Universe Today Podcast

BONUS PART STARTS AT 32:27
Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6h5It3GnTGI
Titan Dragonfly is one of the most exciting missions in development. But it'll have its limits. For example, it won't go into caves on Titan. Which are super interesting. But this NIAC project will study a robot that should be able to go there.
🟣 Guest: Dr. Daniel Drew https://danieldrew.me/
📜 Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK) https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/solid-state-propulsion-for-autonomous-reconnaissance-of-karst-spark/
👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/
00:00 Intro

01:31 What is karst

05:59 The NIAC project

23:28 Alternative use cases

27:48 Earth-based version

32:27 Using robots in Hawaii

39:15 Current obsessions

46:36 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:01
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Can someone launch a regular small telescope into space? Are Moon caves stable enough for a permanent base? What happened to the Swift rescue mission? And in Q&A+, was the asteroid belt a planet at some point?
00:00 Intro

00:41 [@Noonyuh] Could affordable consumer smart telescopes be easily retrofitted to survive in space?

05:06 [@user-kx2fc2mw5v] Are Moon caves stable enough to build in them?

08:47 [@surrender_monkey] What happened to the Swift rescue mission?

15:01 [@EdSceptic-y2e] Is the asteroid belt a destroyed planet or is it forming into a planet or neither?

18:15 Final thoughts

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 16:05
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Is this a supernova ready to explode, or is it just a trick of the light. A mission to Halley’s Comet in 2060. An amazing new image from Vera Rubin. Webb fails to find an exomoon. And in Space Bites Plus, some black holes formed much faster than their galaxies. All this and more in this week’s Space Bites.
00:00 Intro

00:36 Supernova Impostor https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-unmask-a-supernova-impostor

03:10 No Exomoon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-ruled-out-finding-tiny-moons-around-an-exoplanet-thats-great-news

05:20 Possible Rendezvous With Halley's Comet In 2061 https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-ruled-out-finding-tiny-moons-around-an-exoplanet-thats-great-news

07:31 Remember 3I/ATLAS? https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-revelations-about-the-origin-of-interstellar-comet-3iatlas

09:02 Largest 2-D Map of the Universe https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-desi-legacy-imaging-survey-releases-the-largest-2-d-map-of-the-universe

10:32 The 20th Data Release of the SDSS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-20th-data-release-dr-20-of-the-sloan-digital-sky-survey-sdss-is-here

12:04 Vote results 12:28 Chang’e-7 Postponed https://www.universetoday.com/articles/china-postpones-the-change-7-mission

13:18 Firing Lasers At An Asteroid https://www.universetoday.com/articles/japans-hayabusa2-achieves-first-ever-laser-ranging-experiment-with-an-asteroid

14:28 Rubin Peers Deep Into the COSMOS Field https://www.universetoday.com/articles/rubin-observatory-peers-deep-into-the-famous-cosmos-field

16:05 Bonus Story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/some-black-holes-grow-much-faster-than-their-galaxies

18:58 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:32
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tdTe2acoWKc
Should SpaceX be concerned about China's reusable rocket designs? Have we ever found meteorites coming from Mercury? Why is it called the speed of light, not the speed of gravity? And in Q&A+, when should we start building a Monolith?
00:00 Intro

00:26 [@rwarren58] What would it take to image the surface of a planet at Proxima Centauri?

03:07 [@churchdiscography] Does SpaceX mind that China basically duplicated the Falcon 9 design for a reusable rocket?

07:54 [@paigepotter4682] Have we ever found anything from Mercury on Earth like we have from the Moon and Mars?

09:33 [@Mefodon] Why is the speed of light not called the speed of gravity?

13:32 [@geohondo] What should we leave behind?

17:45 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 33:01
Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wk7ccTP9Aag
🟣 Guest: Mat Kaplan https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio
Mat Kaplan is a huge inspiration for me. We talked about the Planetary Society, his career hosting The Planetary Radio, most exciting upcoming missions, destinations we should visit and much more.
00:00 Intro

01:31 Meet Mat Kaplan

11:47 The Planetary Society

22:03 Interesting mission ideas

27:54 Which places should we explore

33:01 Science communication

48:03 Current obsessions

52:38 Final thoughts