Planetary geologist Ellen Stofan has just become Director of the most popular museum in the United States.  The NASM protects and shares the greatest collection of space and aviation treasures on Earth. Mat Kaplan talks with the former NASA Chief Scientist about her new job and how the museum serves to inspire and inform millions each year.  Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for an exciting encounter between Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft and asteroid Ryugu.  Harry Potter fans, rejoice!  Bruce Betts corrects his correction of an astronomical observation by Harry and his classmates. We also offer another signed copy of Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here:  http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0530-ellen-stofan-nasm.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planetary geologist Ellen Stofan has just become Director of the most popular museum in the United States.  The NASM protects and shares the greatest collection of space and aviation treasures on Earth. Mat Kaplan talks with the former NASA Chief Scientist about her new job and how the museum serves to inspire and inform millions each year.  Senior editor Emily Lakdawalla prepares us for an exciting encounter between Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft and asteroid Ryugu.  Harry Potter fans, rejoice!  Bruce Betts corrects his correction of an astronomical observation by Harry and his classmates. We also offer another signed copy of Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto. Learn more about this week’s topics and see images here:  http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/planetary-radio/show/2018/0530-ellen-stofan-nasm.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

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.

A Sacred Place: The National Air and Space Museum with Ellen Stofan

NASA has announced a major restructuring of the Artemis program, reshaping the roadmap for returning humans to the Moon.

At a February 27 press conference, agency leadership addressed the rollback of Artemis II following post–wet–dress–rehearsal testing and unveiled significant changes to upcoming missions, including shifting Artemis III from a planned lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and integrated systems test. In this episode, you’ll hear remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Lori Glaze, Moon to Mars program manager and acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. They explain what happened with Artemis II and why NASA is changing course.

Then, host Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at The Planetary Society, and Ari Koeppel, AAAS science and technology policy fellow, to unpack the political and strategic forces behind this shift and what it means for the future of lunar exploration.

In What’s Up, Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, looks back at Apollo 9, the Earth-orbiting mission that proved the Lunar Module could operate independently before NASA attempted a lunar landing.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-artemis-update

NASA has announced a major restructuring of the Artemis program, reshaping the roadmap for returning humans to the Moon.
At a February 27 press conference, agency leadership addressed the rollback of Artemis II following post&ndash;wet&ndash;dress&ndash;rehearsal testing and unveiled significant changes to upcoming missions, including shifting Artemis III from a planned lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and integrated systems test. In this episode, you&rsquo;ll hear remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Lori Glaze, Moon to Mars program manager and acting associate administrator for NASA&rsquo;s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. They explain what happened with Artemis II and why NASA is changing course.
Then, host Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at The Planetary Society, and Ari Koeppel, AAAS science and technology policy fellow, to unpack the political and strategic forces behind this shift and what it means for the future of lunar exploration.
In What&rsquo;s Up, Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, looks back at Apollo 9, the Earth-orbiting mission that proved the Lunar Module could operate independently before NASA attempted a lunar landing.
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-artemis-update">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-artemis-update</a>

NASA has restructured the Artemis program, shifting Artemis III from a planned lunar landing to a low-Earth-orbit systems test following the rollback of Artemis II. We hear remarks from NASA leadership and break down what the changes mean with Planetary Society space policy experts.

Artemis update: NASA reshapes the road back to the Moon

Could a single ancient impact have briefly transformed one of the Solar System’s darkest moons into a cryovolcanic world?

When Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, it captured the only close-up images we have of Umbriel, a heavily cratered, charcoal-dark satellite long considered geologically inactive. But one feature stands out: a bright ring inside the 131-kilometer-wide Wunda crater.

In this episode, Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Adeene Denton, NASA postdoctoral program fellow at the Southwest Research Institute, about her team’s new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Using shock physics simulations, Denton and her colleagues reconstruct the impact that formed Wunda crater to determine what Umbriel’s interior must have been like at the time. Their modeling explores whether impact-induced cryovolcanism can explain the bright deposits observed on the crater floor.

Then, in What’s Up, Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, joins Sarah to break down one of the key mechanisms that keeps icy moons from freezing solid, tidal heating driven by orbital resonance. 

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-cryovolcanism-on-umbriel

Could a single ancient impact have briefly transformed one of the Solar System&rsquo;s darkest moons into a cryovolcanic world?
When Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, it captured the only close-up images we have of Umbriel, a heavily cratered, charcoal-dark satellite long considered geologically inactive. But one feature stands out: a bright ring inside the 131-kilometer-wide Wunda crater.
In this episode, Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Adeene Denton, NASA postdoctoral program fellow at the Southwest Research Institute, about her team&rsquo;s new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Using shock physics simulations, Denton and her colleagues reconstruct the impact that formed Wunda crater to determine what Umbriel&rsquo;s interior must have been like at the time. Their modeling explores whether impact-induced cryovolcanism can explain the bright deposits observed on the crater floor.
Then, in What&rsquo;s Up, Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, joins Sarah to break down one of the key mechanisms that keeps icy moons from freezing solid, tidal heating driven by orbital resonance.&nbsp;
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-cryovolcanism-on-umbriel">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-cryovolcanism-on-umbriel</a>

A new study explores whether a massive ancient impact briefly triggered cryovolcanism on Uranus’s moon Umbriel. Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Adeene Denton about how crater modeling reveals clues to the moon’s hidden interior.

Did an impact trigger cryovolcanism on Umbriel?

They informed and entertained together throughout the first 20 years of Planetary Radio. Listen in as the Society’s chief scientist and book club edition host Mat Kaplan share the mic once again for a delightful conversation about Dr. Betts’ two new space books for young people. “Are We Alone?” introduces the search for life across the Universe, while “The Size of Space” collects many of Bruce’s brilliant and hilarious ways to cut our Solar System down to human size.


Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/book-club-bruce-betts

They informed and entertained together throughout the first 20 years of Planetary Radio. Listen in as the Society&rsquo;s chief scientist and book club edition host Mat Kaplan share the mic once again for a delightful conversation about Dr. Betts&rsquo; two new space books for young people. &ldquo;Are We Alone?&rdquo; introduces the search for life across the Universe, while &ldquo;The Size of Space&rdquo; collects many of Bruce&rsquo;s brilliant and hilarious ways to cut our Solar System down to human size.
 Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/book-club-bruce-betts">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/book-club-bruce-betts</a>

Bruce Betts helps us explore the latest and last in his excellent library of space books for young people. He and host Mat Kaplan take up “Are We Alone?” and “The Size of Space.”  

A Sacred Place: The National Air and Space Museum with Ellen Stofan

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