Podcast: Winter is Coming? I Hope Not

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you missed this podcast three years ago, you will want to catch it now. I listened to it again and enjoyed it just as much as last time.

The Startalk podcast episode it titled “Nuclear Winter with Ann Druyan and Brian Toon” was first broadcast on August 9, 2022, but it was shared again this past July 4th.

Here is a summary of what you will hear:

Are advanced civilizations doomed to destroy themselves? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice explore the Cold War, The Drake Equation, and Carl Sagan’s work on the nuclear winter hypothesis with producer of Cosmos and Carl Sagan’s widow Ann Druyan and atmospheric scientist Brian Toon.

Learn about the Future of Life award (details here) and how scientists came up with the nuclear winter hypothesis. How close to annihilation were we? Ann tells us about working with Carl Sagan on Cosmos and his research on this world and others. Find out how Carl Sagan’s research on the climate of Venus inspired work on the runaway greenhouse effect in our own atmosphere. Are scientists always supposed to be dispassionate?

What are the long-term consequences of nuclear war? How did they discover nuclear winter? Find out about volcanic eruptions and how the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs helped spark the idea of a nuclear winter. What happened after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? We learn about what smoke does to the atmosphere and what a post-nuclear world would look like. Why haven’t we seen any other advanced civilizations in the universe? Where are they? We talk about the Drake Equation, the fate of the Earth, and the current state of weapons of mass destruction. How much food would be needed to save up to survive a nuclear winter? Is there anywhere that would be safe?

What was the public’s reaction to nuclear winter? How did it impact geopolitics? Discover how Carl Sagan publicized the hypothesis to US and Russian politicians. Has the global amount of nuclear weapons gone down? We discuss the role of science communication and the concerning instability in the world today. Finally, are we safe?

I don’t want to repeat myself here, so you can read my comments in my earlier post.

Given the continued nasty war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the recent bombing of nuclear sites in Iran, this episode is still sadly relevant. The discussion about the Reagan administration trying to block scientific inquiry also seems all too familiar today as the Trump administration guts our science programs, including NASA.

I just hope we are in a better place three years from now, both domestically and overseas.

Podcast: Terra-forming Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Cool Worlds

I recommend you check out the recent episode from the Cool Worlds Podcast about the water and atmosphere on Mars and how it has changed and may change again, with and without the intervention of humans. The episode, “Edwin Kite – Early Mars, Terraforming/Settling Mars,” is a discussion between podcast host David Kipping and Edwin Kite, Professor of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago as well as Participating Scientist for the NASA Curiosity Rover.

The discussion gets into where Martian water may be today, what terra-forming efforts have been discusses in the past, the terra-forming possibilities in the future, and whether Mars should be seen as a second Earth. Oh yeah, it also discusses Elon Musk’s crazy idea to nuke the surface of Mars and even touches on the idea of a Planet 9.

It’s a fascinating discussion that is worth your time.

Podcast: The Planetary Society’s 45th Anniversary

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Actor Robert Picardo at the Planetary Society’s 45th anniversary event. (The Planetary Society)

if you missed the April 5th event celebrating the Planetary Society’s 45th anniversary, you can still tap into it via the Planetary Radio podcast.

Here is a little more on the event and related discussion:

Join us aboard the historic RMS Queen Mary for a celebration of The Planetary Society’s 45th anniversary. In this special episode of Planetary Radio, we bring you highlights from our Cosmic Shores Gala, where members, scientists, space advocates, and special guests came together to honor the past and look boldly to the future.

You’ll hear from CEO Bill Nye, Board President Bethany Ehlmann, Executive Director Jennifer Vaughn, founding Executive Director Lou Friedman, and Congresswoman Judy Chu, with actor and Planetary Society board member Robert Picardo as our master of ceremonies.

And of course, we close with Chief Scientist Bruce Betts in this week’s What’sUp.

Podcast: The Curious Universe

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you are looking for new podcast material, you may want to check out NASA’s Curious Universe podcast. It has been around for a while, but it is starting a new series celebrating Earth from April 15 to May 13.

The first episode in the new Earth series is titled “How NASA Sees Our Blue Marble.” In the episode, we hear from Karen St. Germain, the director of NASA’s Earth Science Division. It is a chance to learn about the planet that NASA spends the most time studying.

If you like this series, you can go back and listen to other episodes, such as:

-“Inside the Team That Keeps Hubble Flying” (March 14, 2025)
-“The Sun Series” (March 19 to May 3, 2024)
-“Defending the Planet from Asteroids” (February 21, 2023)
-“The Search For Life: Are We Alone?” (June 21, 2022)

Podcast: The Future of Human Mars Exploration

Posted on by onespaceman2000

The Mars Society’s Red Planet Live Podcast will be joined by Dr. Robert Zubrin on March 4th for a discussion about the future of human Mars exploration, what it will take to get boots on the Red Planet, and how we can build our first off-world settlement.

Dr. Zubrin is the Founder and President of The Mars Society, as well as the author of numerous books on Mars and other space-related topics. One of his latest books is The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet, which was issued in February 2024. As short summary of the book from the publisher’s site is provided below. It should be a useful primer for the upcoming discussion.

SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are building fleets of space vehicles to make interplanetary travel as affordable as Old-World passage to America. We will settle on Mars, and with our knowledge of the planet, analyzed in depth by Dr. Zubrin, we will utilize the resources and tackle the challenges that await us. What we will we build? Populous Martian city-states producing air, water, food, power, and more. Zubrin’s Martian economy will pay for necessary imports and generate income from varied enterprises, such as real estate sales—homes that are airtight and protect against cosmic space radiation, with fish-farm aquariums positioned overhead, letting in sunlight and blocking cosmic rays while providing fascinating views. Zubrin even predicts the Red Planet customs, social relations, and government—of the people, by the people, for the people, with inalienable individual rights—that will overcome traditional forms of oppression to draw Earth immigrants. After all, Mars needs talent.

You can find the list of past Red Planet podcast episodes on YouTube.

Credit: Diversion Books.