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Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain
Universe Today Podcast
Latest episode

1634 episodes

  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Interview+] Is The Human Body Ready For A Real Mars Mission?

    04/11/2026 | 1h 4 mins.
    BONUS PART STARTS AT 43:53
    Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jiCigIHzyI8
    City on Mars Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ8sZtg-Kdc
    Clearly, a journey to Mars and back is the next huge leap for human space flight. We know we need new rockets, new spaceships, new technology, etc. But are the human bodies ready for that? Can humans pull it off? Finding out in this interview.
    🟣 Guest: Mark Shelhamer, ScD
    https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/
    https://www.jhuhsl.space/
    Are We Ready for Mars? https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54095/are-we-ready-mars
    00:00:00 Intro

    00:01:52 SciFi vs reality for space travel

    00:08:18 Dangers of going to Mars

    00:13:02 Mitigation strategies

    00:24:33 Beyond the magnetosphere

    00:43:53 Bonus part

    00:54:33 Current obsessions

    01:03:04 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    AI Is Destroying YouTube. But NOT In The Way You Think

    03/11/2026 | 6 mins.
    🔵 Vote in the poll https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Q&A+] The Future of Space Telescopes

    03/11/2026 | 23 mins.
    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:46
    Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DIqlwbuEE4g
    Which space event would I want to observe firsthand? How will artificial gravity systems work? What’s the direction for future space telescopes? And in Q&A+, how does astronomy adopt AI?
    00:00 Intro

    00:25 [@paigepotter4682] A space event to observe firsthand

    01:55 [@TelephoneJack] How will artificial gravity systems combat the Coriolis effect?

    09:06 [@caerdwynmagni] Bigger mirrors VS interferometers?

    15:46 [@p0tatobiden350] How does Astronomy adopt AI?

    21:20 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Space Bites+] Vera Rubin Finally Delivers Its First Big Discovery

    30/10/2026 | 28 mins.
    BONUS STORY STARTS AT 23:19
    Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube:
    Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
    Vera Rubin finds a new dwarf planet, while Webb sees dwarf planets colliding in another system, Valles Marineris might still be volcanically active, and Hera gets its first picture of Didymus and Dimorphus. And on Space Bites+, a planet that shouldn't have an atmosphere, but does.
    Matt’s METI series
    Part 1: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-meti-part-i-early-ideas-and-experiments

    Part 2: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-meti-part-ii-from-interplanetary-to-interstellar

    Timecodes:
    00:00 Intro

    00:21 Rubin’s First Dwarf Planet Candidate https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-rubin-observatory-finds-its-first-dwarf-planet-candidate

    02:56 Colliding Dwarf Planets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/colliding-dwarf-planets-created-a-cats-tail-1000-astronomical-units-long

    05:54 Dead Planets Orbiting a Dead Star https://www.universetoday.com/articles/dead-planets-orbiting-a-dead-star

    08:54 Largest Canyon in The Solar System is Still Active https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-largest-canyon-in-the-solar-system-is-still-tectonically-active

    11:23 Even More Evidence of The BetelBuddy https://www.universetoday.com/articles/betelgeuse-is-disturbed-by-its-companion-star

    13:17 Vote results

    13:43 NASA’s Next UV Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-new-uv-space-telescope-will-launch-in-2031

    17:38 Potential Targets For The Lazuli Private Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/27-exoplanet-targets-for-the-worlds-first-private-space-telescope

    20:07 Hera’s Almost There https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera/First_light_Hera_resolves_two_asteroids_instead_of_one

    21:32 More space news https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-meti-part-i-early-ideas-and-experiments

    23:19 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-oddbal-reflective-lava-world-is-challenging-to-understand

    26:06 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Q&A+] Space Lasers VS Space Nukes

    29/10/2026 | 18 mins.
    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:12
    Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DCUndRxFz7M
    00:00 Intro

    00:26 [@iancudmore9795] when do we get research on what low G does to our health as compared to micro gravity?

    05:27 [@JacobBouchard] Could we use Buoyancy Tests to simulate low gravity?

    07:28 [@604Nighthawk] and can humanity breed in low gravity?

    08:28 [@alextruffle] Space nukes vs space lasers

    12:06 [@kimbarron4239] Could you 'drop' a bomb from orbit?

    13:12 [@alextruffle] What is the next upcoming best celestial event that can be seen with the naked eye?

    16:59 Final thoughts
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About Universe Today Podcast
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