Badri Younes says that a spacecraft that can’t communicate or find its way is worthless. He leads SCaN, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program, which manages resources like the agency’s Deep Space Network. SCaN is also preparing for a future that relies on optical communication and possibly even quantum computing. Younes takes us on an audio tour of SCaN’s work that extends beyond our solar system. There’s more to explore at https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2021-badri-younes-nasa-scan

Los Angeles Astronomical Society celebrates 100 years of looking up
1:02:05

Twenty organic molecules found in an ancient Martian rock
55:51

Book Club Edition: Diane Ackerman and “The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral”
51:17