50 Favorite solution to Planet 9? 21:48 When did I start getting interested in space? 22:55 How likely is the Venus phosphine abiotic? 27:45 How intense is the radiation field at Jupiter? 28:54 Will I ever stream video games? 34:03 Could we detect planets in the Magellanic Clouds 36:13 Would would life be like near a black hole? 38:40 How many launches have I seen? 41:50 Is quantum mechanics a big hoax? 42:35 Good targets for astrophotography? 44:04 Raised by Wolves? 45:02 Are we living in a black hole? 45:31 When will
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Episode 688: Remnants From the Early Universe. Primordial Black Holes
02/10/2020Black holes are already mind-bending enough. Matter and energy compressed into a region so dense that the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light. Places where space and time are tangled up so much that even if you could go faster than light speed, you’d still end up at the singularity. Astronomers know of two kinds of black holes in the Universe: stellar mass and supermassive, and how we get them have been worked out pretty well. But there’s a third class of black hole, one which has never been observed nor detected indirectly, and yet it could explain some of the mysteries of the Universe, including the nature of dark matter. Primordial black holes. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtu
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Episode 687: Open Space 89: Scott Gaudi and the HabEx Mission
02/10/2020Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.c
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Episode 685: Open Space 88: UFO Culture with Author Sarah Scoles
28/09/2020Sarah Scoles is a Denver-based science writer who has supplied articles to WIRED Science and Popular Science. Her newest book is called "They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers". http://www.sarahscoles.com/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uni