Falling Asleep in Space
We explore the fascinating science and study of how humans sleep in space and its effects on the body.
Space Travel and Space Exploration Sub-categories:
Feeding More Mouths More Sustainably
Scientists are thinking big to voyage to Mars and one day possibly inhabit the far away planet. One big challenge is building a food production model from the ground up.
The Expanding Landfill in Space
From weather forecasting to cellular coverage to global imaging, we heavily rely on space satellites in our day to day lives. We discuss the serious issue of human-created space debris and what’s being done to curb this problem before it reaches catastrophic levels.
The Vast Expanse of Space
We’ve barely just scratched the surface of space exploration. Many scientists at NASA and in the private sector have set their sights on the eventual human mission to Mars – but what lies past the red planet? Will humans one day be able to travel outside of our solar system? Physicist Dr. Daniel Whiteson joins us this week to explain the strange and …
Slumbering in Space
For astronauts in space, sleeping in a zero-gravity environment surrounded by loud fans, bright lights and cramped quarters can be an issue. We discuss some of the bodily systems behind sleep and how astronauts in space for months on end deal with these challenges.
The Private Sector Space Race
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson both made history last month as they rocketed out of Earth’s atmosphere and successfully reached space. This trip was many years in the making as both billionaires built their own respective companies, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, to transport them to space as private civilians. Now, people are lining up and paying hefty …
The 40th Anniversary of the NASA Space Shuttle
The birth of the space shuttle in 1981 marked a new era of space travel. For the first time ever, NASA had a spacecraft that could launch into space and come back to earth and land like an airplane. While the shuttle had many successful flights, there were also some big catastrophes that ultimately led the program to cease operations in 2011. Former chief …
What Happens to the Human Body in Space?
Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, from the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, joins Viewpoints this week to help us understand some of the health impacts of spending time in space and the hurdles that come with longer missions like sending humans to Mars.
The Path To Europa
The Jupiter moon, Europa is 390 million miles away from Earth. In 2025, the NASA Europa Clipper mission launches and is estimated to arrive in Jupiter’s orbit by 2031. Why Europa? Underneath its radiated surface, the icy moon is believed to host a vast ocean similar to Earth’s that has ample conditions for complex life. Author David W. Brown joins Viewpoints …
The Fascinating Science Behind Black Holes
Black holes have always intrigued and captured the imagination of millions since they were first theorized and coined by German physicist Karl Schwarzschild in 1916. Even today, there’s still much we have yet to learn.
The Story of Apollo 8 (2020)
When we think back to the biggest space accomplishments in history, many of us instantly remember Apollo 11 – the mission that landed humans on the moon. However, we seldom talk about Apollo 8 when astronauts successfully orbited the moon. Author and historian, Jeffrey Kluger joins Viewpoints to discuss why Apollo 8 was a vital foundational mission for space …
Culture Crash: The New Space Drama “Ad Astra”
We discuss the new movie “Ad Astra” starring Brad Pitt as an interstellar astronaut, and why it’s more than your typical ‘on a mission to save the world’ space drama
The Many Planets Outside Our Galaxy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
We know about the planets within the Milky Way Galaxy, but what about planets outside of our neighborhood? We talk to Dr. Donald Goldsmith about “exoplanets” and where science stands on the issue of life thriving somewhere else in the universe.
Orbiting the Moon: The Mission of Apollo 8
Though Apollo 11 gets all the fame and Apollo 13 was made into a thrilling Ron Howard movie, author and historian Jeffrey Kluger says the Apollo 8 mission was a foundational trip for American space exploration. He takes us through the mission and examines what it meant for NASA moving forward.
The Story of Apollo 8 (2017)
We discuss the mission that effectively ended the space race and set an important precedent that may have saved the lives of the astronauts on board Apollo 13.
Astronomical Wonders: What’s coming up this year?
There’s a lot going on in the sky for the remainder of this year and our guests discuss the upcoming astronomical events and how you can watch them with the naked eye or with inexpensive binoculars and telescopes. We also discuss the importance and the fun of stargazing, where the best places are to watch the skies and how urban areas can change their …
Astrotwins: An Astronaut Motivates Kids to Study Science, Math and Engineering
As a kid, did you ever dream of becoming an astronaut and flying a rocket ship into space, but figured you weren’t good enough in science and math to do it? Our guest, a former U.S. astronaut admits he wasn’t the best young student in school in those subjects, but later on he grew fascinated by them and turned his new-found interest into becoming a Navy …
