Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
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 exploration • Artemis Moon return, ISS life, spacesuits, human health in microgravity • Webb/Hubble astronomy: early universe, galaxies, stars, exoplanets • planetary science: asteroids, Europa, planetary defense • Earth/Sun science: climate, aerosols, hurricanes, eclipses, space weather • citizen science, AI/open dataThis podcast is an official NASA show that uses interviews, reporting, and behind-the-scenes access to explain space science, Earth science, and human exploration. Across its episodes, it follows major NASA missions and the people who design, build, operate, and fly them—astronauts, engineers, instrument developers, data scientists, and researchers—while translating complex topics into narrative stories about how discoveries are made.
A large portion of the content focuses on astrophysics and astronomy, especially work enabled by major observatories. Listeners hear how space telescopes are used to study the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, dark matter and dark energy, and gravitational waves, as well as nearer targets such as objects in our own solar system. The show also explores the chemistry of star- and planet-forming clouds and the ways scientists infer the properties of distant exoplanets from faint light. Operational perspectives—like what it takes to keep a long-running telescope functioning and how different observatories complement each other—are part of the mix, alongside personal career stories from prominent scientists.
Planetary science and the search for life are recurring themes. The podcast covers robotic missions that return samples from asteroids and what those ancient materials can reveal about the early solar system and life’s building blocks. It also highlights exploration of ocean worlds such as Europa and explains why water ice on the Moon is strategically important for future missions. Planetary defense appears as well, detailing how near-Earth objects are detected, tracked, and potentially deflected.
Human spaceflight topics include astronaut life aboard the International Space Station, preparations for returning to the Moon, spacesuit development, and analog studies and biomedical research aimed at understanding and counteracting the effects of microgravity.
The show regularly turns its attention back to Earth, describing how NASA satellites monitor ocean conditions, sea level, land use and agriculture, aerosols and air quality, ozone, wildfires, and hurricanes, including the growing role of open data and AI in forecasting and disaster response. Citizen science and creative approaches like data sonification and art-science collaborations also feature, emphasizing ways the public can engage with NASA research.
Earth Series: From Space to Your Plate
Earth Series: The Ocean, Now in Full Color
