What's next in deep space exploration? Dr. Alan Stern, planetary scientist and the Principal Investigator for the New Horizons mission to Pluto, joins us to discuss what we learned about Pluto, the prospects for a future Pluto orbiter, the news from the Kuiper Belt, and to talk about his experiences as a commercial suborbital astronaut. Oh, and he might just mention that he was short-listed to fly on the space shuttle! Alan is one of those people that just has one adventure after another... did I mention that he dove on the Titanic? Yeah, that kind of guy. Join us for an hour of deep space adventure.

Headlines:

• U.S. Faces Warnings of Losing Lunar Race to China
• NASA Selects a New Associate Administrator
• Third Interstellar Comet Spotted With Unusual CO2 Cloud

Main Topic: Pluto, the New Horizons Mission, and the Future of Planetary Exploration

• Why Pluto Was Chosen as a Prime Target for Exploration
• Building and Launching New Horizons: Team Effort and Challenges
• Emotional Moments as Pluto Data Arrived on Earth
• Precise Navigation: Getting New Horizons Safely to Pluto
• Pluto's Surprising Geological Activity and Complexity
• Major Discoveries at Pluto's Moon Charon
• Exploring Arrokoth: Insights into Planetary Formation
• The Search for a Possible Third Flyby Target in the Kuiper Belt
• The Importance of Long-Term Funding for New Horizons
• NASA Budget Threats Could End Multiple Key Space Missions
• The Possible Role of Kuiper Belt Objects in Delivering Organics to Earth
• How Flybys at Pluto and Arrokoth Reshaped Theories of Planetary Systems
• Prospects for Future Pluto Orbiters and Human Spaceflight
• Advocacy for Continued U.S. Leadership in Deep Space Exploration

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet

Guest: Alan Stern

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