In this week's questions show I explain how we'll ever study 100 million planets, what's the business case for space exploration, and how I pull the questions together for these shows. 00:42 Can we ever study all the planets? 03:33 Return on investment from space exploration? 03:35 Will we become a post-scarcity economy? 05:59 Why not a better Mars simulation? 08:16 How do I manage the QAs? 10:10 What will low gravity do to humans? 12:04 Private industry will explore space? 14:17 Where will powe...
Dec 31, 2019•26 min
Over the last weekend, astronomy Twitter started noting that the red giant Betelgeuse, the prominent shoulder of Orion was looking visibly dimmer in the sky, and I had a few people reach out to me and ask me if it was really happening and if I knew what was going on. This is exciting, of course, because Betelgeuse is living on borrowed time, and it could explode as a supernova any day now. Or, it might not detonate for another 100,000 years. We just don’t know. What’s Betelgeuse up to? Is this a...
Dec 27, 2019•10 min
This week I'm joined by Andrew Rader, a game designer and mission manager at SpaceX. Andrew's new book is called Beyond the Known and it's all about the history and future of space exploration. Learn more about Andrew here: https://andrew-rader.com/ And learn about his book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beyond-the-Known/Andrew-Rader/9781982123536 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itu...
Dec 17, 2019•55 min
As I’m recording this video near the end of 2019, the total number of confirmed exoplanets stands at 4,104. We’ve come a long way since the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sunlike star back in 1995 with 51 Pegasi b. And the reality is that the race to find new exoplanets is only accelerating. New ground and space-based telescopes are turning up planetary candidates at an increasing rate. New techniques will find planets in entirely new ways. The bottom line is that over the next few ...
Dec 17, 2019•12 min
How old is the Universe? In order to figure that out, all you have to do is figure out how quickly it’s expanding, and then the clock backward until everything is crunched together. And astronomers have measured the rate that the Universe is expanding with tremendous precision at various times in its history; at the beginning, and much more recently. The problem is, these expansion rates disagree, but they’ve both been measured so accurately that their error bars don’t overlap. In other words, t...
Dec 16, 2019•15 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why I don't think we always need to be realistic, if galaxies in the local group are bound together gravitationally, and what we should call Earth-moving equipment on Mars. 00:20 Be realistic. 04:24 Are galaxies in the local group bound? 05:56 Will gravitational waves give us advanced notice of collisions? 08:36 Will we ever be able to live outside on Mars? 10:16 Are we going to ruin Mars too? 12:42 Mars-moving equipment? 14:07 Could the Moon have an atmo...
Dec 12, 2019•26 min
Extending humanity to other worlds in the Solar System is at the very limits of our modern technology. And unless there are dramatic discoveries in new propulsion systems or we learn how to build everything out of carbon nanotubes, the future of space exploration is going to require living off the land. The technique is known as In-Situ Resource Utilization or ISRU, and it means supplying as much of your mission from local resources as possible. And many of our future exploration destinations, l...
Dec 10, 2019•13 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why you could have a steam-powered rocket, how often spacecraft have crashed into asteroids and comets, and why a red supergiant star actually has a very low surface gravity. 02:42 Could you build a steam-powered rocket? 04:48 Have any probes crashed into asteroids or comets? 06:47 Surface gravity of UY Scuti 08:57 Will we ever send humans to the surface of Venus? 11:08 Lol 11:24 Does Venus have a magnetic field? 12:22 Longer guest interviews? 14:09 Save ...
Dec 06, 2019•24 min
The exploration of Venus has been mainly about getting down to the surface of the planet. The Soviet Union sacrificed lander after lander to discover just how extreme the conditions are down there on the ground. But higher up, among the clouds, the climate on Venus is surprisingly Earthlike in temperature and pressure, and there have been some fascinating ideas for robotic and human explorers to fly the skies of Venus, to help understand our evil twin planet. Let’s take a look at them. Our Book ...
Dec 04, 2019•12 min
This week I'm joined by Jason Derleth from NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (or NIAC). This is a special part of NASA that funds innovative ideas for new telescopes, propulsion systems and rovers. Many of the cool, science-fiction ideas I present on this channel come from research done at NASA. Jason is an aerospace engineer and tech analyst, and the Program Executive for NASA NIAC. Learn more about NIAC here: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/index.html Our Book is out! https:...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr
In this week's questions show, I explain why we can see meteor showers every year, why we're not 3D printing telescopes in space, why there aren't any plans to launch telescopes with SpaceX Starship. And a lengthy answer to one of the most common James Webb questions we get: can it be refueled? This was answered by Paul Geithner, a Deputy Project Manager for James Webb during a recent livestream. 01:00 Why do we see meteor showers every year? 02:49 Why not also use 3D printing for space telescop...
Nov 29, 2019•28 min
Today I was joined by Dr. Casey Handmer, an accomplished theoretical physicist who currently works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Casey has a fascinating blog where he considers current trends in space exploration and what the future holds. Learn more about Casey here: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/ We talked about the implications of SpaceX Starship, Starlink, why power beamed from space or asteroid mining will never turn a profit down here on Earth, and why he's not that scared about space...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 1 min
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Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 44 min
When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better. That’s true down here on Earth, and it’s especially true out in space. As astronomers and engineers design the next generation of giant space telescopes, they’re running up against the limits of current launch providers. There are only so many ways you can fold a huge telescope to get it to fit inside a 5-meter launch fairing. The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is pretty much the very limit of what you can construct on Earth and put into space ...
Nov 26, 2019•12 min
In this week's questions show, I tackle all the questions about James Webb generated by the videos we did this week. Can it be refueled? How can it see the entire sky? Is the delay a blessing? And more... 00:30 How will JWST run out of propellant? 03:12 Are there spacecraft that could service JWST? 05:00 Can JWST only see half the sky? 08:21 Is the delay a blessing in disguise? 10:58 Why not construct it in Low Earth Orbit? 13:09 Could we build a copy? 14:29 Could JWST use gravitational lensing?...
Nov 22, 2019•25 min
Today I'll be joined by Paul Geithner, the Deputy Project Manager for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. You've had questions about this mission. Well... now's your chance to get them answered directly from the source. Paul started working with NASA in 1991 on the Hubble Space Telescope, shifting over to James Webb. In 2011, he became the Deputy Project Manager, Technical for James Webb. Learn more here: https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/people/geithner.html Our Book is out! https://www....
Nov 22, 2019•57 min
On March 30, 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will blast off from the European Space Agency’s European spaceport in Kourou, French Giana on board an Ariane 5 rocket. It’ll fly to the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, a relatively stable spot in space that keeps the glare from the Sun, Earth, and Moon all in a tiny spot in the sky. Then, it’ll unfurl its tennis court-sized sunshade, fold out its gigantic 6.5-meter mirror, and peer out into the distant cosmos. Over the course of the next 10 year...
Nov 19, 2019•21 min
Today's guest is Dustin Gibson from Oceanside Photo and Telescope (OPT). Dustin will talk about his journey to becoming an astrophotographer and eventually running one of the most successful telescope retailers in the world. Follow Dustin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gibsonpics/ Or visit Oceanside Photo and Telescope https://optcorp.com/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com...
Nov 18, 2019•1 hr
In this week's questions show, I answer what will bring geostationary satellites back to Earth, if you could use the heat on Venus to power a rover, why are we so arrogant to believe that life formed only here on Earth, and more. 01:38 How long will geostatationary satellites survive? 04:31 Could you use the heat on Venus to power a rover? 05:50 Arrogant to think Earth is unique with life 07:33 What kinds of rocks are on Mars? 09:31 Perovskite solar panels on Earth? 11:27 Could there be planets ...
Nov 15, 2019•26 min
It was another solo live QA this week and I did my best to answer as many audience questions as I could do, closing in on 60 questions during the hour. Needless to say it was a wide-ranging conversation with questions about where I think rovers should go, what do I think about time travel, and whether we should do more SETI or build more space telescopes. The thumbnail is for a Greenland rover called Grover. Here's an article about it: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/grover.html 01:28...
Nov 08, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Solar energy is the ideal way to power a spacecraft. There’s no weather, there’s no pesky atmosphere, just pure photons streaming from the Sun to harvest for whatever you need. Well, as long as you’re within the inner Solar System. But solar panels are complicated and fragile made of sensitive electronics and glass - not to mention, really heavy. Any spacecraft equipped with solar panels needs to handle the gravity down here on Earth for the construction and testing, then the shaking and high Gs...
Nov 08, 2019•8 min
In this week's questions show, I tackle questions about seeding Europa with hardy Earth life, what makes galaxies spin, what are we competing with aliens for, and why is it so hard for second stages of rockets to land? Subscribe to Back to Space https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHZ63YtVtdQDqLxKyTDmtmw 01:46 Why not take Earth life to Europa? 04:00 What if the aliens are aligned to Planet 9? 06:09 What makes a galaxy spin? 07:22 What are we competing with aliens for? 09:39 Are we constantly reusi...
Nov 08, 2019•28 min
The race is on to find life in other places in the Solar System, from underground reservoirs on Mars to the subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus. If spacecraft, rovers or even astronauts make the momentous discovery of life on another world, that’ll just open up new questions. Did it originate all on its own, completely independently from Earth, or are we somehow related? And if we are related, how long ago did our evolutionary trees branch away from each other. Even though Mars is millions...
Nov 05, 2019•12 min
If you’ve watched this channel enough, you might have the impression that I hate Venus. It’s possible, just possible I’ve even suggested that the planet is so terrible it should be pushed into the Sun. The reality, of course, is that it’s an absolutely fascinating world - the closest twin to the Earth that we have in the Solar System. It’s nearly the same mass and has the same surface gravity. While Earth is the beautiful life-filled world we all enjoy, Venus is a tortured hellscape, with temper...
Oct 30, 2019•13 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why it's probably not time to reconsider the definition of a moon, if we could make artificial gravity with a chunk of a neutron star, and why a supermassive black hole isn't the anchor for an entire galaxy. 00:47 Should we reconsider the definition of a moon? 03:35 Could we make artificial gravity with mass? 05:48 Why didn't the Big Bang collapse back into black hole? 07:47 Why can't a black hole be the anchor of the galaxy? 10:45 How far and how small c...
Oct 30, 2019•24 min
Scientists have had the opportunity to examine several asteroids in the Solar System now, and what they’ve learned is how much variety is out there, depending on the mass, distance from the Sun and composition. Astronomers currently know of 829,400 asteroids across the Solar System, and they’d love to visit as many of them as possible to learn more about them. Considering the price of a single spacecraft, that’s going to get expensive. Fortunately, there are places in the Solar System that have ...
Oct 30, 2019•11 min
In this week's live QA, we talked about rotating space stations, the materials that can be made in space, what telescopes and binoculars I use. And there were a lot of questions about James Webb. 04:15 When will we see a rotating space station? 09:27 Are there materials that can only be made in space? 11:11 What's my telescope? 12:51 What are my binoculars? 13:47 What's the status of the B612 Foundation? 15:16 Could we terraform Venus? 17:52 More on my binoculars 19:19 Should we build a sunshiel...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr
People always ask me how I think humanity will react if we discover life somewhere out there in the Universe, whether it’s bacteria under the surface of Mars, a biosignature of alien life in the atmosphere of another world, or a radio signal from another civilization. Will our civilization lose its collective mind and have a temper tantrum on a global scale? Will we become one of those purge planets from Rick and Morty? Will the discovery suddenly end all religion, as we wait for guidance from o...
Oct 25, 2019•13 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why we'll never know which stars have no planets. How we could prevent a catastrophe to Earth, and why aliens might still be a threat to us. Check out more of Dustin Gibson's photographs at: https://www.instagram.com/gibsonpics/ 00:48 How many stars don't have planets? 02:29 Could we prevent a catastrophe? 05:16 No aliens would be a threat to us 07:38 Can I have any name for Patreon? 08:20 Why not put a laser on the solar sail spacecraft 09:40 How can neu...
Oct 18, 2019•24 min
No guest this week, just a live QA with me and the audience about all things space and astronomy. People had questions about how planets can capture asteroids to turn them into moons, what rocket James Webb will use to fly to space, and why you can't use antimatter to destroy a black hole. 05:45 How can a planet capture an asteroid? 07:21 Why are quasars so far from us? 09:26 How could you make a black hole of photons? 11:25 Would I rather live a year on the Moon or Mars? 12:46 What will JWST la...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 1 min
