Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ NASA scientists/engineers behind missions • Webb/Hubble imaging, galaxies, exoplanets, technosignatures • Mars rovers/Ingenuity operations • Moon/Mars living: power, communications, food • asteroids/planetary defense • space weather • ISS research/safety • climate/Earth science
This podcast is NASA’s interplanetary talk show hosted by former Chief Scientist Jim Green, built around conversations with scientists, engineers, flight controllers, and other space professionals working on current research and exploration programs. Across the episodes, listeners are introduced to how NASA studies the universe—from black holes and other high‑energy phenomena to the formation and evolution of galaxies—using missions that observe in different kinds of light, including X-ray and infrared. A recurring focus is the James Webb Space Telescope: what it can see, how its images and data are made, and how researchers plan observations to probe the early universe and the histories of galaxies.
Much of the content also centers on solar-system exploration and mission design, including spacecraft sent to Mars, Venus, asteroids, and icy moons, and the scientific questions driving those missions. The show often connects field and laboratory work to space goals, such as analyzing meteorites to understand planetary origins or using Earth analog environments to inform astrobiology.
Human spaceflight and living off Earth are also prominent themes. Episodes discuss operations and safety on the International Space Station, microgravity research, astronaut training, and technologies needed for future lunar and Martian exploration, such as communications, power generation, and growing food beyond Earth. Earth science appears as well, with discussions of climate change research, melting ice, sea level rise, and NASA’s role in monitoring the planet. The series concludes with reflections on the show’s run and highlights from its interviews.
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Episodes:
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Season 5, Episode 32: Finale: Thanks for All the Gravity Assists
2022-Aug-12
24 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 31: Meet a Webb Scientist Who Looks Back in Time
2022-Jul-29
27 minutes
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Season 5, Ep. 30: Gravity Assist: How We Make Webb (and Hubble) Images
2022-Jul-08
17 minutes
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Gravity Assist: It’s Raining Diamonds on These Planets
2022-Jul-01
21 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 28: This is What Mars Sounds Like, with Nina Lanza
2022-Jun-17
22 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 27: What Will We Eat on Mars?
2022-May-20
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 26: How to Grow Food on the Moon
2022-May-13
20 minutes
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Season 5,Episode 25: Walking on Broken Ice, with Catherine Walker
2022-Apr-22
23 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 24: Do Other Planets Make Pollution?
2022-Apr-08
21 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 23: These Space Rocks Have Seen It All
2022-Mar-18
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 22: Using Webb to Trace Galactic Histories
2022-Mar-04
22 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 21: In Case of Space Station Emergency
2022-Feb-18
24 minutes
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Gravity Assist: Meet NASA’s New Chief Scientist, Kate Calvin
2022-Jan-28
19 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 19: A New Set of X-Ray Eyes is Launching
2021-Dec-03
22 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 18: How to Move an Asteroid, with Nancy Chabot
2021-Nov-19
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 17: Solar Power for the Moon
2021-Oct-29
19 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 16:Meet a Space Weather Scientist
2021-Oct-22
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 15: Lucy and the Space Fossils, with Hal Levison
2021-Oct-08
26 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 14: Goodbye Saturn, Hello Earth
2021-Aug-27
26 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 13: Freaky Physics on the Space Station
2021-Aug-06
23 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 12: Diving Into NASA History
2021-Jul-30
21 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 11: Onward to Venus, with Lori Glaze
2021-Jul-23
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 10: A Chance to Fly on Mars, with MiMi Aung
2021-Jul-09
27 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 9: This Asteroid Is Metal
2021-Jul-02
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 8: Let’s Talk About Climate Change
2021-Jun-18
25 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 7: From Space Camp to Mission Control
2021-Jun-11
23 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 6: Before You Launch: Practice, Practice, Practice
2021-Jun-04
20 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 5:Listening to the Universe, with Kim Arcand
2021-May-21
19 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 4: Always an Astronaut, with Ken Bowersox
2021-May-14
24 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 3: Breaking Barriers, with Dana Bolles
2021-Apr-30
21 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 2: Talking to Ingenuity and Other Space Robots
2021-Apr-23
17 minutes
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Season 5, Episode 1: Black Hole Mysteries, with Jeremy Schnittman
2021-Apr-16
23 minutes
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Season 5 Trailer – What’s Your Gravity Assist?
2021-Apr-09
2 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 25: Driving on Mars, with Sophia Mitchell
2021-Feb-12
21 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 24: Your Questions About Life Out There & Down Here
2020-Dec-23
33 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 23: The Bright Spot of the Asteroid Belt
2020-Dec-18
19 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 22: Set Sail for Europa, with Bob Pappalardo
2020-Dec-04
16 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 21: Mars Takes a Breath, with Jen Eigenbrode
2020-Nov-13
19 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 20: The History of the Future, with Steven Dick
2020-Oct-30
21 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 19: Life in the Clouds, with David J. Smith
2020-Oct-09
23 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 18: Why Icy Moons are So Juicy
2020-Sep-25
22 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 17: Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Life?
2020-Sep-11
16 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 16: Our Sun, Our Life, with Vladimir Airapetian
2020-Aug-21
15 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 15 Looking For Life in Ancient Lakes
2020-Aug-14
17 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 14: Gardens at the Bottom of the Sea
2020-Aug-07
17 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 13: She Protects Other Planets from Our Germs
2020-Jul-17
27 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 12: The Search for Technosignatures
2020-Jun-26
23 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 11: Where are the Goldilocks Stars? With Giada Arney
2020-Jun-18
22 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 10: Puffy Planets, Powerful Telescopes
2020-Jun-12
23 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 9: Is Our Solar System Weird?
2020-Jun-05
28 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 8: There’s Life Under Ice in Antarctica.
2020-May-29
24 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 7: Deep Oceans in Deep Space, with Morgan Cable
2020-May-22
23 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 6: Life’s Building Blocks, with Jason Dworkin
2020-May-15
24 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 5: What If We Found Life On Mars?
2020-May-08
43 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 4: Persevering on Mars, with Mitch Schulte
2020-May-01
23 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 3: Could We Find Billion-Year-Old Cholesterol?
2020-Apr-24
22 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 2: Life on the Rocks, with Heather Graham
2020-Apr-17
20 minutes
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Season 4, Episode 1: What is Astrobiology? With Mary Voytek
2020-Apr-17
27 minutes
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Introducing Gravity Assist Season 4: Searching for Life
2020-Apr-15
2 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 15 — Astronauts Go Back to Moon School, with Kelsey
2019-Dec-19
22 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 14: The Moon's Holy GRAIL
2019-Dec-10
24 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 13: The Moon Quakes! With Walter Kiefer
2019-Sep-27
22 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 12: Fire Fountains on the Moon, with Dave Draper
2019-Sep-12
23 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 11: The Moon Was Like a Magnet, with Sonia Tikoo
2019-Aug-23
20 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 10: Beyond Apollo with Jake Bleacher
2019-Jul-18
24 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 9: Your Moon Questions Answered
2019-Jun-28
31 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 8: The Moon Rocks! With Barbara Cohen
2019-Jun-21
26 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 7: Mapping the Moon, with Noah Petro
2019-Jun-13
29 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 6: Why So Many Craters on the Moon? With David Kring
2019-Jun-06
28 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 5: Where's the Water on the Moon? With Jen Heldmann
2019-May-30
21 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 4: Why Do We Have a Moon? With Robin Canup
2019-May-09
31 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 3: Where Could We Go on the Moon? Steve Mackwell
2019-May-02
27 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 2: Buying a Ride to the Moon, with Steven Clarke
2019-Apr-24
18 minutes
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Season 3, Episode 1: Meet NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
2019-Apr-11
30 minutes
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Season 3, Trailer
2019-Apr-01
1 minute
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Season 2, Episode 10: The Sun’s Mysteries with Thomas Zurbuchen
2018-Dec-11
24 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 9: Planetary Defense and Oumuamua with Kelly Fast
2018-Sep-26
26 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 8: Sunspots and Solar Flares with Alex Young
2018-Sep-11
23 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 7: Mars Dust Storm with Melinda Kahre.
2018-Aug-15
17 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 6: Exoplanet Hunting with Jon Jenkins
2018-Aug-01
28 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 5: Asteroid Hunting with Lindley Johnson
2018-Jul-17
30 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 4: Exploring Mars with Steve Squyres
2018-Jul-03
24 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 3: Mars and InSight with Bruce Banerdt
2018-May-02
25 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 2: TESS & Exoplanets with Martin Still
2018-Apr-12
22 minutes
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Season 2, Episode 1: Explorer 1 with Jim Green
2018-Mar-01
22 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 12: Science and Science Fiction with Andy Weir
2018-Feb-07
23 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 11: The Kuiper Belt with Alan Stern
2018-Jan-31
19 minutes
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Gravity Assist Podcast, Pluto with Alan Stern
2018-Jan-24
18 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 9: Uranus and Neptune with Amy Simon
2018-Jan-17
16 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 8: Saturn with Linda Spilker
2018-Jan-10
20 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 7: Jupiter with Jared Epsley
2018-Jan-03
21 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 6: Mars with Bruce Jakosky and Michael Meyer
2017-Dec-20
22 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 5: The Moon with Sarah Noble
2017-Dec-13
21 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 4: Earth with Tom Wagner
2017-Dec-06
22 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 3: Venus with David Grinspoon
2017-Nov-29
24 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 2: Mercury with Faith Vilas
2017-Nov-22
22 minutes
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Season 1, Episode 1: The Sun with Nicky Fox
2017-Nov-15
23 minutes
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NASA’s New “Gravity Assist” Podcast Debuts Nov. 15, 2017
2017-Nov-02
1 minute
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