Universe Today Podcast

Here’s what might delay Artemis, New Glenn flies again, but there’s a problem, Voyager 1 has to shut down another instrument, Vera Rubin is finding so many asteroids. And in Space Bites+, an incredible image to celebrate Hubble’s 35th birthday.
00:00 Intro

00:18 Potential bottleneck for Artemis https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/whats-the-deal-with-spacesuits-for-the-moon-will-they-be-ready-in-time/

03:20 China Shows Off a 5-Meter Rocket Module https://www.universetoday.com/articles/china-unveils-a-massive-5-meter-composite-module-for-its-next-generation-reusable-rocket

06:20 Success and Failure of New Glenn NG-3 https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/errant-upper-stage-spoils-blue-origins-success-in-reusing-new-glenn-booster/

08:25 Voyager Shuts Down More Instruments https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2026/04/17/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/

11:08 Vera Rubin Discovers A Lot of Asteroids https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-vera-c-rubin-observatory-has-discovered-11000-new-asteroids-and-its-barely-even-started

12:36 Vote results

13:06 Organics on Mars https://www.universetoday.com/articles/msl-curiosity-found-new-organic-chemicals-on-mars-proof-that-the-planet-can-preserve-ancient-biosign

15:09 Roman’s Ready to Launch

16:51 SPHEREx Mapping the Sky https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-spherex-telescope-just-mapped-the-cosmic-ices-that-will-someday-build-planets

18:05 The Universe in X-Rays https://www.universetoday.com/articles/behold-the-solar-system-in-all-its-x-ray-glory

19:18 More space news

20:20 Complexity of the interviews

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:29
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ouw_AobGQ2M
CosmoQuest Artemis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUhAPm8PNdY
CosmoQuest: https://cosmoquest.org/
What could the great filter be? How visible is the human race to outside observers? How would astronomy work in a cosmic void? And in Q&A+, what would happen if a black hole suddenly approached?00:00 Intro
00:26 [@moosekeeto] What could the Great Filter be?

02:17 [@wookalarcentral] What do cosmic coincidences mean?

04:24 [@MikeD_] Could advanced civilizations communicate in a way we can't detect?

06:05 [@doogle4144] How 'visible' is the Human race?

08:56 [@mmorgan7212] How would astronomy work if we lived in a cosmic void?

13:40 [@AEFisch] Why do scientists call a black hole a singularity?

16:28 New citizen science project

🟣 Guest: Dr. John Banovetz https://www.bnl.gov/world/
📜 Uncovering the Next Galactic Supernova with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.12094
We should be getting 1-2 supernovae per century in a galaxy like the Milky Way. Yet, the last one observed was about 1000 years ago? Where are all the galactic supernovae? Why don't we see enough of them. Can Vera Rubin help? Finding out in this interview.
00:00 Intro

01:41 Supernovae in the Milky Way

09:33 Why don't we see the supernovae

13:32 Vera Rubin 24:37 Working with the data pipeline

39:10 Current obsessions

41:08 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:16
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gac8HkEO9AE
How will we power the Moon bases? Which places will be the primary targets for the Habitable World Observatory? Which nuclear reactor is the new NASA proposal about? And in Q&A+, how long will it take to clear the L2 Lagrange point?
00:00 Intro

00:26 [@Noonyuh] Could moonquakes or marsquakes cause problems for humans?

02:44 [@rJaune] Are there promising battery technology?

04:08 [@1000dots] Which nuclear reactor will NASA use for its new Mars mission?

09:20 [@smkolins] Is anyone setting up a public access list of new finds of Vera Rubin?

11:24 [@TestingTesting-1234] Where will HWO look first?

14:46 [@Matthew...1979] Could we see other planets in realtime?

16:16 [@C.Lo.87] How long to clear out L2?

17:22 Previously hidden content

Full livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/6oMnUsxwsQM

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:55
Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHLROLaOCFc
There's a new scar on the moon. The Artemis II astronauts return home safely. A new survey has just wrapped up its scan for dark energy. Supermassive black holes ready to merge. And in Space Bites Plus, astronomers find one of the oldest stars in the universe.
00:00 Intro

00:20 New Scar on The Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-moon-just-got-a-new-scar

02:20 Artemis 2 Recap https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-world-welcomes-the-crew-of-artemis-ii-home

04:33 DESI 5-year observations https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/04/15/desi-completes-planned-3d-map-of-the-universe-and-continues-exploring/

07:34 SMBHs about to merge https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-monsters-one-galaxy-and-a-collision-100-years-away

10:04 Reuse of the New Glenn's booster https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/04/16/blue-origin-hot-fires-its-first-previously-flown-booster-prepares-for-weekend-launch/ 11:14 Blue Alchemist https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/from-moon-dust-to-moon-colonies/

12:32 Demarcation of Stars and Planets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/wheres-the-dividing-line-between-a-star-and-a-planet-ask-the-jwst

14:53 Vote results

15:51 Stardust in the clouds of Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/stardust-in-the-clouds-of-venus

17:25 More NASA Nuclear Missions https://www.universetoday.com/articles/exploring-the-moons-shadowy-craters-with-nuclear-powered-rovers

19:35 Most Powerful Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-universes-most-powerful-telescope

20:55 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/student-team-finds-one-of-the-oldest-stars-in-the-universe-that-migrated-to-the-milky-way

22:45 Even more space news