Are We There Yet?

Space travel could cause a leaky gut. A new medical study found that microgravity reduces an important barrier in the stomach which could mean nasty germs could get inside Astronaut’s bodies on deep-space missions. We’ll chat with UC Riverside medical researcher Dr. Declan McCole about the gut biomes of astronauts and how his research can all help our guts down here on Earth.

Then, how do you count the planets?  The answer to how many planets there are isn’t a simple one. On this week’s “I’d Like to Know” segment, we’ll talk to our panel of planetary experts about the task of counting the planets and the controversies surrounding their definitions.

Space travel could cause a leaky gut. A new medical study found that microgravity reduces an important barrier in the stomach which could mean nasty germs could get inside Astronaut’s bodies on deep-space missions.

Alcohol has long been a staple of our cultures and civilizations but is there a place for it in space?

Author Chris Carberry explores this history and future of booze in space in his new book Alcohol in Space: Past, Present and Future. We’ll talk about how booze made its mark on the space program and just what type of drinks we might be toasting while orbiting the Earth or exploring Mars.

Then, there’s a black hole at the center of our galaxy. Should we be worried about falling in? This week on our segment “I’d Like to Know”, we’ll chat with planetary scientists about the possibility of being gobbled up by this black hole.

Alcohol has long been a staple of our cultures and civilizations but is there a place for it in space?

Over the last decade, there’s been a change in how things get to space. Since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has been looking to commercial companies to fill the void. We’ll take a look at the “paradigm shift in the business of space” with The Verge’s senior science reporter Loren Grush. Her recent piece for the online publication examines the commercial boom in the 2010s led largely by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. We’ll talk about that growth and what’s ahead for private space in the 2020s.

Then, are we alone in the universe? Surely we’re not and statistics can prove it. But why haven’t we uncovered any evidence of life outside our planet? A conversation about the Fermi paradox with our panel of planetary science experts on this week’s segment “I’d Like to Know”.

Over the last decade, there’s been a change in how things get to space. Since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has been looking to commercial companies to fill the void.

Astronomers have their eyes on a rare comet zooming 100,000 miles per hour through our solar system. It’s rare because it’s coming from outside our solar system. The comet named 2I/Borisov is the first confirmed interstellar comet.

The Hubble space telescope captured stunning images of the comet. Scientists are pouring through the data to figure out what it’s made of and where it came from. That information can help us better understand our universe. We’ll talk with planetary astronomer Heidi Hammel about what we know — and don’t yet know — about this incredible discovery.

Then, there’s a lot of talk about life on Mars, but how do we actually find it? This week on “I’d Like to Know,” we’ll chat with our panel of planetary scientists about the likelihood of finding signs of life on the red planet and where else in the solar system we should be looking.

Astronomers have their eyes on a rare comet zooming 100,000 miles per hour through our solar system. The Hubble space telescope captured stunning images of Borisov, the first confirmed interstellar comet.

For future missions to the moon or Mars, astronauts are going to need a new suit. Engineers like MIT’s Dava Newman are hard at work — but it’s a big ask. Designing a suit that protects astronauts while still allowing them the mobility to work in space or on another planet is tough. We’ll speak with Newman about the design challenges of making a new spacesuit and how the work done at her lab could help all of us here on Earth.

Then, we know the speed of light, the speed of sound — but what about the speed of gravity? This week on “I’d Like to Know” we chat with our panel of experts on the intricate measurement of gravity and how colliding black holes are helping us understand its speed.

For future missions to the moon or Mars, astronauts are going to need a new suit. Engineers like MIT’s Dava Newman are hard at work -- but it’s a big ask. Designing a suit that protects astronauts while still allowing them the mobility to work in space or on another planet is tough.