Looking Up

As we continue our celebration of Women's History Month , we welcome Valerie Ryder , a toxicology specialist at NASA's Johnson Space Center. She talks about the life of a toxicologist and the work she does to ensure air and water safety on the International Space Station. Dean also answers a kid's question about how old we'd be on other planets.

To celebrate Women's History Month , Dean and Anna are joined by Amy Shira Teitel, author a fascinating new book, Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight . It tells the unheralded story of two women, Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb , striving to be the first woman in space. Dean also delves into the viral broom challenge.

As astronomers continue to discover new planets and exoplanets in our solar system, a new way of gathering information about them is being spearheaded by a professor from The Ohio State University . Joining Dean and Anna after they talk a little Pi is Professor Scott Gaudi , project co-chair of the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory.

As Valentine's Day approaches, Dean and Anna talk about the romance of space, and some of the myths that exist, plus they look ahead to some of what 2020 has in store in the skies when they talk with Sky and Telescope's news editor, Monica Young .

On Dean's wish list of guests for the podcast is someone from one of his favorite bands, a somewhat obscure group from the late 90s, early 00s who dressed in space suits and stayed, until the internet, anonymous. So on this episode, joining Dean and Anna Hehman, is Birdstuff (aka Brain Teasley) from the band Man or Astro-Man? and we think you'll enjoy this offbeat, but obviously joyous to Dean, interview.

Night Sky Odyssey is an augmented reality adventure that lets viewers, using a special headset, look into a dark sky, no matter what light pollution they may be in, and see the stars, constellations, and more. Dean Regas and Anna Hehman find out more from the program's operations and development director, Jon Marcotte , and science communicator Andres Fazekas .

The International Astronomical Union has been celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and one of its keystone projects was designed to promote and support diversity and inclusivity in the astronomy community. The project director, Hannah Harris , joins Dean Regas and Anna Hehman to discuss the early results of the project.

He's a mission manager for Space X, winner of Canada's Greatest Know It All TV competition, co-hosts a podcast, and is the author of a children's book and three Epic Space Adventures books. Andrew Rader is an accomplished overachiever and he joins Dean Regas and Anna Hehman to talk about his latest book, Beyond the Known: How Exploration Created the Modern World and Will Take Us to the Stars .

If you think our exploration of Mars ended with NASA's Curiosity, think again! A new and improved rover is heading to the red planet next year as Dean Regas and Anna Hehman learn from their guest, Ken Williford , deputy project scientist for the Mars 2020 project.

The mysteries of the cosmos have led to wide array of beliefs, stories, legends and more, many of which are completely fabricated with no basis in science or reality. Author Bob King has released a new book to try address these misconceptions and he joins our Dean Regas and Anna Hehman to talk about Urban Legends from Space: The Biggest Myths About Space Demystified .

As the successful run of the PBS series Star Gazers comes to an end, it seemed only right to welcome in Dean's co-host of that show, James Albury, for some conversation and reminiscences. James is the director of Santa Fe College's Kika Silva Pla Planetarium .

Dean and Anna spend time with Randall Munroe , author of How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems and creator of xkcd.com .

Sharing some truly fascinating stories from his days as a civilian test subject for NASA, Dean Regas and Anna Hehman welcome entrepreneur Kevin Bruns into the studio.

Summer Ash is a true renaissance woman: former rocket scientist, STEAM educator, STARtorialist blogger, and freelance science communicator.

The music you hear at the start of and throughout each episode of Looking Up is from a band called WHY? and one of its founders, Josiah Wolfe , is also an amateur astronomer who has created several space-themed art and sound installations.