What's next in deep space exploration? Dr. Alan Stern, planetary scientist and the Principal Investigator for the New Horizons mission to Pluto, joins us to discuss what we learned about Pluto, the prospects for a future Pluto orbiter, the news from the Kuiper Belt, and to talk about his experiences as a commercial suborbital astronaut. Oh, and he might just mention that he was short-listed to fly on the space shuttle! Alan is one of those people that just has one adventure after another... did I mention that he dove on the Titanic? Yeah, that kind of guy. Join us for an hour of deep space adventure.
Headlines:
U.S. Faces Warnings of Losing Lunar Race to China
NASA Selects a New Associate Administrator
Third Interstellar Comet Spotted With Unusual CO2 Cloud
Main Topic: Pluto, the New Horizons Mission, and the Future of Planetary Exploration
Why Pluto Was Chosen as a Prime Target for Exploration
Building and Launching New Horizons: Team Effort and Challenges
Emotional Moments as Pluto Data Arrived on Earth
Precise Navigation: Getting New Horizons Safely to Pluto
Pluto's Surprising Geological Activity and Complexity
Major Discoveries at Pluto's Moon Charon
Exploring Arrokoth: Insights into Planetary Formation
The Search for a Possible Third Flyby Target in the Kuiper Belt
The Importance of Long-Term Funding for New Horizons
NASA Budget Threats Could End Multiple Key Space Missions
The Possible Role of Kuiper Belt Objects in Delivering Organics to Earth
How Flybys at Pluto and Arrokoth Reshaped Theories of Planetary Systems
Prospects for Future Pluto Orbiters and Human Spaceflight
Advocacy for Continued U.S. Leadership in Deep Space Exploration
Host: Rod Pyle
Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet
Guest: Alan Stern
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