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Come get curious with NASA. As an official NASA podcast, Curious Universe brings you mind-blowing science and space adventures you won't find anywhere else. Explore the cosmos alongside astronauts, scientists, engineers, and other top NASA experts who are achieving remarkable feats in science, space exploration, and aeronautics. Learn something new about the wild and wonderful universe we share. All you need to get started is a little curiosity.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ NASA missions and engineering • Artemis Moon flights, Orion/SLS • space telescopes (Webb, Hubble) discoveries • early universe, galaxies, exoplanets • solar science, eclipses, space weather • asteroids, planetary defense, sample returns • astronaut health, ISS/Mars analogs • Earth observation: air quality, oceans, agriculture, wildfires, hurricanes, open data/citizen science • black holes, gravitational waves, dark matter/energyThis podcast is an official NASA show that uses interviews and reported storytelling to explain how space and Earth science work in practice. Across episodes, listeners are guided through major NASA missions and the people behind them—astronauts, engineers, scientists, mission operators, and other specialists—often with an emphasis on the real-world constraints of exploration, from launch operations and spacecraft design to how humans live and stay healthy off Earth.
A large portion of the content focuses on returning to the Moon through the Artemis program, including what it takes to fly a new crewed spacecraft, how NASA tests and learns from uncrewed missions, and why specific lunar destinations such as the south polar region matter for long-term exploration. Human spaceflight themes extend to life aboard the International Space Station, spacesuit development, and ground-based analog studies that simulate microgravity or long-duration missions.
The show also spends significant time on astronomy and planetary science, particularly the discoveries enabled by space telescopes. Topics include how modern observatories study the early universe, galaxy evolution, exoplanet atmospheres, and objects in our own solar system, alongside behind-the-scenes looks at long-running missions like Hubble and the teams that keep them operating. Other episodes explore fundamental questions and phenomena such as black holes, gravitational waves, dark matter and dark energy, and the Sun’s behavior, including eclipses and space weather that can affect technology and astronaut safety. Some stories connect science with broader culture through elements like data sonification, live events, and creative contributions.
Earth science appears as a recurring thread, highlighting NASA’s satellite-based view of oceans, land, and atmosphere, including air quality, aerosols, agriculture-relevant observations, wildfire monitoring, hurricanes, and the growing role of open data and AI in forecasting and disaster response. The podcast also highlights ways the public can contribute through citizen science projects.
How NASA Will Study the Moon—And the Astronauts Going There
Earth Series: From Space to Your Plate
Earth Series: The Ocean, Now in Full Color
