logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
1h 15m

Space Policy Edition: The power of the l...

The Planetary Society
About this episode
Should policymakers spend more time looking - really looking - at the Moon? Chris Cokinos thinks so. He’s the author of a new book, Still As Bright, which explores the evolving role of the Moon in our culture, our history, and our dreams of spaceflight. 
Up next
Jun 24
Tianwen-2: China closes in on Kamoʻoalewa
China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft has successfully arrived at Kamoʻoalewa—a tiny, enigmatic "quasi-satellite" that dances along with Earth on its trek around the Sun. A fascinating scientific debate is heating up over this object's true identity: is it a standard, heavily space-weathe ... Show More
59m 58s
Jun 19
Book Club Edition: “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” with Becky Chambers
This outstanding novella, “To Be Taught, If Fortunate” by award-winning science fiction author Becky Chambers, is a passionate argument for the human exploration of space and the wonders we will find there. Kirkus Reviews calls it, “An extraordinary picture of humanity among the ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 17
Flying on Titan: The engineering of Dragonfly
Saturn's moon Titan is one of the most Earth-like worlds in our Solar System, with a dense nitrogen atmosphere, weather cycles, methane rivers, and vast organic dune fields. It also happens to be the perfect place to fly a drone. NASA's Dragonfly mission is doing exactly that, se ... Show More
59m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
The Moonless Skies of Mercury and Venus
Moons are a popular accessory for the outer planets in our solar system, but Mercury and Venus are suspiciously unadorned. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss why the two most inner planets have no moons today and whether they might have had moons i ... Show More
52m 47s
Oct 2023
Cosmic Conspiracy: The New Space Race
As more and more countries -- and corporations -- make astonishing breakthroughs in space exploration, the public becomes increasingly convinced the world has entered a new space race. In tonight's episode, Ben and Matt explore the dangerous future of this journey to the stars... ... Show More
53m 49s
Aug 2015
2: The Moon
Jason and Stephen talk about Earth's closest neighbor, the Moon. 
53m 30s
Apr 2024
The Distance of the Moon
<p>In an episode we last featured on our <a href="https://radiolab.org/radiolab-kids"><i>Radiolab for Kids Feed</i></a> back in 2020, and in honor of its blocking out the Sun for a bit of us for a bit last week, in this episode, we’re gonna talk more about the moon. According to ... Show More
40m 47s
Feb 2017
Does the full Moon make us act oddly?
Listener Paul Don asks: "I'm wondering what's the feasibility of terraforming another planet ie Mars and if it is possible to do the same thing with something like the moon? Or, why isn't there already a moon-base? Surely that is easier."Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry consi ... Show More
26m 59s
May 2014
Over the Moon
<p>Over the Moon: What if we, over at the mother company Earth, Inc., looked at "assets" in our solar system like a corporation looks at its assets? What if we set our sights on that ne'er-do-well moon? Find out how we could harness the moon's resources to do more of Earth's bidd ... Show More
28m 28s
Nov 2007
Lecture 30: The Moon
What physical processes have shaped the Moon? In this lecture, I describe the surface features of the Moon (the Maria and Highlands), how crater density tells us the relative ages of terrains, and what we have learned about Moon rocks returned by astronauts and robotic probes. I ... Show More
42m 37s
Aug 2023
Return to the Moon: Why now?
This week, we're casting our eyes towards the brightest and largest object in our night sky: the Moon. As India becomes the 4th nation to achieve a successful soft landing on our only natural sateillite, we saw a fantastic opportunity to chart the history of how the Moon was form ... Show More
28m 24s