People in the satellite industry are fond of automobile analogies. Like this one: Imagine that you buy a car and need it to run for 15 years, but you can’t change the oil or replace the alternator, let alone refuel it. That, they say, is the state of satellites. Once they’ve slipped the surly bonds of Earth, satellites pretty much just have to work, from the ... Show More
Sep 2024
Introducing WIRED Politics Lab!
Although we paused on publishing narrated versions of WIRED articles in this feed, you will still hear the latest in tech and politics from the WIRED team. Join host Leah Feiger and a rotation of guests as they guide you through the exciting, challenging, and sometimes entertaini ... Show More
2m 51s
Aug 2022
Satellites versus the stars
If you look up into the night sky, there are around 7,000 active satellites orbiting the Earth. They’re part of our daily life – essential for things like the internet, the GPS in our cars and giving us weather reports. Seven thousand might not sound a lot in the infinite expanse ... Show More
28m 6s
Jan 2020
Space Junk: How Cluttered Is The Final Frontier?
Since the dawn of Sputnik in 1957, space-faring nations have been filling Earth's orbit with satellites. Think GPS, weather forecasting, telecommunications satellites. But as those have increased, so, too, has space junk. On today's show, we talk about the first mission to clean ... Show More
1s
Sep 2022
Satellite Showdown
<p>How do satellites work? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore CubeSats, space lasers, and the ecology of low Earth orbit with VP of Raytheon, Sandy Brown, and associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics, Kerri Cahoy. </p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons ... Show More
43m 9s
May 2024
WAGD Radio: Snuggling Satellites are Scarier than they Sound
Two satellites snuggling doesn’t sound so bad, right? The new space race with China, Russia, and the US has led to some interesting new tech with scarier implications than you might expect. David Sanger and Victoria Samson join Jon and Heather to break down the far-reaching conse ... Show More
26 m