Sue Nelson joins space fans in Florida to witness the Orion launch and meets Mars candidate Elmo. Meanwhile, Richard Hollingham talks to the DG of the UK Space Agency, David Parker, about the International Space Station and we hear from the people bringing espresso coffee to astronauts. Richard is joined by science writer Stuart Clark and broadcaster Sarah Cruddas, who also discuss the future of NASA's space programme, European space success and luxury items in space. Like this podcast? Please h...
Dec 10, 2014•36 min•Ep. 31
Emotions are running high in this month's Space Boffins as Sue reports from Germany on Europe's cometary landing. And, following the SpaceShipTwo tragedy and Antares explosion, Sue and Richard discuss the dangers of trying to make spaceflight routine. With space insurer David Wade (who insured Antares) and space scientist Sheila Kanani, they also meet a man commanding a Mars base. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Nov 14, 2014•39 min•Ep. 30
Space Boffin Sue Nelson is at the European Space Agency's technical heart - ESTEC in the Netherlands - where spacecraft undergo a crucial 'shake and bake' before launch. She's joined by astronauts Paolo Nespali and Andre Kuipers, ESTEC head Franco Ongaro, Rosetta's mission manager Fred Jansen, and Andreas Jung, from Europe's experimental new spaceplane, IXV. Tales of retro re-entry in a Soyuz, the future of space travel and how chocolate can make a comet, in yet another tasty space treat. Like t...
Oct 09, 2014•29 min•Ep. 29
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham hear from the Rosetta mission's Flight Director, Andrea Accomazzo, about choosing a landing site on comet 67P - plus Apollo astronaut and last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan, on the spacewalk from hell. Dr Lucie Green from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory and the lab's poet in residence, Simon Barraclough, are the lively studio guests. Expect space poetry, scientific insight and a song about photons. Like this podcast? Please help us by supportin...
Sep 09, 2014•34 min•Ep. 28
In this special edition, the Last Man on the Moon, Gene Cernan, talks exclusively to Richard Hollingham about the final step, mortality and his disappointment about the way the space programme has developed. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Aug 09, 2014•27 min•Ep. 27
How do you orbit a comet? Set up a government in space or rescue a space shuttle crew? These questions and more in the latest edition of Space Boffins. Sue and Richard are at University College London where they're joined by Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor and UCL space scientist Geraint Jones to look ahead to the European mission's rendezvous with a comet. They also talk to retired Nasa engineer, David Baker, who outlines a Shuttle rescue plan and Richard reports from the Extraterrestrial...
Jul 09, 2014•30 min•Ep. 26
How do you design the inside of a starship? Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham talk to space architect Rachel Armstrong about journeys to the stars. They also meet Luca Parmitano, the astronaut who almost drowned in space, and take a look at a new hi-tech satellite that will provide Google with close up views of your house. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 09, 2014•34 min•Ep. 25
Aaron Knoll and Chris Bridges join Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham at the Surrey Space Centre for a virtual ride into space. Plus science minister David Willetts argues for a spaceport in Scotland, and shuttle astronaut and B612 Foundation founder Ed Lu explains why we should act now to save the Earth from an asteroid with our name on it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
May 09, 2014•29 min•Ep. 24
The Space Boffins are in America to hear about Neil Armstrong and the hypersonic X-15 at the Edwards Air Force base, and they're also reporting from the surface of Mars. More precisely, from the UK's new Mars Yard, in Stevenage. But the head of the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency's head of robotic exploration and Business Secretary Vince Cable are also walking on the red planet with them. There's also an interview with former space shuttle astronaut Jon McBride and the studio guest is...
Apr 09, 2014•34 min•Ep. 23
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the challenge of looking for space aliens and why they never attack Belgium is under scrutiny this month. Plus, Richard Hollingham also reports from the Mojave desert on the progress being made by Virgin Galactic and XCOR to fly tourists into space. And he talks to a U2 spy plane pilot about boiling blood and life above the Earthlings... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Mar 10, 2014•36 min•Ep. 22
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham dodge a prototype Mars rover on location at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage - where the future Exo Mars mission rover is going to be built. They're joined by space engineer Abbie Hutty and the Mr Future of advanced space concepts, Matthew Stuttard. There are also reports on Urthecast - the two new British-made cameras on the International Space Station - and the imminent launch of the crowd-funded spacecraft, KickSat. Like this podcast? Pleas...
Feb 10, 2014•30 min•Ep. 21
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet astronaut Chris Hadfield. In this special edition of the podcast, Commander Hadfield talks about fixing a space toilet, how rifle practice helped him dock a spacecraft and the advantages of flying musicians in space. We also hear from a group of children he's been singing with and he gives his views on space tourism. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Jan 10, 2014•26 min•Ep. 20
Join Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham for a lunar love-in featuring Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell and studio guests David Baker, author of the latest Apollo 13 Haines Manual, and the spacetastic Gareth Jones. Together they discuss the future of lunar space missions and Richard reports from the United States on Apollo's successor, Orion, with a space architect. Plus there's a seasonal tribute to Apollo 8. What's not to like? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Nake...
Dec 10, 2013•38 min•Ep. 19
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by new Mars Society president Jerry Stone and aspiring astronaut Kate Arkless Gray. Sue reports from the UK control room of the Mars SAFER field trial as scientists operate an ExoMars rover prototype, there's a revealing interview by Kate with Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, and shield your ears if you want to hear how Richard got on in QinetiQ's centrifuge. Warning: it's not pretty. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Nak...
Nov 08, 2013•40 min•Ep. 18
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham discover what it's like to undergo G forces with a special podcast from QinetiQ's centrifuge facility - the only one of its kind in the UK. As Sue spins around, guests Dr Jon Scott and Dr Simon Brown discuss the physical stresses on the body and the demands on astronauts and pilots. There's also a close up look at the James Webb Space Telescope mirrors and we hear from veteran US pilot Wally Funk, who had the right stuff to become an astronaut in 1...
Oct 09, 2013•38 min•Ep. 17
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham present a Mars podcast special. Interviews include Curiosity Rover's Principal Investigator for its Radiation Assessment Detector, and the British physics student who's applied for a one way trip to Mars. Studio guests are Dr Robert Massey, from the Royal Astronomical Society, and its space scientist president, Professor David Southwood from Imperial College London - also the former director of science and robotic exploration at the European Space ...
Sep 09, 2013•37 min•Ep. 16
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by a cosmic hedgehog with a report from NOAA's space weather centre in Colorado and details on how to own the latest affordable pocket spacecraft to the moon. Studio guests include space artist Vix Southgate and rocket insurer David Wade - plus the final stage of Sue's brave attempt to become an astronaut. It will end in tears... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Aug 09, 2013•38 min•Ep. 15
Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson go to a comet, Mars and into space. This month's podcast is from the Open University's Rosetta mission room and includes NASA's Curiosity rover mission specialist Daniel Limonadi, British space scientist Maggie Aderin Pocock and Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian woman in space. Meanwhile studio guests Dr Dan Andrews and Professor Ian Wright explain why their Ptolemy instrument on board Rosetta's comet chasing mission is not a burglar alarm (even i...
Jul 09, 2013•35 min•Ep. 14
A full, frank and funny interview with Tim Peake, Richard goes inside NASA's 'crazy ideas', and Sue meets with 'astrogirls'. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 09, 2013•32 min•Ep. 13
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham dodge space harpoons, discuss whether Mars One will encourage Big Brother in space and report from the Mojave desert on why risk is encouraged at its spaceport. Recorded on location at Astrium, Europe's largest space company, engineer Katherine Bennell and space scientist Ralph Cordey join the Space Boffins to demonstrate how to remove space junk with a flying harpoon. Interview guests include Mars One's Bas Lansdorp, as well as the CEO of the Moja...
May 09, 2013•34 min•Ep. 12
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are reduced to tears of laughter by Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, enlightened by studio guest and space scientist Dr Lucie Green, and XCOR's Jeff Greason meets Richard in the Mojave Desert to discuss the risks of flying in their new space plane. Kate Arkless-Gray also discusses her progress on securing a seat on XCOR's space plane in the Lynx Space Challenge and the attempts to get more women applying, resulting in Sue deciding to enter and become...
Apr 09, 2013•34 min•Ep. 11
Comets, Mars and the first phone in space are featured in the latest Space Boffins podcast. Recorded at the Royal Astronomical Society in London, Richard and Sue are joined by Rosetta mission scientist Andy Morse and astronomer Robert Massey. They also talk to one of the engineers behind the first smartphone in orbit and to senior scientists from NASA about future missions to the Red Planet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Mar 10, 2013•30 min•Ep. 10
Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet British astronaut Tim Peake at the British Interplanetary Society. They are joined by space scientist Jane MacArthur, whose methane experiment is currently being tested on a Mars simulation in Morocco, and Ralph Timberlake on the future of the British Interplanetary Society as it celebrates its 80th year. Add on a report on Kicksat and sprites from NASA Ames in California, and Professor Michele Dougherty - whose team discovered Enceladus' icy ...
Feb 10, 2013•34 min•Ep. 9
This month in Space Boffins: why space can seriously damage your health, the cameras being installed on the Space Station to give live views of Earth and crisis management tips from an Apollo 13 Flight Director. Richard and Sue are joined by long duration spaceflight expert Kevin Fong and blogger Kate Arkless Gray (SpaceKate), who looks ahead to an exciting year in space exploration. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Jan 10, 2013•38 min•Ep. 8
This month in the Space Boffins podcast: a tour of the International Space Station, an Apollo astronaut and the mission to the edge of the Solar System. Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by comedian Helen Keen and writer David Baker to discuss living in space, one way trips to Mars and a return to the Moon. Also featuring a mystery sound, the noises of Earth and the politics of space toilets. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Dec 10, 2012•34 min•Ep. 7
This time the award winning Space Boffins podcast comes from Houston to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the last man on the Moon. Richard visits the Apollo 17 capsule and talks to an Apollo veteran, while Sue hears why we should go back to the Moon. Also, flying a phone in space - the competition hots up - and how Gemini astronauts became good at housekeeping. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Nov 10, 2012•29 min•Ep. 6
The Space Boffins Podcast comes to you this month from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in Silicon Valley California and features the search for life and Earth 2.0. Richard talks to SETI's Senior Astronomer, Sue reports from the recent ESA Tweetup in Berlin and hears about a new mission to the Moon. Also this time, Richard lands the Space Shuttle and listen out for the remixed Space Boffins jingle... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Oct 09, 2012•30 min•Ep. 5
Curiosity had barely scratched the surface of Mars when NASA announced another new mission to the red planet. It's called InSight and Dr Tom Pike, from Imperial College London, will be part of the team. He joins Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Kate Arkless-Gray, along with Mapping Mars author Oliver Morton, to discuss the future of planetary exploration on one of our nearest neighbours. Also this month, how to use a Kinect games console to help dock satellites with news of Strand-2. Plus, as all th...
Sep 09, 2012•30 min•Ep. 4
This month on the Space Boffins Podcast, we will be exploring strange new worlds, discovering a Swedish spaceport, and celebrating the first American space walk. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson meet the team sending a mobile phone-based satellite into orbit, explore Kepler the man and Kepler the mission, and delve into the archives of Gemini 4 mission control... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Aug 09, 2012•30 min•Ep. 3
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission lands on Mars next month after a nine-month journey across our Solar System. On arrival the most advanced suite of instruments ever sent to the red planet will get to work. In this edition of the podcast, geologist and MSL scientist Professor Sanjeev Gupta, from Imperial College London, discusses the excitement and science behind the mission with Spaceflight UK's Jerry Stone and Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham. Plus, a report from the ...
Jul 09, 2012•30 min•Ep. 2
