A decades-old lunar mystery gets an update in this week's Planetary Radio. Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's surprising findings about the granite formation that might lie beneath Compton-Belkovich, a thorium-rich hot spot on the far side of the Moon. Ambre Trujillo, Planetary Society Digital Community Manager, gives an update on the new member community app Space Trivia Contest, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, shares What's Up in the night sky.


Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-subsurface-granite-on-the-moon

A decades-old lunar mystery gets an update in this week's Planetary Radio. Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's surprising findings about the granite formation that might lie beneath Compton-Belkovich, a thorium-rich hot spot on the far side of the Moon. Ambre Trujillo, Planetary Society Digital Community Manager, gives an update on the new member community app Space Trivia Contest, and Bruce Betts, chief scientist of The Planetary Society, shares What's Up in the night sky.
 Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-subsurface">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-subsurface-granite-on-the-moon</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.

Matt Siegler from the Planetary Science Institute shares his team's surprising findings about the granite formation that might lie beneath Compton-Belkovich, a thorium-rich hot spot on the far side of the Moon.

Subsurface granite on the Moon? The anatomy of a lunar hot spot

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has returned pristine samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth, and the early results are remarkable. Sample analysts have confirmed the presence of abundant organic compounds, nitrogen-rich material, and evidence of past liquid water, all key ingredients that could help us understand the role asteroids played in delivering the building blocks of life to Earth. This week, we’re joined by Scott Sandford, co-investigator on OSIRIS-REx and a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. He explores the first two sample analysis papers published by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team. Then, Bruce Betts joins us for What’s Up, where we look back at humanity’s history of sample return missions.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-OSIRIS-REx-sample

NASA&rsquo;s OSIRIS-REx mission has returned pristine samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth, and the early results are remarkable. Sample analysts have confirmed the presence of abundant organic compounds, nitrogen-rich material, and evidence of past liquid water, all key ingredients that could help us understand the role asteroids played in delivering the building blocks of life to Earth. This week, we&rsquo;re joined by Scott Sandford, co-investigator on OSIRIS-REx and a research scientist at NASA&rsquo;s Ames Research Center. He explores the first two sample analysis papers published by NASA&rsquo;s OSIRIS-REx team. Then, Bruce Betts joins us for What&rsquo;s Up, where we look back at humanity&rsquo;s history of sample return missions.
Discover more at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-OSIRIS-REx-sample">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-OSIRIS-REx-sample</a>

Scott Sandford, co-investigator on OSIRIS-REx and a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, discusses the first published analyses of the Bennu sample, revealing insights into the early Solar System and the origins of life.

Breaking down Bennu: OSIRIS-REx finds life’s building blocks in asteroid sample

Twenty years ago, NASA’s Genesis spacecraft returned to Earth carrying precious samples of the solar wind, only to crash-land in the Utah desert. But that wasn’t the end of the mission. Amy Jurewicz, Assistant Research Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University and former project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Genesis team, takes us inside the mission’s highs and lows, from its Apollo-inspired origins to its contributions to cosmochemistry and space weather. We discuss what this mission taught us about future sample returns, spacecraft protection, and long-term human spaceflight beyond Earth’s magnetosphere. Then Bruce Betts, Planetary Society chief scientist, joins for What’s Up and a look back at the history of sample returns.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-genesis

Twenty years ago, NASA&rsquo;s Genesis spacecraft returned to Earth carrying precious samples of the solar wind, only to crash-land in the Utah desert. But that wasn&rsquo;t the end of the mission. Amy Jurewicz, Assistant Research Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University and former project scientist at NASA&rsquo;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Genesis team, takes us inside the mission&rsquo;s highs and lows, from its Apollo-inspired origins to its contributions to cosmochemistry and space weather. We discuss what this mission taught us about future sample returns, spacecraft protection, and long-term human spaceflight beyond Earth&rsquo;s magnetosphere. Then Bruce Betts, Planetary Society chief scientist, joins for What&rsquo;s Up and a look back at the history of sample returns.
Discover more at: <a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-genesis">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-genesis</a>

Amy Jurewicz, former project scientist for NASA’s Genesis mission, shares how the spacecraft survived a crash-landing and still reshaped our understanding of the solar wind and space weather.

Genesis: The sample return mission that fell to Earth and still succeeded

From IV drips to rocket ships, Hayley Arceneaux has been on a journey. She joins Planetary Radio to discuss her memoir “Wild Ride” and her newly released kid's book “Astronaut Hayley's Brave Adventure,” which tell the story of how her experiences with childhood cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital set the stage for her journey to space aboard SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission. Then, Planetary Society Chief Scientist, Bruce Betts, talks about the g-forces experienced during astronaut training in What's Up.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-astronaut-hayleys-brave-adventure

From IV drips to rocket ships, Hayley Arceneaux has been on a journey. She joins Planetary Radio to discuss her memoir &ldquo;Wild Ride&rdquo; and her newly released kid's book &ldquo;Astronaut Hayley's Brave Adventure,&rdquo; which tell the story of how her experiences with childhood cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital set the stage for her journey to space aboard SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission. Then, Planetary Society Chief Scientist, Bruce Betts, talks about the g-forces experienced during astronaut training in What's Up.
Discover more at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-astronaut-hayleys-brave-adventure">https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-astronaut-hayleys-brave-adventure</a>

Hayley Arceneaux discusses her memoir “Wild Ride” and her newly released kid's book “Astronaut Hayley's Brave Adventure,” sharing the story of how her experiences with childhood cancer led to her space adventure aboard SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission.

Subsurface granite on the Moon? The anatomy of a lunar hot spot

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