The human stories behind the science: Dava Sobel receives the Cosmos Award

Few writers have captured the wonder of science through storytelling as powerfully as Dava Sobel. In this episode, we celebrate her remarkable career and her recent honor as the recipient of The Planetary Society’s 2025 Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science. Mat Kaplan, senior…

Making space matter: A space journalist’s journey

What does it take to turn a love of space into a global career in science journalism? Sarah Cruddas has done just that. With a background in astrophysics and a passion for storytelling, she’s become a leading voice in space media, covering rocket launches, interviewing astronauts, and writing books…

Space Policy Edition: What does NASA need with an economist?

Former NASA Chief Economist Akhil Rao explains why NASA needs economic expertise to navigate the complex—and often misunderstood—market forces that will determine the success or failure of its private partnerships. As NASA relies ever more on commercial companies to enable its own exploration effor…

The dark age of NASA science? Analyzing the FY 2026 budget proposal

The White House has released its Fiscal Year 2026 congressional budget justification for NASA, and the implications are staggering. If enacted, this proposal would slash NASA’s science program funding by nearly half, cancel dozens of active and upcoming missions, and reduce the agency’s workforce b…

Volcanic worlds across the Solar System

Volcanoes aren’t just an earthly phenomenon. They’re found all across the Solar System. In this compilation episode of Planetary Radio, we explore volcanic and geothermal activity on planets, moons, and distant dwarf planets. You’ll hear from Rosaly Lopes, Nick Schneider, Rae Paoletta, Robbie Herri…

Space science under fire: Your questions answered

As debates over NASA's future heat up, questions about the value of space exploration are popping up everywhere. This week on Planetary Radio, we're tackling the tough questions head-on with The Planetary Society's staff, including Casey Dreier, chief of space policy, and Ambre Trujillo, digital co…

Kosmos 482: The Soviet-era Venus probe that fell to Earth

This week on Planetary Radio, we explore the decades-long journey of Kosmos 482, a Soviet-era Venus probe that spent 53 years orbiting Earth before its dramatic return on May 10, 2025. Ben Fernando, a postdoctoral researcher in seismology and planetary science at Johns Hopkins University, joins us …

TOI-270 d: Unveiling the secrets of a sub-Neptune

TOI-270 d is revealing secrets about the most common type of planet in our galaxy, sub-Neptunes. Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by planetary geochemist Chris Glein from the Southwest Research Insitute to discuss his team’s new analysis of its atmosphere, using data from JWST and insights from Earth analo…

Space Policy Edition: How NASA remembers—and forgets

No one person knows how to build a spaceship. Dr. Janet Vertesi has seen this firsthand. She’s spent years embedded in NASA science teams, not as a participant, but as an observer. She’s a sociologist who studies the team dynamics of NASA missions. She is alarmed at the prospect of indiscriminate f…

From backyard telescopes to global reach: AstroKobi and the power of short-form space videos

How does someone go from stargazing in a rural Australian backyard to inspiring millions around the world about space science? This week, Sarah Al-Ahmed sits down with Kobi Brown, better known as AstroKobi, to explore how his passion for the Cosmos and a knack for short-form storytelling launched h…