Blue Dot

In the conclusion of our look back at the Apollo 13 mission 50 years ago, Dave is joined by Barbara Lovell Harrison, John Aaron, and Andrew Chaikin. Barbara Lovell was 16-years old when her father's lunar mission, which was supposed to be the third Moon landing, was abruptly aborted by an oxygen tank explosion that crippled the spacecraft Odyssey and led to a life and death race against dwindling power.

In a time of global crisis, it's good to look at the lessons of history, to help us understand that we do have the ability to overcome terrible adversity. The story of the near loss of Apollo 13 in April of 1970 is filled with amazing leadership, problem solving and heroism that led to the survival of astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. In part one of our two episodes dedicated to this tale of overcoming seemingly insurmountable problems, Dave interviews one of the four flight

For scientists in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and physics, there is the Nobel Prize and all the accolades that come with it. But for scientists in the environmental sciences, the Tyler Prize was created by Ann and John Tyler in 1973 to recognize scientists making world-class contributions to the fields of science that most impact our understanding of the Earth's ecosystems.

On this classic episode of Blue Dot we revisit Lassen Volcanic National Park, the latest addition to the University of California Natural Reserve System. The 41 units of the UCNRS represent virtually every ecosystem in this ecologically diverse state and make it the largest university affiliated preserve system in the world.

In this episode, we look back in space and time to examine the life of an extraordinary pioneer of the space race and literally our place in space -- the pale blue dot image. First Dave talks to Clayton Turner, the Director of the Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia as we examine the life of the late Katherine Johnson. Made famous in the book and movie, Hidden Figures, Johnson's mathematical computations paved the way to put the first Americans into space including Alan Shepard and John

Dave talks to one of the world's leading climate scientists, Dr. Gavin Schmidt from NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York. Schmidt holds the same position once held by his predecessor and mentor, James Hansen, who was one of the first atmospheric science to truly sound the alarm on planetary warming.

Dave talks to his metaphorical sister -- Jennifer Jewell, the host of Cultivating Place , which is also produced from North State Public Radio. Dave and Jennifer both began their broadcasting and podcasting careers on public radio at the same time and place and are longtime friends and supporters of one another. Jennifer Jewell has been compared to Krista Tippett, the host of On Being, but her purview is the world of gardening and the love of all things botanical.

In this classic episode Dave visits with Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate in Everett, Washington. The company is working on an ambitious plan to make the deep ocean accessible to paying customers as well as scientists starting with a set of expeditions next year to visit the most famous of all shipwrecks -- RMS Titanic. Rush seems like a character right out of an adventure novel, getting a commercial jet pilot's license at 19 years old and working as a flight test engineer at Edwards

Even casual observers of the night sky are familiar with the winter constellation Orion. It's two brightest stars, Rigel and Betelgeuse and its three belt stars make it an easy one to spot. But one of them has dimmed dramatically in recent months, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse.

Dave visits with neuroscientist, cognitive psychologist, musician and all-around amazing guy, Daniel Levitin. His book This is Your Brain On Music spent more than a year on the New York Times Bestseller list and his latest, Successful Aging is already on the top ten for this year's list. Levitin's biography thus far is nothing short of amazing. He's helped produce and consult on musical projects ranging from Steely Dan, Blue Oyster Cult and Joni Mitchell (just to name a few!) to being the music