Naked Astronomy, from the Naked Scientists
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198 episodes
European Space Agency Juice mission to Jupiter's Michele Dougherty talks about icy moons, magnetic fields and life elsewhere in the solar system, and the UK Space Agency's Caroline Harper discusses the Juice launch preparations in French Guiana. Also, the hidden history of Space Shuttle Enterprise: Eric Boehm at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum talks about the prototype shuttle's test flights and the aftermath of the Columbia disaster and the military space shuttle. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
It's the burning question that every space fan wants to know...what's the toilet like in SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft? ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer reveals to Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham what a mission in the Dragon is like - from business class seats and spacious interior, to privacy curtain and dramatic return to Earth. He also talks about his Cosmic Kiss mission to the International Space Station and his work on preparing for future Moon missions. Plus, author Meredith Bagby joins the Space Boffins to discuss her new book about the 35 New Guys - the group of Space Shuttle astronauts... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Physicist and philosopher Sean Carrol talks to Naked Astronomy's Ben McAllister about the nature of time. Is it something truly fundamental to our Universe, or simply an illusion? Along the way they chat about space, relativity, the various ways to travel through time, and how that all relates to the emergence of life in the Universe.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Two big interviews this month: Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet Hubble astronaut Mike Massimino and UK 'Space Minister' George Freeman MP. Mike chats about how he was inspired by Apollo, Artemis, Hubble and what he learned from astronaut legend John Young about going to the toilet on the Moon. With the Minister we talk about launch from the UK, the recent European Space Agency (ESA) Council of Ministers meeting, astronauts, Mars and cleaning up space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Physicist and science populariser Paul Davies talks to Naked Astronomy's Ben McAllister about some of the toughest questions cosmologist are grappling with: how did the Universe begin and how will it end, what provoked the Big Bang, and are we part of a "Multiverse"? The duo also take in Dark Matter, extraterrestrial beings, consciousness, free will and whether it exists, and the origins of life itself... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Nasa's outgoing head of science, Thomas Zurbuchen talks about saving the James Webb Space Telescope, future missions to the Moon and Mars, and research into UFOs. The team also visit the Science Museum's sci-fi exhibition and talk to its curator, Glyn Morgan, about Aliens, Star Trek and AI. Plus, the seeds that accompanied Shaun the Sheep on the Artemis 1 mission and what they mean for growing food on the Moon and Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham celebrate the drama of the Spirit and Opportunity rover missions with NASA rover engineer Doug Ellison and JPL research scientist Abigail Fraeman from the film Goodnight Oppy. Recalling how the robots developed personalities, they talk about the mission's highs and lows. We also hear about the new SWOT mission to measure the Earth's water, and talk space books for kids with Raman Prinjah and Sheila Kanani. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
In this special bonus episode - for the first time in full - we play Richard's interview with the last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan. Recorded in summer 2016, it's thought to be the astronaut's last broadcast interview. In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, Cernan describes his "spacewalk from hell" during Gemini, his near-death experience at the Moon in Apollo 10 and his final words on the lunar surface during Apollo 17...Do send any thoughts or comments to Richard and Sue @spaceboffins via Facebook and Twitter or email podcast@spaceboffins.com Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Astronaut Stuart Roosa was a real-life action hero - Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham speak to his daughter about the Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot's life, mission and the seeds he carried with him to the Moon. Sue visits a real Moon Tree down the road from Space Boffins HQ, and we chat to the Chair of the UAE Space Agency about their mission to Mars, astronauts and international partnerships. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
How do you design a space settlement government without it descending into tyranny? Charles Cockell shares his research with hosts Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham. And as the UK prepares for its first rocket launch in 50 years, the UK Space Agency's Matt Archer talks about launch plans and ambitions, and Richard heads to Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall to hear how a dish that brought the world Live Aid is now communicating with Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
In a brave move, the Space Boffins attempt a podcast about pictures without any pictures! Joining them are science writer Andy Saunders, who's spent years remastering images from the Apollo missions to reveal details never seen before, Oxford astrophysicist and podcast host Becky Smethurst about the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and space artist Jackie Burns. It's an (audio) visual feast! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Apollo legend Poppy Northcutt joins Richard and Sue this month The only woman in mission control for the Moon missions, Poppy talks about the challenge of getting astronauts back from the Moon, the drama of Apollo 13 (and why she's not seen the film) and what was on channel 53. With the first launches from the UK fast approaching, Deputy Head of the UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, chats about the prospects for Britain's rocket programme, funding for astronauts and aerobatic flying. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Not one but four astronauts feature in this month's Space Boffins. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham chat to astronaut Nicole Stott about her book Back to Earth; we hear about the drama of launch, what to do when things go wrong and the challenges of interviewing other astronauts. Sue also attends a glamorous space event in London to catch up with two Apollo legends, British ESA astronaut Tim Peake, and Space Shuttle pilot Susan Kilrain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
With the first Artemis mission on the launchpad, Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham look ahead to the next footsteps on the Moon. They chat to Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency about Gateway - "a one bed studio flat" in orbit around the Moon - and lunar SatNav. Plus, John Vrublevskis from Thales Alenia Space UK explains the challenge of getting oxygen out of Moon rocks. We also feature an interview - never before broadcast in full - with Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke. He talks about landing on the Moon, looking back at Earth and his faith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
It's the Space Boffins' most controversial episode yet, as Don Goldsmith talks about his new book written with Astronomer Royal Martin Rees - The End of Astronauts and why robots are the future. Also, we visit one of the cleanrooms at Airbus in Stevenage to see the new Biomass satellite to measure the carbon locked in the world's forests. Plus author Kevin Cook talks about his book, The Burning Blue, on Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger disaster. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
In a bumper new year edition, we hear the latest on the Webb space telescope, discuss volcanoes on distant worlds and look ahead to Europe's mission to Mars. ESA's Mark McCaughrean talks about what's next for the James Webb Space Telescope; UCL's Andrew Coates covers the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover launching this year, and the OU's Natalie Starkey talks about her new book Fire and Ice. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Gardeners of the Galaxy podcast host Emma Doughty discusses the challenges and joys of growing flowers, chillies and vines (for wine!) in space. Sue and Richard also chat to self-confessed space nerd John Chinner about the Astro Pi computers on the International Space Station, 3-D printed rovers and the best (space) movie ever made. Plus, Richard ventures out to a real control room tracking the progress of an innovative new space debris removal mission, currently in orbit around the Earth... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
ESA's senior science advisor Mark McCaughrean joins Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham to enthuse about the most powerful space telescope ever built. And NASA astronaut Jessica Meir discusses coming back from the ISS to a world in the grip of Covid-19, her first all women space walk, and her preparations as part of the Artemis astronaut corps. Plus new CEO of the UK Space Agency, Paul Bate, on the UK's continued success within the space industry. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
After BepiColombo's recent flyby of Mercury, Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson hear from the University of Leicester's Dr Charly Feldman about its onboard lobster eye optics and their increasing use in new spacecraft. They're also joined by the UK Space Agency's Liz Cox on the importance of space when it comes to climate change, and the legendary NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill - whose career there is 55 years and counting - talks about Apollo 1 and Apollo 10. And, yes, there are plenty of Snoopy references! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
This month, Naked Astronomy goes in search of the civilisations with which we might share this Universe. Andrew Siemion, Director of Berkeley SETI Research Center, joins Ben McAllister and Adam Murphy to discuss how likely it is that we are not alone, how we are probing the distant reaches of space for intelligent life, what might thwart us and what's been found so far... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Shuttle pilot and International Space Station Commander, Terry Virts, chats to Space Boffins about flying the Shuttle, commanding the ISS, photographing the Earth...and UFOs. And after the triumphant flight of Wally Funk, Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by space reporter and commercial spaceflight expert, Sarah Cruddas, to talk about space tourism and space entrepreneurs. But will the price of spaceflight ever come down so the rest of us can afford it? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
On the 10th anniversary of Space Boffins, BBC Science and Space Correspondent Jonathan Amos comes aboard to celebrate Mercury 13 legend Wally Funk as she prepares to launch to space with Jeff Bezos. We also catch up on ten years of space developments, chat to ESA's project scientist for the JUICE mission to Jupiter's icy moons, Olivier Witasse, and celebrate Apollo 15 with an epic montage featuring astronaut Al Worden. Here's to the next ten years! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
Two astronauts, one space hipster, a writer and a musician all feature in this month's Space Boffins. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by podcaster and founder of the Space Hipsters, Emily Carney. They also hear from pioneering astronaut Anna Fisher in conversation with astronaut Nicole Stott. And David Brown, author of The Mission, talks about Jupiter's moon Europa and the chances of finding life on the icy and watery world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
This month on Naked Astronomy, we're seeking the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. We're looking at the "God Equation", an equation that could describe everything we know in physics. What would it look like, and what would it mean? Adam Murphy and Ben McAllister were joined by physicist Michio Kaku, author of the God Equation, to discuss how this kind of equation would come about, and the kind of science that might be needed to explain it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
In a podcast exclusive, Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, joins the Space Boffins 30 years after her 1991 Juno mission. She describes the selection process, training in the Soviet Union and her return. Author of the Martian, Andy Weir, chats about his latest book, Jason Achilles Mezilis is the musician behind the Mars microphone, and we commemorate the death of Apollo 11 legend Mike Collins. It's another epic podcast... how do we do it? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
In an epic edition of the Space Boffins Podcast we ambitiously celebrate the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight and the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Space Shuttle. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by live guests Stephen Walker author of Beyond, a new book on Gagarin, and Libby Jackson who leads the human space programme at the UK Space Agency. They also talk to two Space Shuttle astronauts: Sid Gutierrez about flying and commanding the Shuttle, and Kathy Sullivan, one of the first American women in space. She shares stories of the challenges of training for... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
This month on Naked Astronomy we're setting our sights on the Sun. How do storms form on the Sun? How can they wreak havoc here on Earth? And what can we do to predict them? To find out, Ben McAllister and Adam Murphy are joined by University College London solar physicist Stephanie Yardley... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
AS NASA's Perseverance rover makes it safely to Mars, we chat to science writer Elizabeth Howell about the array of missions now studying the red planet. Also the European Space Agency's head of diversity, Ersilia Vaudo, talks about plans for parastronauts, and the UK ground station that relayed the first footsteps on the Moon gears up for the next big lunar adventure. Plus, find out who was right in the great US first-astronaut debate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
This month on Naked Astronomy, we're waxing lyrical about aliens. What might they look like? Can we apply the principles of biology to other worlds? To do that, Ben McAllister and Adam Murphy were joined by Arik Kershenbaum to chat about alien evolution... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/donate
