In this second installment of Planetary Radio’s coverage from the 2025 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, host Sarah Al-Ahmed highlights more of the technologies presented by the NIAC fellows.

Mary Knapp of MIT Haystack Observatory shares her team’s Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths project, a space-based radio array designed to detect magnetic fields around distant exoplanets. Michael Hecht, also from MIT Haystack Observatory and principal investigator for the MOXIE experiment on NASA’s Perseverance rover, discusses Exploring Venus with Electrolysis, a concept that could turn Venus’s dense atmosphere into fuel for long-duration flight and exploration. Benjamin Hockman from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory introduces two projects: Gravity Poppers, tiny hopping probes that could map the interiors of asteroids and comets, and his team’s concept for a Venus balloon observatory. Finally, Justin Yim from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presents LEAP, a legged robot designed to hop through the icy plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus in search of clues to its hidden ocean.

Then stay tuned for What’s Up with Dr. Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-niac-symposium-part-2

In this second installment of Planetary Radio&rsquo;s coverage from the 2025 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, host Sarah Al-Ahmed highlights more of the technologies presented by the NIAC fellows.
Mary Knapp of MIT Haystack Observatory shares her team&rsquo;s Great Observatory for Long Wavelengths project, a space-based radio array designed to detect magnetic fields around distant exoplanets. Michael Hecht, also from MIT Haystack Observatory and principal investigator for the MOXIE experiment on NASA&rsquo;s Perseverance rover, discusses Exploring Venus with Electrolysis, a concept that could turn Venus&rsquo;s dense atmosphere into fuel for long-duration flight and exploration. Benjamin Hockman from NASA&rsquo;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory introduces two projects: Gravity Poppers, tiny hopping probes that could map the interiors of asteroids and comets, and his team&rsquo;s concept for a Venus balloon observatory. Finally, Justin Yim from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign presents LEAP, a legged robot designed to hop through the icy plumes of Saturn&rsquo;s moon Enceladus in search of clues to its hidden ocean.
Then stay tuned for What&rsquo;s Up with Dr. Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society.
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-niac-symposium-part-2">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-niac-symposium-part-2</a>

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts who are taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Bruce Betts as they dive deep into space science and exploration. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway where the future of the US space program hangs in the balance. Visit planetary.org/radio for an episode guide and much more.

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our solar system and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist for The Planetary Society, as they dive deep into the latest space news. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway with Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly to discuss the politics of space exploration in the US and advocacy actions you can take to support the missions that matter. Visit planetary.org/radio for the space trivia contest, an episode guide, and much more.

Planetary Radio brings you the human adventure across our solar system and beyond. We visit each week with the scientists, engineers, leaders, advocates, and astronauts taking us across the final frontier. Regular features raise your space IQ while they put a smile on your face. Join host Sarah Al-Ahmed and Planetary Society colleagues including Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist for The Planetary Society, as they dive deep into the latest space news. The monthly Space Policy Edition takes you inside the DC beltway with Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly to discuss the politics of space exploration in the US and advocacy actions you can take to support the missions that matter. Visit planetary.org/radio for the space trivia contest, an episode guide, and much more.

Planetary Radio continues its coverage from the 2025 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in Philadelphia, highlighting technologies that could shape future missions, from detecting exoplanet magnetospheres to exploring Venus and Saturn’s moon Enceladus with innovative robots. 

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