January marks 20 years since NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of the red planet. Matt Golombek, project scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, joins Planetary Radio to celebrate. But first, the countdown to the next great American total solar eclipse continues. Kate Howells, The Planetary Society’s public education specialist and Canadian space policy adviser, explains why this periodic alignment of our Earth, Moon, and Sun is more rare on the scale of the Universe than you might think. Stick around for What’s Up with Bruce Betts, our chief scientist, as we honor the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter and the Mars missions that made it possible.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2024-20th-anniversary-spirit-and-opportunity
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The Canadian Lunar Rover with Peter Visscher
Martian rock collecting: From meteorites to Mars Sample Return
Are we alone? The search for alien technosignatures
More on Mars’ Watery History
Space Policy Edition: The White House's Matt Daniels on the U.S.'s New Cislunar Strategy
JWST confirms its first exoplanet
Juno Journeys to Jupiter’s Moons
Martian Mic Drop
Celebrating NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon
Space Policy Edition: JPL Director wants "every brain" to have the chance to work in space exploration
Planetary Radio stories with Mat Kaplan
Planetary Society All-Stars Review the Year in Space
Artemis 1 Orion capsule comes home, and the best of Planetary Radio
One Last Blast: Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir with JPL Chief Engineer Rob Manning
Scientist and Hubble Repairman John Grunsfeld
Space Policy Edition: NASA's Economic Impact with Alex MacDonald and Joshua Drucker
A Happy 20th Anniversary for Planetary Radio
Giving the University of Arizona Mirror Lab a spin
Voyager Mission Project Scientist Linda Spilker
Space Policy Edition: What the Congressional Midterms Means for Space Science
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