podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK - Podcasts

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Episode 136: Science – The Bedrock of China’s Space...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2026/09/04

Every national space programme rests on four pillars: visionary leadership, unwavering political and economic commitment, realistic ambitions, and a deep acknowledgement that fundamental science is the essential bedrock for a successful and enduring space programme.Professor Wu, Ji has continued that tradition of putting science first. In this interview, recorded during COSPAR2026 in Florence. He talks about his priorities of science, international collaboration and the profound significance of

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Episode 135: Pulsars, Politics and Faith – Dame...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2026/07/30

Just between you and me, one of the best parts of this podcast is the opportunity it gives me to meet some very unique and special people, like today’s guest, […]The post Episode 135: Pulsars, Politics and Faith – Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 132 Space Elevator

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2026/03/12

Imagine a giant vertical railway stretching 100,000 km from the equator, somewhere in the Pacific, straight up into space. Instead of expensive, polluting rockets, the space elevator offers a smooth, slow electric ascent to Earth orbit. This "bridge to the stars" connects a floating Earth platform at 36,000 km to a massive counterweight located 64,000 km farther out. It is held taut by the Earth's rotation.The post Episode 132 Space Elevator appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 131: Space Weather and the Physical Research...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2026/01/26

We are increasingly aware of the impact of space weather on spacecraft in space and, occasionally, on electrical power transmission on Earth, but what about its impact on the Earth's atmosphere? That is exactly the research interest of Professor Pallam Raju, Dean of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. Founded in 1947, the PRL is one of India's most prestigious scientific institutions, not least because it was founded by Dr Vikram Sarabhai.The post Episode 131: Space Weather and

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Episode 130: Mobile solar powerbank for satellites in...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2026/01/08

Space Power Ltd, founded in 2019, is developing a novel solution for contactless power delivery using high-intensity lasers to extend the lifespans of ageing satellites in space. I spoke with its founder, Keval Dattani, in Nicosia during Cospar2025.org. The post Episode 130: Mobile solar powerbank for satellites in orbit appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 129: Space Law

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/12/18

Professor Kai-Uwe Schrogl is a space law expert with experience in many roles, including working with the European Space Agency ESA, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and as the Director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna. In this interview, recorded in Nicosia during cospar2025.org in November 2025, he discusses concerns about increasing commercialisation of space and the lunar surface—specifically, the absence of a universally accepted framework for lunar

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Episode 126: Graphene: From scientific discovery to...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/10/31

rofessor James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester, describes Manchester’s journey to commercialise the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of Graphene.The post Episode 126: Graphene: From scientific discovery to commercial application appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 125: Britian’s Greatest Pilot Captain Eric...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/09/04

You may have seen the BBC documentary Britain's Greatest Pilot. Yes, he was an outstanding pilot, but there was much more to him than just that. I published extracts from an interview with Captain Eric Brown in April 2011. Much of that interview was not published .. until now. The post Episode 125: Britian’s Greatest Pilot Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 124: Exploring the Stellar Neighbourhood. The...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/06/25

Just as the Moon was the first stepping stone for our interplanetary exploration, our nearest star, the Alpha Centauri System will inevitably become our stepping stone for our Interstellar Journey. That is in the distance. A new mission, The Toliman Space Telescope, is launching soon will target the Alpha-Centauri System from Earth orbit.The post Episode 124: Exploring the Stellar Neighbourhood. The Toliman Space Telescope appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 122. Are we alone and the Breakthrough...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/04/29

A two-day Breakthrough Discuss conference held on 23rd and 24th April 2025 in Oxford England, took stock of the latest developments through three main sessions: "Forms of Non-Terrestrial Life", "The Nature of Consciousness and Intelligence", and "Detecting Life As We Do Not Know It".Breakthough Discuss was overseen by the Chairman of the Breakthrough Foundation, in this interview Dr Pete Worden. A former Brigadier. General, astrophysicist, professor and director of NASA Ames Research Centre

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Episode 121 – Failed stars or successful planets?

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/04/17

The story of Teide-1 (the first brown dwarf to be observed) is the story at the other end of a star's life cycle. That early stage is when stars transition from a huge cloud of dust and gas (billions of km across). to the size of a large planet (150,000 km). This is way smaller than the size of the sun and only a little larger than Jupiter. The post Episode 121 – Failed stars or successful planets? appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 120: Prof. Gengxin Xie. A Greenhouse on the Moon

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/04/08

On Thursday, 3rd January 2019, some water was added to some seeds in a tiny greenhouse. The seeds, cotton, potato, Rape and Arabidopsis sprouted. This was an experiment fonducted on the lunar surfaceThe post Episode 120: Prof. Gengxin Xie. A Greenhouse on the Moon appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 119: Professor Ivan Almar and Astronomy in...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2025/01/09

A brief but fascinating life and work of Professor Ivan Almar. he and his wife's contributions to asttronautics in Hungary during and after the Soviet era. The post Episode 119: Professor Ivan Almar and Astronomy in Hungary during the Soviet Era appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 118 : Galactic Magnetic Fields

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/09/26

Did you know our galaxy (the Milky Way) has a magnetic field? News to me! Dr Vasu Shaw explains how astronomers go about understanding such phenomena. We also speak her fascinating international journey to becoming an astrophysicist.The post Episode 118 : Galactic Magnetic Fields appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 117 – Early Aviation in Manchester

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/09/08

Its not just cotton, trains and computers that Manchester is known for its innovation but aviation too. Frank Pleszak shares his insights in to the role Manchester played in aviation more than 100 years ago.The post Episode 117 – Early Aviation in Manchester appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 116: Exploring Cosmic Events with Professor...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/06/27

In this episode, Professor Rene Breton, originally from Quebec, has been working at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics for over a decade. We discuss only a small part of his current research, including how Pulsars may one day be used as a GPS for interstellar travel.The post Episode 116: Exploring Cosmic Events with Professor Rene Breton at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 115 – Professor Michael Garrett & Jodrell...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/06/13

In this episode, Professor Mike Garrett from @jodrellbank, discusses research activities at the #Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, including international collaborations, Dennis Walsh's work on #GravitationalLensing, and the increased #SETI activities through the #Breakthrough Listen Programme. Topics also include the Square Kilometer Array #SKA, Low-Frequency Array #LOFARtechnology, and the impact of #Brexit on Britain's international research participation.The post Episode 115 – Professor

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Episode 114 – Chris Riley and The Moonwalkers: A...

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/05/28

Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks is an immersive audio-visual experience in a unique venue in the centre of London. Written by @alifeofriley and Tom Hanks. Available only in London and only until 13th October 2024 The post Episode 114 – Chris Riley and The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 113 – Rocket Pioneer Hermann Oberth

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/04/05

If you want to learn about the life and work of rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth, there is only one place to visit. The Hermann Oberth Space Travel Museum in the German Town of Feucht, near Nurnberg. @OberthMuseum #OberthThe post Episode 113 – Rocket Pioneer Hermann Oberth appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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Episode 112 – Brown Dwarfs, Dark Matter and Dark Energy

podcast Archives - AstrotalkUK ·

2024/03/15

Euclid, a @esa science mission, will shed light on both dark matter and dark energy. It was launched in July 2023 and arrived in its L2 orbit a month later. It has just two instruments which will produce a high-resolution 3-D map of a third of the sky, stretching back 10 billion years during its initial 6-year operational lifetime.The post Episode 112 – Brown Dwarfs, Dark Matter and Dark Energy appeared first on AstrotalkUK.

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