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Liftoff

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Liftoff was a podcast about space, the universe, and everything. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand the major developments as explained by enthusiastic space fans Stephen Hackett and Jason Snell. Hosted by Jason Snell and Stephen Hackett.
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Episodes

51: Dark Matter, with Dr. Katie Mack

Jason and Stephen are joined by Dr. Katie Mack, a theoretical astrophysicist working at the University of Melbourne on dark matter and the potential it has to change our understanding of the universe, physics and more.

Jul 18, 201746 minEp. 51

50: A Science Skateboard

There are a bunch of milestones to celebrate this week: Juno's been at Jupiter for a year, Stephen built his LEGO Saturn V and Pathfinder landed on Mars 20 years ago.

Jul 05, 201748 minEp. 50

48: Hidden Figures

Jason and Stephen discuss the 2016 film *Hidden Figures.*

Jun 06, 201758 minEp. 48

47: Eclipses: Orbits Aren't Perfect

This week, Jason and Stephen talk about lunar and solar eclipses in preparation of a total solar eclipse in North America coming up in August.

May 23, 201753 minEp. 47

46: Team Pluto on the March

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen cover a possible future Pluto mission, SLS delays and the X-37B spaceplane.

May 09, 201732 minEp. 46

45: Interested in Looking Awesome

This fortnight we discuss Cassini's daring death dives inside Saturn's rings before the end of its mission, exciting news from our solar system's ocean moons and hints of a change in planning for future exploration of Mars.

Apr 26, 201744 minEp. 45

44: Voyager

After visiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the Voyager probes are now probing the very edges of our solar system — and beyond.

Apr 11, 201736 minEp. 44

43: Release the Ice Mole

This fortnight brings a flight-proven Falcon 9 launch, news about Enceladus' ice sheets and the return of the mighty RS-25.

Mar 28, 201731 minEp. 43

42: You Don't Wanna Hit a Moon

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen catch up the news coming out of Washington D.C. and Blue Origin, and then consider what the Europa Clipper mission could mean.

Mar 14, 201741 minEp. 42

41: The Ice Giants

This fortnight, Stephen went out for a nerdy evening, NASA announced the seven planets at TRAPPIST-1 and SpaceX is going to the moon. After the news, Jason and Stephen break down the Ice Giants of Uranus and Neptune.

Feb 28, 201757 minEp. 41

40: A Gradient of Space News

This fortnight, Proxima B breaks our hearts, SpaceX is on historic ground and a Europa lander begins to take shape.

Feb 14, 201730 minEp. 40

36: Remembering John Glenn

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen remember John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and the oldest person to travel in space.

Dec 20, 201634 minEp. 36

34: The James Webb Telescope

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen discuss NASA's $8.8 billion project: the James Webb telescope.

Nov 22, 201631 minEp. 34

32: The Robotic Spacecraft Draft

This week, Stephen and Jason draft their favorite robotic spacecraft after pouring one out for Schiaparelli.

Oct 25, 201648 minEp. 32

30: Talking Kepler with Natalie Batalha

This week, Jason interviews Natalie Batalha, NASA's Kepler mission project scientist, about the spacecraft, the K2 mission and some exoplanets found by the mission.

Sep 26, 201654 minEp. 30

29: Solar System Sawdust: OSIRIS-REx & Asteroids

OSIRIS-REx, NASA's asteroid sampling mission, recently launched. Live from the XOXO Festival, Jason and Stephen talk about the mission, its objectives and all about asteroids.

Sep 13, 201644 minEp. 29

28: Exoplanets

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen talk about exoplanets: what they are, how they're found and why they are important.

Aug 30, 201648 minEp. 28

27: Party Like It's 1999 RQ36

This fortnight: Mission to Mars details are forming and NASA is looking at some new potential planetary missions.

Aug 16, 201637 minEp. 27

26: The Journey to Mars

NASA's "Journey to Mars" plan is wide-reaching but a little light on details in places. Stephen and Jason dive into it and consider what it would mean if Elon Musk beats NASA to the Red Planet.

Aug 02, 201635 minEp. 26

25: Mission Roundup

This fortnight, we catch up with New Horizons, Dawn and Mars 2020.

Jul 19, 201643 minEp. 25

24: All Juno, All the Time

This fortnight, Jason and Stephen dive into Juno, NASA's current mission to Jupiter.

Jul 06, 201638 minEp. 24

23: Inside a Bendy Straw

This fortnight: China talks to the United Nations, Blue Origin plays with parachutes and a quick trip to Mercury.

Jun 21, 201649 minEp. 23

22: Billionaires at a Conference

Jason and Stephen discuss recent interviews with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Rockets, AI, dying on Mars and more!

Jun 07, 201656 minEp. 22
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