If the United States is indeed in a space race with China, then we cannot abandon space science. That’s the claim made by Maxwell Zhu and The Planetary Society’s chief of space policy, Casey Dreier, in a recent op-ed in Payload Space. Their piece contrasted the growing ambitions of China’s coming space science program against the draconian cuts proposed by the White House in 2026. The results are stark: where China is pursuing new missions, the United States is abandoning them. Casey and Maxwell explore why this is the case, whether China sees this investment as part of a competition at all, and the structural challenges of integrating space science into a geopolitical context.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/maxwell-zhu-on-chinas-space-science-ambitions

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NASA’s Perseverance rover has made one of its most intriguing discoveries yet in Jezero Crater. A rock sample called Sapphire Canyon, drilled from the Bright Angel formation, contains unusual chemical and mineral patterns that may be potential biosignatures.

We begin with remarks from Morgan Cable, research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co–deputy principal investigator of the PIXL instrument on Perseverance, in a video released alongside NASA’s September 10, 2025 announcement. Then, host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Joel Hurowitz, associate professor of geosciences at Stony Brook University and deputy principal investigator of the PIXL instrument on Perseverance, who is also the lead author of the new Nature paper detailing the findings. Hurowitz explains how textures nicknamed "poppy seeds" and "leopard spots" connect organic carbon with minerals like vivianite and greigite, and why these could represent some of the most compelling evidence yet for ancient microbial life on Mars.

Finally, in this week’s What’s Up, Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society’s chief scientist, joins Sarah to explore earlier moments in the history of Mars exploration when tantalizing hints of life sparked scientific and public excitement.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-perseverence-biosignatures

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Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society, has officially joined the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In this episode, we speak with Bill about what this rare honor means to him and to science communication. Then, we take you inside the star ceremony in Los Angeles, where friends and fans, including Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, paid tribute to his legacy. From there, we shift to Washington, D.C., where NASA faces the threat of deep budget cuts. Planetary Society Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier and Director of Government Relations Jack Kiraly share the latest updates as we prepare for the upcoming Day of Action. We close with Bruce Betts and What’s Up, reflecting on the unexpected adventures that come with working in space science.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-bill-nye-star

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Only six people have received The Planetary Society’s Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science. We were honored to present it to author and historian Dava Sobel in May of 2025. She has created a brilliant library of books that illuminate the lives and work of great scientists, many of whom have been under-appreciated. Each of Dava’s works is also overflowing with the wonder of science and discovery. It’s no wonder we decided to feature Dava and her books in the Society book club. That month-long celebration was capped by a live, online interview conducted by Dava’s friend and fan Mat Kaplan. Here’s that conversation.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/book-club-dava-sobel

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Pack your cosmic suitcase. This week on Planetary Radio, host Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Mark McCaughrean, astronomer, science communicator, and former Senior Advisor for Science & Exploration at the European Space Agency, to talk about his new book, “111 Places in Space That You Must Not Miss.” Part of the popular “111 Places” travel series, the book transforms the guidebook format into a tour across the Solar System and beyond, from Apollo landing sites on the Moon to Europa’s hidden oceans, and even the afterglow of the Big Bang.

Mark shares highlights from the book, stories from his career on missions like Hubble, Rosetta, and the James Webb Space Telescope, and reflections on how science and imagination come together to inspire exploration.

And in this week’s What’s Up, Planetary Society Chief Scientist Bruce Betts joins Sarah to talk about his brand-new children’s books, “The Size of Space” and “Are We Alone?,” part of our growing series with Lerner Publishing Group.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-111-places-in-space

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This week on Planetary Radio, we look forward to International Observe the Moon Night on October 4, 2025. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Staci Horvath, outreach coordinator for NASA’s Solar System Exploration Division at Goddard Space Flight Center and director of International Observe the Moon Night, and Theresa Summer, astronomy educator at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, about the history of the event, how it connects people around the world, and the many ways you can participate.

We also hear from Kate Howells, public education specialist at The Planetary Society, about her new book, “Moons: The Mysteries and Marvels of Our Solar System,” which combines striking space images and original illustrations to showcase the surprising diversity of moons in our Solar System.

And Chief Scientist Bruce Betts joins Sarah for What’s Up with tips for observing the Moon and other wonders in the night sky.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-international-observe-the-moon-night

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NASA, the crown jewel of 20th-century technocratic liberalism, was the first to land humans on the Moon but now depends on SpaceX for its access to space. Atlantic writer Franklin Foer believes this reflects a diminishment of national capability and that NASA was inadvertently responsible for its own decline. He traces this transformation from a collective pursuit of higher values to a more individualistic — and idiosyncratic — motivation based on utility and extraction, and ties it to a larger trend in American politics over the past 50 years. Along the way, Frank and host Casey Dreier discuss if Elon Musk is the antithesis of Carl Sagan, the tensions between individualism and collectivism in American politics, and the role of the romantic ideal in the symbolism of space exploration.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/franklin-foer-on-nasas-decline

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For decades, Uranus has puzzled scientists. Unlike the other giant planets, Voyager 2’s 1986 flyby suggested the ice giant emitted no excess heat. Now, thanks to new analyses of Voyager data, decades of ground-based and space-based observations, and refined models, scientists have confirmed that Uranus does radiate more heat than it receives from the Sun.

Host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with atmospheric scientist Michael Roman (Assistant Professor at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile) about his team’s new study showing Uranus emits around 12.5% more energy than it absorbs. Together, they explore what this means for our understanding of Uranus’s atmosphere, its bizarre seasonal cycles, the planet’s violent past, and why these findings strengthen the case for a future flagship mission to the Solar System’s overlooked ice giants.

Stick around for What’s Up with Bruce Betts, Planetary Society chief scientist, for a look at Uranus’ newly discovered moon and a new random space fact.

Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-uranus-energy-balance

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