Ep. 802: Mission Tech Series: Rocket & Spacecraft 411

Streamed live on Sep 21, 2026 Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Today we begin a new series on rockets and spacecraft, dealing with each of their components. It’s a big job, so it’ll take us a bunch of episodes to get through. Today let’s do an introduction about what we’re gonna talk about in this series: rockets from tip to tail, soup to nuts.

Streamed live on Sep 7, 2026. Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast Today we do the sequel to our 2-part series. We jump to the end of the Universe, and all the major moments that will occur from now until the heat death of the Universe. The end of everything.   - The fate & future of the Milky Way - Cosmic isolation - The cosmic microwave background - The end of star formation - The degenerate era - Proton decay and entropy - Black hole evaporation & entropy - Alternate endings, cosmic rip, new beginnings - Closing thoughts and updates

Streamed live on Sep 7, 2026. Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast To celebrate our 20th season, we thought we’d go back right to the beginning… of everything. Let’s wind the clock back to the earliest moments of the Universe, where we’ll measure time in fractions of a second. As the foundational laws of physics were laid down and we experience the repercussions to this day!

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live June  22, 2026. The Saturn 5 was a monster, capable of sending humans and a lander to the Moon and bringing them back again. But the number of heavy lift rockets since then has gotten pretty sparse. Now, with tens if not hundreds of thousands of satellites in the works, giant new space telescopes and multi-ton lunar landers in development there are heavy lift solutions to match. So let’s talk about them! From yesterday's Saturn V to today's Ariane VI, rockets capable of launching large telescopes or small space stations in a single go are modern marvels. They are also wildly dangerous, and not exactly compatible. Let's look at today's fleet of rockets and just what they're accomplishing.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Streamed live on Jun 15, 2026. Well, we’re just a couple of weeks away from summer hiatus and so it’s time to give you some homework. Here’s our list of stuff we’ve been reading watching and playing. This should fill the Astronomy-Cast-shaped hole in your media landscape. On the plane, on the beach, from the passenger seat in a car, summer is a time for escaping into a good book, video, or game. From classics to the latest releases, here are our recommendations for keeping your brain occupied while your body is renewed.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live June 10, 2026. We’re about to take a much needed 2 month hiatus. But just because we’re not here doesn’t mean space stops existing and doing things. Today, let’s give a preview of the big events due to happen in space this summer so you can prepare yourself and make sure you don’t miss a thing! From meteors to moon landings and more, join Fraser and Pamela as the look at what you can enjoy this summer, after we go to hiatus in July.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Jun 1, 2026. Mars is cold & dry today, but the evidence is growing that it used to be warmer & wetter. with seas & oceans that covered large parts of its surface. With the additional findings of the chemicals for life, the search for life on Mars is getting pretty interesting! New results from Perseverance and Curiosity describe a past Mars with complex chemistry and water. But did it have life? Background image credit: Kevin Gill   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Streamed live on May 10, 2026. This is the final episode of our series on sci-fi universes. And this week we will tackle “The Expanse”. Now we’ve got fusion drives, Proto-matter, g-forces! Listen up, belta lawda! Let's look at the science of our own possible (with a side of aliens) future.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on May 10, 2026. We continue our ad-hoc miniseries through sci-fi franchises. This week we’ll talk about Stargate, worm holes, mind parasites and self-replicating bots. There’s a lot to talk about!   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live May 4, 2026. Today we continue our mini-series; evaluating the science of various sci-fi franchises. We did Star Wars last week, this week tackle Star Trek. From transporters to warp drives, from phasers to photon torpedos. Let’s tackle what Star Trek gets right and wrong about science. Let's look at the science of our galaxy, some day far in the future.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler