The Incredible Challenge of Landing Heavy Payloads On Mars

Curiosity passing into the Martian atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL
Curiosity passing into the Martian atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL

It’s too bad Mars is such an interesting place, because it’s actually one of the most difficult places to visit in the Solar System, especially if you want to bring along a lot of luggage. That planet is a graveyard of missions that didn’t quite make it.

Continue reading “The Incredible Challenge of Landing Heavy Payloads On Mars”

Weekly Space Hangout: Nov 28, 2018: David Eicher’s “Mission Moon 3-D”

Hosts:

Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

This week we are joined by David Eicher, co-author with Dr. Brian May of Mission Moon 3-D: A New Perspective on the Space Race. During David’s appearance, we will be giving away three copies of the book which is co-published with the MIT Press and the London Stereoscopic Association.

David Eicher is one of the most widely recognized astronomy enthusiasts in the world. He has been Editor in Chief of Astronomy magazine for the past thirty-five years. Eicher is the author or editor of 21 books on science and history. In 2014, he wrote and edited, along with Brian May and astronomer Garik Israelian, Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space, and in 2016 edited the follow-up volume, Starmus: Discovering the Universe. In 1990, the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet, 3617 Eicher, for Eicher in recognition of his service to astronomy. He has spoken to and inspired many science and business groups around the world, including at Harvard University, the Starmus Festival and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Dave was president of the Astronomy Foundation, the telescope industry and astronomy outreach group, from 2011–2017.

Announcements:

Want to support CosmoQuest? Here are specific ways you can help:
* Donate! (Streamlabs link) https://streamlabs.com/cosmoquestx
* Buy stuff from our Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/people/cosmoquestx
* Volunteer for our Hangout-a-thon either to promote, provide a giveaway, or to come on as a guest https://goo.gl/forms/XSm1yi0PKOM166m12
* Help us find sponsors by sharing our program and fundraising efforts through your networks
* Become a Patreon of Astronomy Cast https://www.patreon.com/astronomycast
* Sponsor 365 Days of Astronomy http://bit.ly/sponsor365DoA
* A combination of the above!

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

The Weekly Space Hangout is a production of CosmoQuest.

Weekly Space Hangout: Nov 21, 2018: Bruce Betts’ “Astronomy for Kids”

Hosts:

Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

This week, we are joined by Dr. Bruce Betts, Chief Scientist and LightSail Program Manager for The Planetary Society. Prior to working on the LightSail program, Dr. Betts managed a number of flight instrument projects at the Planetary Society, including silica glass DVDs on the Mars Exploration Rovers and Phoenix lander, the LIFE biology experiment that flew on the Russian Phobos sample return mission, and he led a NASA grant studying microrovers assisting human exploration. Dr. Betts new children’s book, “”Astronomy for Kids: How to Observe Outer Space with a Telescope, Binoculars, or Just Your Eyes!”” is now available in time for holiday gift giving.

Prior to joining the Planetary Society, Dr. Betts, a planetary scientist, studied planetary surfaces, including Mars, the Moon, and Jupiter’s moons, using infrared and other data, during his time at San Juan Institute/Planetary Science Institute. Additionally, Dr. Betts spent three years at NASA headquarters managing planetary instrument development programs to design spacecraft science instruments.

You can learn more about Dr. Betts by visiting http://www.planetary.org/about/staff/bruce-betts.html.

If you want to learn about his new book and how to order it, visit http://www.planetary.org/blogs/bruce-betts/astronomy-for-kids.html

Announcements:

Want to support CosmoQuest? Here are specific ways you can help:
* Donate! (Streamlabs link) https://streamlabs.com/cosmoquestx
* Buy stuff from our Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/people/cosmoquestx
* Volunteer for our Hangout-a-thon either to promote, provide a giveaway, or to come on as a guest https://goo.gl/forms/XSm1yi0PKOM166m12
* Help us find sponsors by sharing our program and fundraising efforts through your networks
* Become a Patreon of Astronomy Cast https://www.patreon.com/astronomycast
* Sponsor 365 Days of Astronomy http://bit.ly/sponsor365DoA
* A combination of the above!

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

The Weekly Space Hangout is a production of CosmoQuest.

Weekly Space Hangout: Nov 14, 2018: Paul Sutter’s “Your Place in The Universe”

Hosts:
Guest Host Dr. Pamela Gay (astronomycast.com / cosmoquest.org / @starstryder)
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

Dr. Paul M. Sutter, astrophysicist and science educator – and now AUTHOR – is no stranger to the regular viewers of the WSH – but in case you missed it, and for anyone new to the WSH, Paul earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics from California Polytechnic State University in 2005 and his PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. By day, Paul is a Cosmological Researcher & Community Outreach Coordinator with the Department of Astronomy at Ohio State University.

But Paul is probably best known and loved by everyone here at the WSH as one of our four co-hosts, his weekly show Space Radio, and of course, let’s not forget his podcast Ask a Spaceman!

This week, we turn the tables on Paul (at least briefly!) as he joins us as our special guest to discuss his first book Your Place in the Universe.

You can learn more about Paul and his research by visiting his website, http://www.pmsutter.com.

You can learn where to tune in each week to Space Radio by going to http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/spaceradio/

You can watch episodes of Ask A Spaceman! here: http://www.pmsutter.com/shows/askaspaceman/

And last, but not least, you can learn more about Paul’s book by visiting http://www.pmsutter.com/book.

Announcements:

Want to support CosmoQuest? Here are specific ways you can help:
* Donate! (Streamlabs link) https://streamlabs.com/cosmoquestx
* Buy stuff from our Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/people/cosmoquestx
* Volunteer for our Hangout-a-thon either to promote, provide a giveaway, or to come on as a guest https://goo.gl/forms/XSm1yi0PKOM166m12
* Help us find sponsors by sharing our program and fundraising efforts through your networks
* Become a Patreon of Astronomy Cast https://www.patreon.com/astronomycast
* Sponsor 365 Days of Astronomy http://bit.ly/sponsor365DoA
* A combination of the above!

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

The Weekly Space Hangout is a production of CosmoQuest.

Weekly Space Hangout: Nov 7, 2018 – Colin Stuart ‘s “How to Live in Space”

Hosts:
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

“Tonight Fraser interviews Colin Stuart, author of How to Live in Space, which is available now. Visit https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/580109/how-to-live-in-space-by-colin-stuart/9781588346384/ for information about buying your own copy.

Colin is a science speaker and author, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has written articles for the London Mathematical Society and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, and has spoken to more than 250k people about the wonders of the universe in which we live.

You can learn more about Colin by visiting his website at http://www.colinstuart.net/”

Announcements:

Want to support CosmoQuest? Here are specific ways you can help:
* Donate! (Streamlabs link) https://streamlabs.com/cosmoquestx
* Buy stuff from our Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/people/cosmoquestx
* Volunteer for our Hangout-a-thon either to promote, provide a giveaway, or to come on as a guest https://goo.gl/forms/XSm1yi0PKOM166m12
* Help us find sponsors by sharing our program and fundraising efforts through your networks
* Become a Patreon of Astronomy Cast https://www.patreon.com/astronomycast
* Sponsor 365 Days of Astronomy http://bit.ly/sponsor365DoA
* A combination of the above!

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

The Weekly Space Hangout is a production of CosmoQuest.

Weekly Space Hangout: Oct 31, 2018 – David Dickinson

Hosts:
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

David Dickinson discusses his new book, written with Fraser, called The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos. Find out more about the book here – https://www.universetoday.com/139658/our-book-the-universe-today-ultimate-guide-to-viewing-the-cosmos/

Announcements:

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

Our New Book is Out! Everything You Need to Know to Become an Amateur Astronomer

The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos by David Dickinson with Fraser Cain
The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos by David Dickinson with Fraser Cain

It seems really surreal to say, but after about a year of work, our book is finally out. It’s called The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos: Everything You Need to Know to Become an Amateur Astronomer.

It was written by our own David Dickinson, who provides the majority of amateur astronomy news here on Universe Today. David had been writing more and more complex sky guides here on Universe Today over the last few years, and about a year ago, we pitched the idea of a comprehensive book on amateur astronomy to our friends at Page Street Publishing. They were the same group that published books for two other Universe Today writers: Nancy Atkinson and Bob King.
Continue reading “Our New Book is Out! Everything You Need to Know to Become an Amateur Astronomer”

Weekly Space Hangout: Oct 24, 2018 – Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder

Hosts:
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is a blogger and Theoretical Physicist who researches quantum gravity. She is a Research Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies where she leads the Analog Systems for Gravity Duals group.

Dr. Hossenfelder just finished writing her first book “”Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray”” which is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Math-Beauty-Physics-Astray/dp/0465094252

Announcements:

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

Weekly Space Hangout: Oct 17, 2018 – Paul Geithner, Deputy Project Manager, JWST

Hosts:
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

Paul Geithner, Deputy Project Manager – Technical for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he focuses on technical oversight, and the resolution and verification of technical issues. Paul last visited us on October 7, 2017, almost two years ago to the day, and tonight joins us to give us an update about JWST.

You can learn more about Paul by visiting https://jwst.nasa.gov/meet-geithner.html

Announcements:

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!

Weekly Space Hangout: Oct 10, 2018 – Sean Carroll

Hosts:
Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain)
Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)
Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier )
Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org)

Dr. Sean Carroll is a blogger, author, and theoretical physicist at Caltech where he investigates dark matter/dark energy, modified gravity, and multiple other topics in cosmology, field theory, and gravitation.

In addition to having written several books (most recently “”The Big Picture”” https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/bigpicture/), Sean has recorded lecture courses for The Great Courses, as well as producing many other online video and audio lectures.

In 2004, Sean launched his blog (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/) and in July, 2018, announced his newest venture, his Mindscape Podcast (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/)

You can lean more about Sean on his webpage: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/

Announcements:

If you would like to join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew, visit their site here and sign up. They’re a great team who can help you join our online discussions!

If you’d like to join Dr. Paul Sutter and Dr. Pamela Gay on their Cosmic Stories in the SouthWest Tour in August 2019, you can find the information at astrotours.co/southwest.

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Wednesday at 5:00 pm Pacific / 8:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Universe Today, or the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube page – Please subscribe!