Space Boffins, from the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham celebrate the drama of the Spirit and Opportunity rover missions with NASA rover engineer Doug Ellison and JPL research scientist Abigail Fraeman from the film Goodnight Oppy. Recalling how the robots developed personalities, they talk about the mission's highs and lows. We also hear about the new SWOT mission to measure the Earth's water, and talk space books for kids with Raman Prinjah and Sheila Kanani. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this special bonus episode - for the first time in full - we play Richard's interview with the last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan. Recorded in summer 2016, it's thought to be the astronaut's last broadcast interview. In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, Cernan describes his "spacewalk from hell" during Gemini, his near-death experience at the Moon in Apollo 10 and his final words on the lunar surface during Apollo 17... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Astronaut Stuart Roosa was a real-life action hero - Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham speak to his daughter about the Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot's life, mission and the seeds he carried with him to the Moon. Sue visits a real Moon Tree down the road from Space Boffins HQ, and we chat to the Chair of the UAE Space Agency about their mission to Mars, astronauts and international partnerships. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do you design a space settlement government without it descending into tyranny? Charles Cockell shares his research with hosts Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham. And as the UK prepares for its first rocket launch in 50 years, the UK Space Agency's Matt Archer talks about launch plans and ambitions, and Richard heads to Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall to hear how a dish that brought the world Live Aid is now communicating with Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a brave move, the Space Boffins attempt a podcast about pictures without any pictures! Joining them are science writer Andy Saunders, who's spent years remastering images from the Apollo missions to reveal details never seen before, Oxford astrophysicist and podcast host Becky Smethurst about the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and space artist Jackie Burns. It's an (audio) visual feast! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apollo legend Poppy Northcutt joins Richard and Sue this month The only woman in mission control for the Moon missions, Poppy talks about the challenge of getting astronauts back from the Moon, the drama of Apollo 13 (and why she's not seen the film) and what was on channel 53. With the first launches from the UK fast approaching, Deputy Head of the UK Space Agency, Ian Annett, chats about the prospects for Britain's rocket programme, funding for astronauts and aerobatic flying. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Not one but four astronauts feature in this month's Space Boffins. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham chat to astronaut Nicole Stott about her book Back to Earth; we hear about the drama of launch, what to do when things go wrong and the challenges of interviewing other astronauts. Sue also attends a glamorous space event in London to catch up with two Apollo legends, British ESA astronaut Tim Peake, and Space Shuttle pilot Susan Kilrain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With the first Artemis mission on the launchpad, Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham look ahead to the next footsteps on the Moon. They chat to Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency about Gateway - "a one bed studio flat" in orbit around the Moon - and lunar SatNav. Plus, John Vrublevskis from Thales Alenia Space UK explains the challenge of getting oxygen out of Moon rocks. We also feature an interview - never before broadcast in full - with Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke. He talks about landing on the Moon, looking back at Earth and his faith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's the Space Boffins' most controversial episode yet, as Don Goldsmith talks about his new book written with Astronomer Royal Martin Rees - The End of Astronauts and why robots are the future. Also, we visit one of the cleanrooms at Airbus in Stevenage to see the new Biomass satellite to measure the carbon locked in the world's forests. Plus author Kevin Cook talks about his book, The Burning Blue, on Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger disaster. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a bumper new year edition, we hear the latest on the Webb space telescope, discuss volcanoes on distant worlds and look ahead to Europe's mission to Mars. ESA's Mark McCaughrean talks about what's next for the James Webb Space Telescope; UCL's Andrew Coates covers the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover launching this year, and the OU's Natalie Starkey talks about her new book Fire and Ice. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gardeners of the Galaxy podcast host Emma Doughty discusses the challenges and joys of growing flowers, chillies and vines (for wine!) in space. Sue and Richard also chat to self-confessed space nerd John Chinner about the Astro Pi computers on the International Space Station, 3-D printed rovers and the best (space) movie ever made. Plus, Richard ventures out to a real control room tracking the progress of an innovative new space debris removal mission, currently in orbit around the Earth... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

ESA's senior science advisor Mark McCaughrean joins Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham to enthuse about the most powerful space telescope ever built. And NASA astronaut Jessica Meir discusses coming back from the ISS to a world in the grip of Covid-19, her first all women space walk, and her preparations as part of the Artemis astronaut corps. Plus new CEO of the UK Space Agency, Paul Bate, on the UK's continued success within the space industry. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

After BepiColombo's recent flyby of Mercury, Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson hear from the University of Leicester's Dr Charly Feldman about its onboard lobster eye optics and their increasing use in new spacecraft. They're also joined by the UK Space Agency's Liz Cox on the importance of space when it comes to climate change, and the legendary NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill - whose career there is 55 years and counting - talks about Apollo 1 and Apollo 10. And, yes, there are plenty of Snoopy references! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

ESA astronaut and soon to be Commander of the International Space Station, Samantha Cristoforetti, talks Dragons, Star City, and preparing for leadership. We hear from meteor expert Richard Greenwood on how Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission has returned "the most important extra-terrestrial samples ever collected" - rocks from the very start of the solar system. And journalist Kate Arkless Gray describes a decade of space journalism and how to make friends with the head of NASA... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shuttle pilot and International Space Station Commander, Terry Virts, chats to Space Boffins about flying the Shuttle, commanding the ISS, photographing the Earth ...and UFOs. And after the triumphant flight of Wally Funk, Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by space reporter and commercial spaceflight expert, Sarah Cruddas, to talk about space tourism and space entrepreneurs. But will the price of spaceflight ever come down so the rest of us can afford it? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On the 10th anniversary of Space Boffins, BBC Science and Space Correspondent Jonathan Amos comes aboard to celebrate Mercury 13 legend Wally Funk as she prepares to launch to space with Jeff Bezos. We also catch up on ten years of space developments, chat to ESA's project scientist for the JUICE mission to Jupiter's icy moons, Olivier Witasse, and celebrate Apollo 15 with an epic montage featuring astronaut Al Worden. Here's to the next ten years! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Two astronauts, one space hipster, a writer and a musician all feature in this month's Space Boffins. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by podcaster and founder of the Space Hipsters, Emily Carney. They also hear from pioneering astronaut Anna Fisher in conversation with astronaut Nicole Stott. And David Brown, author of The Mission, talks about Jupiter's moon Europa and the chances of finding life on the icy and watery world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a podcast exclusive, Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, joins the Space Boffins 30 years after her 1991 Juno mission. She describes the selection process, training in the Soviet Union and her return. Author of the Martian, Andy Weir, chats about his latest book, Jason Achilles Mezilis is the musician behind the Mars microphone, and we commemorate the death of Apollo 11 legend Mike Collins. It's another epic podcast... how do we do it? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In an epic edition of the Space Boffins Podcast we ambitiously celebrate the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight and the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Space Shuttle. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by live guests Stephen Walker author of Beyond, a new book on Gagarin, and Libby Jackson who leads the human space programme at the UK Space Agency. They also talk to two Space Shuttle astronauts: Sid Gutierrez about flying and commanding the Shuttle, and Kathy Sullivan, one of the first American women in space. She shares stories of the challenges of training for... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

AS NASA's Perseverance rover makes it safely to Mars, we chat to science writer Elizabeth Howell about the array of missions now studying the red planet. Also the European Space Agency's head of diversity, Ersilia Vaudo, talks about plans for parastronauts, and the UK ground station that relayed the first footsteps on the Moon gears up for the next big lunar adventure. Plus, find out who was right in the great US first-astronaut debate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month science journalist Katia Moskvitch joins the Space Boffins to discuss the zombies of the cosmos, neutron stars, as well as the European Space Agency's new astronaut recruitment and Yuri Gagarin's birthplace. They also hear about the new communications system fitted to the space station, ColKA, and talk to author Neal Thompson about the Don Draper of astronauts, Alan Shepard. And see if you agree with Richard's controversial comment about America's first astronaut! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space journalist Andrew Jones and his cat join the Space Boffins this month to discuss China's ambitious plans for the Moon and beyond. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham also talk to Nellie Offord from UK company SSTL about their lunar communications satellite (and whether it will go beep), hear from author Rebecca Siegel about the enormous egos of the Mercury astronauts and celebrate space chimp Ham. And should Space Boffins be renamed? You decide... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a specially recorded face to (socially-distanced) face interview to mark the fifth anniversary of his mission to the International Space Station, British European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake reveals the details of his perilous space station docking, physically challenging return to Earth and launchpad music selections. He also discusses the legacy of his flight and the influence it's had on a generation of students. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham also talk to Libby Jackson about her new book featuring extraordinary stories of space exploration, and Professor Robert... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

NASA has just collected a sample from an asteroid and work is well underway to land a woman on the Moon. Space journalist David Whitehouse chats about whether President Trump was good for space. Dr Sara Russell discusses the OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu, and Thales Alenia Space UK CEO Andrew Stanniland explains how they'll build a fuel station for the Moon... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

To celebrate 20 years of people living on the International Space Station, we feature only ISS astronauts in this special edition of Space Boffins. NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott joins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson and we revisit interviews with Chris Hadfield, Cady Coleman, Scott Kelly, Sergei Krikalev, Luca Parmitano and Michael Foale. What other podcast on the planet gives you seven astronauts in an hour? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Skylab's perilous and dramatic mission, life on Venus, the religion of Cosmism, and Brexit all get discussed this month. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by astronomer and writer Dr Stuart Clark to chat about our relationship with the night sky. Also aboard are David Hitt, author of Homesteading Space - the Skylab Story, and Arfan Chaudhry, from the UK Space Agency, on new UK space programmes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins celebrate their 100th Naked Scientists' edition with two major guests: NASA's head of science, Thomas Zurbuchen, and the UK Space Agency's head of human space exploration, Libby Jackson. They discuss the future of the International Space Station and lunar exploration and the inside-track on the troubled James Webb Space Telescope. Also aboard, Charles Cockell on asteroid mining, and Tim Gagnon on mission patch design. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mars is the destination of choice for three Mars missions this summer, with the US, China and the United Arab Emirates all preparing for launch. Also, UAE plans for a Mars habitat, the UK engineer working on ways to return samples to Earth, the Mars Society's Lucinda Offer outlines plans for Martian settlements, Nicolas Booth talks landers, life, and rovers, and a review Spaceship Earth, the new movie about the 1990s Biosphere 2 experiment... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Following the successful Crew Dragon launch, Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman talks about the terrors of splashdown, and Shuttle astronaut and aquanaut Kathy Sullivan describes the choreography of spacewalking. The Boffins are also joined by TV presenter Gareth Jones and hear about a mission to remove space debris, and listen to the latest release from Kraftwurst... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

With astronauts preparing for the first flight in the Dragon spacecraft, space reporter Sarah Cruddas discusses this new era in space travel. Richard and Sue hear about the space industry's response to Covid-19, astronaut Nicole Stott talks about space art and we feature another song about Hubble that should have been a Britpop classic. As the Space Boffins in lockdown go mildly hysterical, enjoy the calming effects of Atom Bomb Yoga... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a special bonus episode of Space Boffins Richard Hollingham celebrates Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, who died in March. The podcast features extracts from interviews Richard conducted with Al, including previously unbroadcast material, and includes the astronaut's comments on being the loneliest human, the stamps controversy and his relationship with mission commander Dave Scott. Al describes what it was like to make the first space walk in deep space and his work since leaving the space programme. Richard also talks to Vix Southgate - Al's friend and business manager in the UK - about the... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson celebrate Hubble's 30th birthday with Shuttle astronaut Kathy Sullivan, who deployed the space telescope, and hear from NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill about his warning alarm system for Apollo 13, celebrating its 50th lucky escape anniversary. And Craig Clark, of AAC Clyde Space, shows them around the cubesat pioneer's HQ in Glasgow. All this with bonus space-themed added music.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Sun, stamps and exoplanets in this edition. ESA's senior science advisor Mark McCaughrean reflects on the emotional launch of Solar Orbiter, Nobel Prize winner Didier Queloz talks CHEOPS as the telescope prepares to start studying planets outside our Solar System, and Stuart Clark reveals his role in the UK's recently released Visions of the Universe space stamps. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Live at Astrofest 2020, Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham talk to UK Space Agency chief scientist Chris Lee, space law expert Chris Newman and the European Space Agency's Antonella Nota. They discuss Hubble's legacy, the James Webb, legality of lunar ownership, and the impact of hundreds of new satellites. Plus, TRUTHS - the new climate-monitoring mission. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane recounts stories of space sexism, toilets and M and Ms in the first Space Boffins podcast of 2020. We also meet the engineer developing the controls for a new robotic arm for the space station - or 'Man Machine Interface' - and Richard and Sue are joined by science writer Colin Stuart to look ahead to the next year in space. Warning: this podcast features some disturbing audio of a space toilet malfunction. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Rubber gloves, sew sisters and a mission to the Sun with Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson this month. Richard talks to Solar Orbiter ESA and NASA mission scientists in Munich. Sue reports from the US on the seamstresses to the stars - including Jean Wright, who sewed thermal blankets on the Space Shuttle and Jeanne Wilson, who helped make Neil Armstrong's spacesuit. Plus astronomer Nick Howes on his efforts to track down the Apollo 10 Snoopy lunar lander. Liz Seward from Airbus Defence and Space joins the Space Boffins in the studio and brings along several pairs of gloves used... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What would a house on Mars look like? Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson tackle the tricky topic of Mars interior design and the challenges of moving to Mars. They're joined by the Head of Science for the UK Space Agency, Chris Lee, to also discuss a new mission to a comet - a comet that's not yet been discovered - and future international science missions. They also hear from Apollo 12 Flight Director, Gerry Griffin, recalling the dramatic launch of Apollo 12 and the switch - and puppet show - that saved the day. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham visit Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne factory floor in Long Beach, California and Sue heads to Spaceport Cornwall, where Virgin Orbit plans to launch its small satellites from a modified Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl. Shahida Barick from SSC Space UK joins them in the studio to explain what Sweden has to offer the space industry and there's a tribute to cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, featuring an interview with the world's first spacewalker and an exclusive extract from Audible's The Space Race docudrama. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How clean is really clean? This month, as Europe's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover leaves the UK, Space Boffins visit the clean room to discover the effort needed to keep Mars safe from Earth-bugs. With guest NASA Curiosity mission scientist Sanjeev Gupta from Imperial College London, we hear about the two Mars rovers heading to the red planet in 2020 and their search for past or present life. We also go inside the Airstream trailer in California where Apollo astronauts lived after returning from the Moon and there's (yet another) new jingle - can you identify where the clips come from? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson with a TinTin style headline for this month's podcast: lunar heritage and the lost meteorites of Antarctica. Recorded at the recent Bluedot festival, Space archaeologist and co-deputy chair of Australia's Space Industry Association, Dr Alice Gorman, explains why we need to think about preserving the Apollo sites before we return to the Moon and Dr Katherine Joy discusses her latest meteorite mission. Bjorn from Sweden provides a jingle, the joys of Lego and the Royal Astronomical Society's Dr Robert Massey joins the fun to add to a long list of... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This is a Space Boffins podcast to blow your minds. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings, it features the only woman in launch control for Apollo 11, JoAnn Morgan, talking about her work as an instrumentation controller and coping with sexism on the job. Former Apollo engineer David Baker joins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson in the British Interplanetary Society library with contributions from Apollo propulsion engineer John Tribe and former NASA Johnson Space Centre head, George Abbey. It also features David Fairhead, director of the new Armstrong movie, and a sneak... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

As mankind celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings, Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by bestselling Apollo 11 author David Whitehouse at the British Interplanetary Society. Universal Pictures' highly anticipated documentary film, Apollo 11, is out in UK cinemas on June 28 and, with a sneak preview, Sue meets the film's director Todd Miller and archivist Stephen Slater. If you've seen the Orion capsule you'll know it resembles Apollo and will splashdown too. Richard talks to Melissa Jones, the NASA landing and recovery director at the Kennedy Space Center,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffin Sue Nelson interviews two remarkable women for this podcast: Hidden Figure Christine Darden and Mercury 13 legend and astronaut wannabe, Wally Funk.  Darden, who featured in the book Hidden Figures, worked at NASA for 40 years as a mathematician, computer programmer and sonic boom expert.  Sue's book, Wally Funk's Race for Space, is out in paperback in June. To celebrate its release, we learn more about Funk as she reveals her incredible history and the continued drive to get into space through mementoes at her home in Texas - featuring walk on parts from Eileen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins get to see inside the NASA's famous Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre - a building so large that it has its own weather system. It's being adapted so that NASA's Saturn V replacement the new SLS or Space Launch System rocket will be built. The senior NASA engineer who's overseeing the project, Ken Tenbusch, gives Richard Hollingham a personal tour. Back in the studio Richard and Sue (Nelson) are joined by rocket expert David Wade and Oliver Morton, author of The Moon: A History for the Future. There's also an insight into Gene Cernan's experience during... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month Space Boffins contemplates the missing universe, the nature of humanity and reunites astronaut Nicole Stott with her Space Shuttle Atlantis. Richard Hollingham is joined by theoretical physicist and comedian Dr Fran Day to discuss a new European mission, Euclid, which will be investigating dark matter. He also chats to NASA's new chief flight director in mission control Houston, Holly Ridings, and we hear from Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart about his revelations from orbit.You can follow Space Boffins on twitter, @SpaceBoffins. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins are live on stage at Astrofest 2019 in London with a stellar line-up of guests to discuss landing on Phobos, weirdly-shaped space rocks and Europe's mission to Mercury. They're joined by science writer Stuart Clark, the Japanese Space Agency's Elizabeth Tasker, New Horizons scientist Simon Porter and Suzie Imber, who's working on the BepiColombo mission. Also featuring live audience participation with how best to pronounce Houston and, completely unrehearsed, audience whooping. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mice and flying hotdogs on the podcast as we report from NASA on how to save Apollo's famous mission control and discuss China's landing on the far side of the Moon. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are in Milton Keynes where they are joined by Dave Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences at the Open University. Richard hits the jackpot, however, with a tour of a threatened, nicotine stained national historic monument - the iconic mission control at NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Historic preservation officer Sandra Tetley is his guide and reveals how mission... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apollo 8 commander, Frank Borman, joins Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson in this month's podcast. Fifty years ago Apollo 8 became the first manned mission to orbit the Moon and so the podcast has a lunar theme. Recorded at the Royal Astronomical Society in London, guests include Dr Robert Massey and art historian Dr Alexandra Loske, authors of Moon: Art, Science, Culture. There's also an appearance by former European astronaut Thomas Reiter, who discusses the joint NASA and ESA plans for the Moon with Orion, and Caroline Geraghy explains how her son Hayden became the inspiration... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins podcast is in New York with NASA astronaut, engineer and Big Bang Theory star Mike Massimino. Recorded on the Hudson River from the flight deck of the USS Intrepid - where Massimino works once a week - Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are also joined by the Sea, Air Space Museum's curator of aviation, Eric Boehm. Add a report on archiving space missions with NASA TV audio engineer Greg Wiseman and you have a NASAtastic edition and yes, we do discuss fruit loops Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Astronaut Paolo Nespoli joins Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham for a podcast special recorded at the European Space Agency's ESTEC facility in The Netherlands during their Open Day. Thousands of people travel from across Europe and beyond to see where the European Space Agency tests its spacecraft before launch and the birthplace of many of its science missions. Joining the ever entertaining Nespoli on the Space Rocks stage is space debris expert Luisa Innocenti, head of ESA's Clean Space Office, on better alternatives for spacecraft materials plus trainee aerospace engineer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a special edition of Space Boffins, Richard Hollingham meets a man rarer than a Moonwalker - a spy satellite engineer. Phil Pressel led the team that built the camera for the Hexagon spy satellite system - the most complicated satellite ever launched. Hexagon took pictures on 30 miles of film and returned it to Earth in cannisters, which were captured by aircraft. The interview includes revelations about the capabilities of the satellite, secrecy and Phil's incredible upbringing. Did spy satellites help prevent World War 3? You decide Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's a rocket special on this month's Space Boffins with Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham. As the UK's plans for a Spaceport forge ahead, two microlauncher companies are at the forefront of a commercial space race for launching small satellites from the UK. Sue hears from Orbex's Chris Larmour and Skyrora's Daniel Smith to find out what they have planned. Richard reports from the European spaceport Vega C launch pad in French Guiana with engineer Marco Calcabrini and inside the Ariane 5 and Vega control room with Jean-Marc Durand from Arianespace. Astronomer and science writer Stuart Clark... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

It's the 7th anniversary of Space Boffins and Sue and Richard are joined by BBC Science Correspondent, Jonathan Amos - a guest on the very first podcast. Meanwhile, Richard reports from the new Ariane 6 launchpad being built at the European spaceport in French Guiana, and we meet the European Space Agency astronaut training with the Chinese. The team also get to the bottom of some mysterious Skylab space banter. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Magnificent Mercury is in full focus. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are at the National Space Centre in Leicester with BepiColombo mission scientists Professor Emma Bunce and Dr Suzie Imber. They also visit London's Science Museum to see the newly installed thermal spacecraft model for Europe's first mission to Mercury in October. Expect to hear from ESA's chief scientific advisor, Mark McCaughrean, the low down on a Soviet space toilet in Leicester, and hear why NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield is complete space shambles - in a good way of course... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Asteroid expert Professor Simon Green joins the Space Boffins to discuss missions to collect samples from space rocks and return them to Earth, and the perils of re-directing asteroids heading our way. Richard and Sue also chat to Romanian astronaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu about life on the first international space station, Salyut 6, and Europe's ambitious Mercury mission gets packed-up ready for launch. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

After 2000 days on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover is still going strong. In this month's Space Boffins Richard visits Imperial College London to talk to one of the lead scientists on the mission, Sanjeev Gupta, about water on Mars, life and future astronaut missions. Meanwhile, in Liverpool, Sue discovers the connection between the Beatles and space science, author Vix Southgate chats to Richard about Soviet space dogs and the words of Yuri Gagarin from orbit. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Could life on Earth be wiped out by a killer asteroid? The short answer is yes. This month the Space Boffins hear about a new European telescope to spot the threat before it's too late. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined at the Royal Astronomical Society in London by Robert Massey and Helen Klus to discuss how astronomy could save the world. Richard also chats to NASA astronaut Steve Bowen who reveals what it will be like to live in the 'cramped' new Orion spacecraft and the perils of returning to Earth after a mission to the Moon or Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Queen guitarist, rock star and astronomer Brian May adds some celebrity stardust and big hair on this month's podcast for the launch of the 2019 Starmus Festival. May talks about the essential humanity of a science, arts and music overlap and reveals that he's been quietly contributing to not one, but two space missions. Also on the podcast, Britain's first astronaut Helen Sharman discusses the future of orbiting space stations and Chris Welch bigs up the International Space University and explains why he has a Project Juno poster. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are presenting... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sue bags a flight on Europe's 'Zero G' aircraft to experience microgravity. Back in the studio, Richard and Sue are joined by Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency to discuss her new book on women in space. And the Boffins celebrate the era when Britain led the space race with the Skylark rocket. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by space journalist Sarah Cruddas and rocket insurer, David Wade, to discuss 2017 and look ahead to 2018 in space. Featuring genetically engineered astronauts, Cassini and giant private rockets, it also includes the second part of our interview with Apollo 15 astronaut, Al Worden. He talks about his pioneering spacewalk, difficult homecoming, life after the Moon and reveals how he feels about his commander. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, TV science presenter Dallas Campbell joins Sue and Richard to discuss how to leave the planet. The Space Boffins also hear from Apollo 15 legend Al Worden, who spent 3 days isolated in his space capsule around the Moon. And what better way to celebrate the film Contact than by following in the footsteps of Jodie Foster at the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Two astronauts and an Imperial Storm Trooper join the Space Boffins podcast from The Netherlands at the European Space Agency's ESTEC Open Day - where thousands of people can see the Agency's spacecraft testing facilities and meet the scientists and engineers involved in ESA space missions. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham catch up with ESTEC head Franco Ongaro; Europe's first woman on the International Space Station, Claudie Haigner; a Star Wars Storm Trooper otherwise known as Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor; as well as the British-born NASA born astronaut Michael Foale and his plans... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson, Richard Hollingham and studio guest Sarah Cruddas talk rockets, total eclipses and Cassini's final days at Saturn. Apollo, Mercury and Shuttle propulsions engineer John Tribe reminisces about his incredible career - beginning in Britain and ending up in Cape Canaveral - including his final moments with astronaut Gus Grissom and the crew of Apollo 1 before its fatal fire. Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker, from NASA JPL, bids a sad farewell to a remarkably successful mission around Saturn, its rings and moons before the final plunge on September 15. Plus there's... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, European astronaut Luca Parmitano suggests a future for genetically engineered space travellers, the Space Boffins celebrate 40 years of the Voyager mission and look forward to the demise of Cassini, shortly to plunge into Saturn. Space scientist Carl Murray joins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham with some perfume, a mug and an unusual memento from the Voyager spacecraft. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and the Guardian's Stuart Clark are at the European Space Agency's ESTEC facility in The Netherlands to see the BepiColombo spacecraft - Europe's mission to Mercury. As the LISA Pathfinder mission comes to a successful end, we meet Paul McNamara who's developing the LISA mission for detecting gravitational waves in space. And is Earth really a planet? A new exhibition captures the view from Pluto. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins return to Mars to hear about progress on the plus-sized US and petite European rovers. Recorded in the Mars Yard in Stevenage, Richard and Sue are joined by guests Abbie Hutty from Airbus and science journalist Stuart Clark. Richard also talks to the Project Scientist for NASA's 2020 Mars rover, Ken Farley, and British astronaut, Tim Peake, discusses his 'dynamic' return to Earth in a Soyuz spacecraft. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Richard is at SETI in California to hunt space aliens with the institute's chief astronomer, Seth Shostak. He also reports from the iconic Parkes space telescope in Australia on the Breakthrough Listen hunt for ET. And, in the search for aliens closer to home, he talks to the head of Cassini's imaging team and one of NASA's top astrobiologists about life on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Is the truth out there? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, Space Boffins highlights the unsung heroes of the space programme - mission controllers. Featuring the director of a new documentary film on mission control, David Fairhead, we hear from a man at the heart of the Apollo 13 drama, Sue meets the voice of the Space Shuttle and we catch up with Dan Dare... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

SpaceX and NASA compete to get people back to the Moon, Richard meets a man who grows space tomatoes in human urine, and heads to a lab where volunteers are being paid to stay awake. This month, Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by rocket scientist David Wade, and space scientist Helen Fraser to discuss how ice in space could form planets and celebrate the 80th birthday of Valentina Tereshkova. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins are at Astrofest in London in front of a live audience. Guests include an Antarctic meteorite hunter, the scientist tracking down the Solar System's missing planet and the flight director who's landed a spacecraft on a comet. It's also a chance to hear again from last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Broadcaster Dallas Campbell joins the Space Boffins at the British Interplanetary Society to discuss the giant new replacement for Hubble, hypersonic spaceplanes and balloon flights to the edge of space. They hear from astronaut Ron Garan about President-elect Trump and talk to one of the witnesses of the Apollo 1 fire, which killed three astronauts in 1967. Plus, discussions on urinating on the astronaut bus and books on sex in space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a bumper end of year special, Space Boffins features Buzz Aldrin, last man on the Moon Gene Cernan, the nurse to the astronauts, a cosmic piano and a space sofa. Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by space journalist Sarah Cruddas to celebrate 2016 in space exploration, commemorate John Glenn and look forward to the year ahead. Where will President Trump take NASA? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins' Sue Nelson was at ESA mission control recently when the ExoMars spacecraft arrived at Mars after a seven month journey. She hears from ExoMars and Open University scientist Dr Manish Patel on the highs and lows of the orbiter and lander and Richard Hollingham reports from Arizona on the X15 space plane. Author Michelle Evans reveals the space plane's extraordinary history and, over at the Pima Air and Space Museum outside Tuscon, James Stemm is with the B52 bomber - undergoing restoration - that carried the X15 during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The podcast comes from the Royal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are on Mars - which turns out to be behind a blue door in the Hertfordshire town of Stevenage. With guest Airbus head of science, Ralph Cordey, they discuss the final moments of Rosetta, Europe's latest mission to Mars - due to land in October - and Elon Musk's plans for martian colonisation. Sue reports from ESA's mission control in Germany and Richard hears about the fastest man on Earth. They also catch-up with J Willgoose Esq from the band Public Service Broadcasting. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins meet the Mercury 7 nurse, Dee O'Hara, recalling what it was like to work with America's first astronauts. SETI's Seth Shostak explains why we should target AI to discover ET, and - in this US themed podcast - Spaceflight's David Baker reveals what role space plays in the forthcoming presidential elections. Studio guest is astronomy writer, novelist and broadcaster Dr Stuart Clark. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins are at the Blue Dot music festival at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire where they hear live music from Cern's cosmic piano and chat to Rosetta project scientist (and space celebrity) Matt Taylor about the end of the mission. Richard also meets the band that bounced a guitar riff off the Moon and Sue reports from the Farnborough Airshow, where she asks Tim Peake about his body and learns about plans for a new lunar mission. In another first, they even have a producer: Izzie Clarke. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jupiter's Juno mission, the magical world of Pluto and spacewalking feature in this special fifth anniversary edition of the podcast. ESA's head of the neutral buoyancy facility, Herve Stevenin, explains how a giant pool helped astronaut Tim Peake obtain his space station spacewalk, and New Horizons scientists Lesley Young and Joel Parker from America's Southwest Research Institute share their extraordinary findings from Pluto. Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined in the studio by Robert Massey, from the Royal Astronomical Society, and space journalist Sarah Cruddas. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Last man on the Moon, Captain Gene Cernan, and Apollo 9 lunar module pilot Rusty Schweickart join Space Boffin Richard at Spacefest in Tucson, Arizona. Apollo 17 commander Cernan expresses his frustration about the state of the space programme and Rusty Schweickart warns of the asteroid threat to Earth. We also hear from astronomer Nick Howes, spaceblogger Emily Carney, Thomas Zurbuchen on how small satellites could be the future for big science missions and the going rates for astronaut autographs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month the Space Boffins get to grips with relativity, watch as British astronaut Tim Peake manoeuvres a Mars rover in a cave, and go inside a section of NASA's new giant rocket. With their guest, writer and poet Simon Barraclough, they also discuss space station alarms (with appropriate sound effects) and celebrate the flight of America's first manned mission, Mercury 3. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham bring news of space sofas, super flat floors and Martian sunsets. They are joined at The Open University by ExoMars mission principal investigator Dr Manish Patel to discuss his work on the NOMAD instrument, which is currently on its way to Mars on board the recently launched spacecraft, and how you prepare for success and failure. Richard also reports from Alabama, gliding across NASA's Flat Floor Facility on a bed of air beneath a giant solar sail. While having fun at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Centre in Huntsville, he hears about NASA's Near... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Buzz Aldrin is the legendary Apollo 11 and Gemini 12 astronaut who made history in 1969 when he became one of the first men to walk on the lunar surface. Today, he has his sights firmly on the future - specifically Mars. The visionary tells Space Boffin Sue Nelson about his cycling orbits to the red planet, why he wouldn't go to Mars himself, what he thinks of the ESA director general's plans for a Moon village and which item of jewellery he's wearing was a gift from Mohammed Ali. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham talk Mars rovers, Russian lunar rovers and floating number twos during this month's podcast. Europe's ExoMars mission scientist Nicholas Thomas reveals the role an alcoholic drink played in the naming of one of the Trace Gas Orbiter's key science instruments (as well as what it does of course) while NASA scientist John Grant reveals how some Mars rovers just keep on going and that maybe ideas of canals on the Martian surface weren't so far fetched after all. London science museum space curator Doug Millard also features discussing Luna 9 and,... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins talk surgery in space with a real life Dr McCoy, NASA astronaut and physician Michael Barratt, and report from a school in St Albans during Tim Peake's first ham radio contact with UK students. A member of the European Space Agency's 60 day bedrest study explains how he's helping astronauts by lying down and the studio guest is Mark Craig, British director of the documentary about Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan - Last Man on the Moon - which is about to have its first cinema release in the United States. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham prepare for Tim Peake's launch to the International Space Station by speaking to Britain's first astronaut - Helen Sharman. ESA's Dr Volker Damann, Head of the Space Medicine Office, explains why space is bad for you and studio guests - rocket expert David Wade and space journalist Sarah Cruddas - share insights on the size of entrepreneurs' rockets and the future of Space 2.0. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Richard sits down with British European Space Agency astronaut, Tim Peake, to discuss gravity, guitars, 1980s computers and future missions to the Moon and Mars. Recorded on location at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, Richard also chats to curator Valerie Neal about humanity's 15 years of living off the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS) and whether the ISS could be converted to a starship. And, after a year on a comet, could the Philae lander wake up again? The mission manager is optimistic. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson's star (and space) studded podcast includes the first woman in space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, and astronaut Tim Peake. Britain's first European Space Agency astronaut discusses the final training before his December launch and why it's important to learn how to fix a toilet. Former space shuttle engineer and Spaceflight editor David Baker is in the studio to discuss the Soyuz rocket that will take Tim to the Space Station, as is Yen Yau from Into Space - a new UK Space Agency backed film project for young space fans. Naturally, they all... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by the Rosetta's project scientist, Dr Matt Taylor, to hear the latest on ESA's comet chasing mission now that perihelion is done and dusted. There's also NASA astronaut Cady Coleman on the importance of playing the flute on the space station and how being in space affected her life. Former astronaut Thomas Reiter - now ESA's Head of Human Spaceflight and Operations - discusses the future for Europe's astronaut corps plus Sue and Richard are joined in the studio for expert conversation by astronomer Dr Robert Massey from the Royal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a first for the Space Boffins podcast - an interview with astronauts in space! NASA's Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are on a year long mission on board the International Space Station. They took time out from their duties to discuss how they're getting on so far. Studio guests space scientists Lucie Green and Graziella Branduardi-Raymont add some sun (shine) and a SMILE (mission) to the proceedings. Plus we talk to the first man to walk in space, Alexei Leonov, ahead of a new cosmonaut exhibition at London's Science Museum. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins celebrate their 4th year producing monthly podcasts in - aptly - a British rocket lab. Richard Hollingham joins engineer Adam Baker at the University of Kingston to discuss recent rocket failures and talks to the new head of the European Space Agency, Jan Woerner, about his plans for a village on the Moon. In Hatfield, Sue Nelson meets philosopher and author of Nobody Owns the Moon, Tony Milligan, to debate the ethics of space exploration and there's yet another reason to celebrate: the 40th anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In a Space Boffins special - Sue Nelson meets the first female Space Shuttle Commander, Eileen Collins. The retired astronaut - one of NASA's most experienced - reveals the challenges of flying the Shuttle, the flaws in its design and what happened in the aftermath of the Columbia disaster. They also talk about the way female astronauts are treated by the media and the next generation of spacecraft. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by astronomer, Guardian writer and guitarist Stuart Clark for a Rosetta mission special - six months after it made history by landing on a comet. Pick up your backstage pass for behind the scenes interviews with key players in the European Space Agency mission: Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor, former mission manager Fred Jansen, spacecraft operations manager Andrea Accomazzo and Koen Geurts from the German Space Agency's Philae Lander team. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are inside London's Science Museum with the museum's curator of space, Doug Millard, and the original Apollo 10 capsule. Apart from a tribute to Apollo 11's crucial predecessor, they discuss Britain's history in space and hear from Skylon pioneer Alan Bond on the progress of his revolutionary spaceplane. There's also an update on Europe's ExoMars mission rover from the new Mars Yard at Airbus Defence and Space to celebrate its one year anniversary. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month Richard sees NASA's new giant rocket, the Space Launch System, taking shape in New Orleans. In the studio the Space Boffins are joined by poet Simon Barraclough to discuss the poetic power of the Sun. Sue reports on Europe's new mission to Mercury, they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the missions that made the Moon landings possible and unveil the original recording that inspires the Space Boffins jingle. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson discover why we should recover Beagle 2 from the surface of Mars; why we need the Uranus Pathfinder mission; and how exoplanets are putting a twinkle in the eyes of British space scientists. There's also music from Public Sector Broadcasting, with band member J Willgoose explaining how they use space archive footage as an integral part of their unique sound. They're also are joined by Dr Leigh Fletcher from Oxford University and Dr Sheila Kanani from the Royal Astronomical Society with interviews from Professor Ian Wright and Professor Mark Sims. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by the BBC's Jon Amos and ExoMars' Andrew Coates. They look ahead at the most exciting missions of 2015 so expect New Horizons, Ceres and Tim Peake's forthcoming trip to the space station. There's also interviews with UrtheCast's Scott Larson and Gaia's Timo Prusti. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sue Nelson joins space fans in Florida to witness the Orion launch and meets Mars candidate Elmo. Meanwhile, Richard Hollingham talks to the DG of the UK Space Agency, David Parker, about the International Space Station and we hear from the people bringing espresso coffee to astronauts. Richard is joined by science writer Stuart Clark and broadcaster Sarah Cruddas, who also discuss the future of NASA's space programme, European space success and luxury items in space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Emotions are running high in this month's Space Boffins as Sue reports from Germany on Europe's cometary landing. And, following the SpaceShipTwo tragedy and Antares explosion, Sue and Richard discuss the dangers of trying to make spaceflight routine. With space insurer David Wade (who insured Antares) and space scientist Sheila Kanani, they also meet a man commanding a Mars base. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffin Sue Nelson is at the European Space Agency's technical heart - ESTEC in the Netherlands - where spacecraft undergo a crucial 'shake and bake' before launch. She's joined by astronauts Paolo Nespali and Andre Kuipers, ESTEC head Franco Ongaro, Rosetta's mission manager Fred Jansen, and Andreas Jung, from Europe's experimental new spaceplane, IXV. Tales of retro re-entry in a Soyuz, the future of space travel and how chocolate can make a comet, in yet another tasty space treat. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham hear from the Rosetta mission's Flight Director, Andrea Accomazzo, about choosing a landing site on comet 67P - plus Apollo astronaut and last man on the Moon, Gene Cernan, on the spacewalk from hell. Dr Lucie Green from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory and the lab's poet in residence, Simon Barraclough, are the lively studio guests. Expect space poetry, scientific insight and a song about photons. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this special edition, the Last Man on the Moon, Gene Cernan, talks exclusively to Richard Hollingham about the final step, mortality and his disappointment about the way the space programme has developed. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do you orbit a comet? Set up a government in space or rescue a space shuttle crew? These questions and more in the latest edition of Space Boffins. Sue and Richard are at University College London where they're joined by Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor and UCL space scientist Geraint Jones to look ahead to the European mission's rendezvous with a comet. They also talk to retired Nasa engineer, David Baker, who outlines a Shuttle rescue plan and Richard reports from the Extraterrestrial Liberty Conference on government beyond the Earth. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do you design the inside of a starship? Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham talk to space architect Rachel Armstrong about journeys to the stars. They also meet Luca Parmitano, the astronaut who almost drowned in space, and take a look at a new hi-tech satellite that will provide Google with close up views of your house. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aaron Knoll and Chris Bridges join Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham at the Surrey Space Centre for a virtual ride into space. Plus science minister David Willetts argues for a spaceport in Scotland, and shuttle astronaut and B612 Foundation founder Ed Lu explains why we should act now to save the Earth from an asteroid with our name on it... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins are in America to hear about Neil Armstrong and the hypersonic X-15 at the Edwards Air Force base, and they're also reporting from the surface of Mars. More precisely, from the UK's new Mars Yard, in Stevenage. But the head of the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency's head of robotic exploration and Business Secretary Vince Cable are also walking on the red planet with them. There's also an interview with former space shuttle astronaut Jon McBride and the studio guest is Helen Keen - presenter of Radio 4 comedy 'It Is Rocket Science'. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the challenge of looking for space aliens and why they never attack Belgium is under scrutiny this month. Plus, Richard Hollingham also reports from the Mojave desert on the progress being made by Virgin Galactic and XCOR to fly tourists into space. And he talks to a U2 spy plane pilot about boiling blood and life above the Earthlings... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham dodge a prototype Mars rover on location at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage - where the future Exo Mars mission rover is going to be built. They're joined by space engineer Abbie Hutty and the Mr Future of advanced space concepts, Matthew Stuttard. There are also reports on Urthecast - the two new British-made cameras on the International Space Station - and the imminent launch of the crowd-funded spacecraft, KickSat. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet astronaut Chris Hadfield. In this special edition of the podcast, Commander Hadfield talks about fixing a space toilet, how rifle practice helped him dock a spacecraft and the advantages of flying musicians in space. We also hear from a group of children he's been singing with and he gives his views on space tourism. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Join Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham for a lunar love-in featuring Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell and studio guests David Baker, author of the latest Apollo 13 Haines Manual, and the spacetastic Gareth Jones. Together they discuss the future of lunar space missions and Richard reports from the United States on Apollo's successor, Orion, with a space architect. Plus there's a seasonal tribute to Apollo 8. What's not to like? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by new Mars Society president Jerry Stone and aspiring astronaut Kate Arkless Gray. Sue reports from the UK control room of the Mars SAFER field trial as scientists operate an ExoMars rover prototype, there's a revealing interview by Kate with Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, and shield your ears if you want to hear how Richard got on in QinetiQ's centrifuge. Warning: it's not pretty. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham discover what it's like to undergo G forces with a special podcast from QinetiQ's centrifuge facility - the only one of its kind in the UK. As Sue spins around, guests Dr Jon Scott and Dr Simon Brown discuss the physical stresses on the body and the demands on astronauts and pilots. There's also a close up look at the James Webb Space Telescope mirrors and we hear from veteran US pilot Wally Funk, who had the right stuff to become an astronaut in 1960 but is still waiting for her chance to go into space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham present a Mars podcast special. Interviews include Curiosity Rover's Principal Investigator for its Radiation Assessment Detector, and the British physics student who's applied for a one way trip to Mars. Studio guests are Dr Robert Massey, from the Royal Astronomical Society, and its space scientist president, Professor David Southwood from Imperial College London - also the former director of science and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency. Not forgetting Richard's report from Lockheed Martin in Denver beside the new... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by a cosmic hedgehog with a report from NOAA's space weather centre in Colorado and details on how to own the latest affordable pocket spacecraft to the moon. Studio guests include space artist Vix Southgate and rocket insurer David Wade - plus the final stage of Sue's brave attempt to become an astronaut. It will end in tears... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson go to a comet, Mars and into space. This month's podcast is from the Open University's Rosetta mission room and includes NASA's Curiosity rover mission specialist Daniel Limonadi, British space scientist Maggie Aderin Pocock and Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian woman in space. Meanwhile studio guests Dr Dan Andrews and Professor Ian Wright explain why their Ptolemy instrument on board Rosetta's comet chasing mission is not a burglar alarm (even if it looks like one) but an advanced technology, state-of-the-art electronic nose. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

A full, frank and funny interview with Tim Peake, Richard goes inside NASA's 'crazy ideas', and Sue meets with 'astrogirls'. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham dodge space harpoons, discuss whether Mars One will encourage Big Brother in space and report from the Mojave desert on why risk is encouraged at its spaceport. Recorded on location at Astrium, Europe's largest space company, engineer Katherine Bennell and space scientist Ralph Cordey join the Space Boffins to demonstrate how to remove space junk with a flying harpoon. Interview guests include Mars One's Bas Lansdorp, as well as the CEO of the Mojave Air and Space port Stuart Witt, plus David Masten, founder of Masten Space Systems. ... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are reduced to tears of laughter by Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, enlightened by studio guest and space scientist Dr Lucie Green, and XCOR's Jeff Greason meets Richard in the Mojave Desert to discuss the risks of flying in their new space plane. Kate Arkless-Gray also discusses her progress on securing a seat on XCOR's space plane in the Lynx Space Challenge and the attempts to get more women applying, resulting in Sue deciding to enter and become one of the lucky astronaut winners herself. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Comets, Mars and the first phone in space are featured in the latest Space Boffins podcast. Recorded at the Royal Astronomical Society in London, Richard and Sue are joined by Rosetta mission scientist Andy Morse and astronomer Robert Massey. They also talk to one of the engineers behind the first smartphone in orbit and to senior scientists from NASA about future missions to the Red Planet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham meet British astronaut Tim Peake at the British Interplanetary Society. They are joined by space scientist Jane MacArthur, whose methane experiment is currently being tested on a Mars simulation in Morocco, and Ralph Timberlake on the future of the British Interplanetary Society as it celebrates its 80th year. Add on a report on Kicksat and sprites from NASA Ames in California, and Professor Michele Dougherty - whose team discovered Enceladus' icy plumes - and you have another spacetacular podcast. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month in Space Boffins: why space can seriously damage your health, the cameras being installed on the Space Station to give live views of Earth and crisis management tips from an Apollo 13 Flight Director. Richard and Sue are joined by long duration spaceflight expert Kevin Fong and blogger Kate Arkless Gray (SpaceKate), who looks ahead to an exciting year in space exploration. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month in the Space Boffins podcast: a tour of the International Space Station, an Apollo astronaut and the mission to the edge of the Solar System. Space Boffins Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson are joined by comedian Helen Keen and writer David Baker to discuss living in space, one way trips to Mars and a return to the Moon. Also featuring a mystery sound, the noises of Earth and the politics of space toilets. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This time the award winning Space Boffins podcast comes from Houston to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the last man on the Moon. Richard visits the Apollo 17 capsule and talks to an Apollo veteran, while Sue hears why we should go back to the Moon. Also, flying a phone in space - the competition hots up - and how Gemini astronauts became good at housekeeping. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Space Boffins Podcast comes to you this month from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in Silicon Valley California and features the search for life and Earth 2.0. Richard talks to SETI's Senior Astronomer, Sue reports from the recent ESA Tweetup in Berlin and hears about a new mission to the Moon. Also this time, Richard lands the Space Shuttle and listen out for the remixed Space Boffins jingle... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Curiosity had barely scratched the surface of Mars when NASA announced another new mission to the red planet. It's called InSight and Dr Tom Pike, from Imperial College London, will be part of the team. He joins Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Kate Arkless-Gray, along with Mapping Mars author Oliver Morton, to discuss the future of planetary exploration on one of our nearest neighbours. Also this month, how to use a Kinect games console to help dock satellites with news of Strand-2. Plus, as all things Mars threatens to overshadow other planets in our Solar System, Luke Dones from the South... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month on the Space Boffins Podcast, we will be exploring strange new worlds, discovering a Swedish spaceport, and celebrating the first American space walk. Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson meet the team sending a mobile phone-based satellite into orbit, explore Kepler the man and Kepler the mission, and delve into the archives of Gemini 4 mission control... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission lands on Mars next month after a nine-month journey across our Solar System. On arrival the most advanced suite of instruments ever sent to the red planet will get to work. In this edition of the podcast, geologist and MSL scientist Professor Sanjeev Gupta, from Imperial College London, discusses the excitement and science behind the mission with Spaceflight UK's Jerry Stone and Space Boffins Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham. Plus, a report from the recent European space tourism conference where the major players pitched their space trips and a... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week at Naked Astronomy, we're launching something very special. We've teamed up with the Space Boffins podcast to bring you even more space science. Each month, Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson will be exploring the science and technology that gets us into space, bringing us the inside track on missions past, present and future. In the latest Space Boffins Podcast, Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by space scientist Andrew Coates and science writer Michael Hanlon, to talk SpaceX, Juice and Solar Orbiter. Richard also gets annoyed about space attire and Sue gets to grips... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists