Before leaving the ground, astronauts prepare for spaceflight by immersing themselves in life-like training simulators. This is done with the help of NASA’s Simulation and Graphics Branch. Branch Chief Michael McFarlane leads a team of experts who use cutting edge technology to create digital environments, tools and visualizations that support nearly every a ... Show More
Aug 20
Turning Space Data Into Sound
From black holes to star clusters, scientists are turning space data into sound with a process called sonification. Dr. Kimberly Arcand, visual scientist with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, joins us to explore how data sonification lets more people experience th ... Show More
26m 58s
Aug 6
StarBurst: Gamma-ray Hunter
StarBurst, a satellite the size of a washing machine, aims to detect the initial blast of gamma-rays, the most powerful bursts of energy in the universe. These huge explosions can occur when dense neutron stars collide, forging metals like gold and platinum. These metals are some ... Show More
19m 51s
Mar 2025
An extinction-level event for NASA science
NASA's science missions have transformed our understanding of the Universe, from breathtaking images of deep space to robotic explorers on Mars. But now, a reported 50% cut to NASA's science budget threatens to shut down missions, halt discoveries, and devastate the future of spa ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2025
Uranus' Rotational Secrets Revealed, ISS Welcomes New Crew
Exploring Uranus's Rotational Secrets, New Crew at the ISS, and the Dangers of Space Travel
In this episode of SpaceTime, we delve into groundbreaking measurements of Uranus's rotational rate, achieved with unprecedented accuracy by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. This new techniq ... Show More
19m 36s
Apr 2023
Artemis II Astronauts, AI Research Pause, Terra Nil Video Game. April 7, 2023, Part 2
An Open Letter Asks AI Researchers To Reconsider Responsibilities
In recent months, it’s been hard to escape hearing about artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT, the AI-enabled version of Bing, and Google’s Bard—large language models skilled at manipulating words and ... Show More
47m 41s
Nov 2024
Space Policy Edition: NASA at a Crossroads
Norm Augustine, the distinguished aerospace industry veteran behind numerous influential studies, joins the show to discuss “NASA at a Crossroads,” the new report that raises alarm bells for NASA’s workforce, infrastructure, and technology capabilities. Augustine, who chaired an ... Show More
56m 12s
Jul 2024
Bridging the Sim2real Gap in Robotics with Marius Memmel - #695
Today, we're joined by Marius Memmel, a PhD student at the University of Washington, to discuss his research on sim-to-real transfer approaches for developing autonomous robotic agents in unstructured environments. Our conversation focuses on his recent ASID and URDFormer papers. ... Show More
57m 21s