Are We There Yet?
- Episodes
- 200
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
Your weekly podcast journey into the latest news, missions, and stories shaping space exploration.
Episodes 200
Percy finds a really old rock on Mars. An update on the Roman Space Telescope mission
NASA’s Perseverance rover found what scientists think is the oldest rock discovered by the robotic rover. Plus, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is closer to its destination, about a million miles from Earth.
Can humans handle a trip to Mars?
Johns Hopkings Researcher Mark Shelhamer explores the challenges that come with sending a human mission to Mars in his new book “Are We Ready for Mars?”.
A mission to control space debris and capturing the launch of a new telescope
The company Astroscale is working on a spacecraft that will grab a piece of rocket debris in obit and remove it. Then, for the third installment of Space on Tap, a special “Are We There Yet?’ live event series …
Show notes
The company Astroscale is working on a spacecraft that will grab a piece of rocket debris in obit and remove it. Then, for the third installment of Space on Tap, a special “Are We There Yet?’ live event series, we talked about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.Science on the space station and Maragret Hamilton’s legacy
A resupply mission is on its way to the International Space Station after launching Tuesday. What science is in store for the crew? Plus, a look at Margaret Hamilton’s career at NASA, a woman whose …
Show notes
A resupply mission is on its way to the International Space Station after launching Tuesday. What science is in store for the crew? Plus, a look at Margaret Hamilton’s career at NASA, a woman whose contributions helped land the first astronauts on the moon.Understanding the galaxy’s evolution and how and Earth amoeba is helping in the search for life elsewhere
Scientists will soon be using NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to study galaxies, and how the universe became the way it is. Plus, a new discovery could help NASA better understand how life could exist …
Show notes
Scientists will soon be using NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to study galaxies, and how the universe became the way it is. Plus, a new discovery could help NASA better understand how life could exist on other planets in extreme environments.Starship makes it into orbit and searching for habitable worlds
: SpaceX’s massive Starship vehicle went into orbit for the first time. Plus, scientists are on the search for habitable worlds.
Weapons in space and a new podcast on the search for life in the universe, and what happens next
For the first time, the U.S. military has confirmed it has deployed a space weapon in Earth’s orbit. Plus, “When We Find Them” is a new podcast series with Central Florida Public media that explores people have …
Show notes
For the first time, the U.S. military has confirmed it has deployed a space weapon in Earth’s orbit. Plus, “When We Find Them” is a new podcast series with Central Florida Public media that explores people have searched for life in our universe.Tracking El Niño from space and Chandra’s interesting X-ray finding
NASA and the EU’s Sentinel-6 satellites track ocean temperatures and can help predict how storms move and intensify. Plus, a team of researchers have made some recent discoveries from X-ray tails from the …
Show notes
NASA and the EU’s Sentinel-6 satellites track ocean temperatures and can help predict how storms move and intensify. Plus, a team of researchers have made some recent discoveries from X-ray tails from the Chandra X-Ray observatory.Summer space news roundup
It’s been a busy summer for space with things like SpaceX's new plans in Louisiana, Blue Origin is repairing its launch pad after an explosion earlier this year, the announcement of a space academy and more.
SpaceX’s expands to Louisiana and NASA tests next moon-suits
SpaceX is looking to expand into Louisiana to build a new launch facility with multiple launch pads for its Starship spacecraft. Then, to walk on the moon, NASA needs new suits. So how do you test them?
Astronaut Mike Fincke retires. Space healthcare readies for next big mission
We hear from NASA astronaut Mike Fincke who is retiring after 30 years. Plus, we’ll speak with UCF’s Dr. Manny Urquieta about the efforts to solve medical problems in space, from low-Earth orbit, the moon and Mars.
A Martian rover’s ‘land-a-versary’ and the ethics of human space exploration
Scientists and engineers are celebrating Curiosity’s 14th landing anniversary on Mars. Plus, we’ll look at the ethics behind human space exploration and how NASA, space agencies and the public view morals and …
Show notes
Scientists and engineers are celebrating Curiosity’s 14th landing anniversary on Mars. Plus, we’ll look at the ethics behind human space exploration and how NASA, space agencies and the public view morals and ethics when it comes to human missions to space.What’s happening in our skies and how NASA will study space mysteries with a new telescope
From meteors streaming across the night sky to a solar eclipse, there’s a lot happening in our skies this week. Plus, a look at how the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope hopes to study cosmic mysteries like …
Show notes
From meteors streaming across the night sky to a solar eclipse, there’s a lot happening in our skies this week. Plus, a look at how the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope hopes to study cosmic mysteries like dark matter and dark energy.Rescuing a rescue mission
A mission to save a falling spacecraft is now in need of its own rescue. Katalyst Space’s LINK satellite launched to raise the Swift observatory’s altitude, but now the spacecraft is out of control.
Designing the next moon suit and controversy over SpaceX land
When NASA astronauts return to the moon, they’ll be wearing a new spacesuit from Axiom Space. Plus, SpaceX and the U.S. are facing concerns after a land swap deal in Texas brings up environmental concerns.
NASA chief’s pledge to STEM education and how VR is bringing people to the cosmos
NASA Administrator Jared Issacman is donating $500,000 of his own money to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping STEM college students. Plus, one public exhibit …
Show notes
NASA Administrator Jared Issacman is donating $500,000 of his own money to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping STEM college students. Plus, one public exhibit brings space down to Earth.Life on Mars and the final Space Shuttle mission
For the second installment of Space on Tap, a special “Are We There Yet?” live event series, we asked what scientists and their robotic coworkers are really looking for on Mars. Plus, the crew of the final …
Show notes
For the second installment of Space on Tap, a special “Are We There Yet?” live event series, we asked what scientists and their robotic coworkers are really looking for on Mars. Plus, the crew of the final shuttle mission, STS-135, reunited for the mission’s 15th anniversary.Starliner’s delay and Rocket Lab’s big buy. The latest on commercial space.
A recent NASA audit says Boeing's Starliner is once again delayed from being certified. Plus, after acquiring the satellite company Iridium, Rocket Lab has its own constellation: 66 satellites and 14 spares.
Arctic upgrades on the ISS and human missions to Mars
NASA’s Quantum Lab is about the size of a mini fridge, but it allows NASA and international partners to study some of the biggest physics principles. By studying these atoms at these freezing temperatures …
Show notes
NASA’s Quantum Lab is about the size of a mini fridge, but it allows NASA and international partners to study some of the biggest physics principles. By studying these atoms at these freezing temperatures, scientists can better understand how subatomic particles work and behave throughout the universe. Plus, human missions to the Mars could soon be a reality.Moving data to space and rescuing a falling spacecraft
Data, it runs the world, and now one company is creating data centers in space. Plus, a rescue mission to save the falling Swift Observatory is launching later this month.
SpaceX goes public and a Mars mission goes offline
SpaceX’s launched its initial public offering. It’s a big move for SpaceX, not only to continue to develop some of its current projects like Starship, but it also brings a new wave of people hoping to invest in …
Show notes
SpaceX’s launched its initial public offering. It’s a big move for SpaceX, not only to continue to develop some of its current projects like Starship, but it also brings a new wave of people hoping to invest in the company’s future. Plus, NASA lost contact with Maven, a satellite studying Mars. After efforts to contact Maven failed, the space agency officially declared the mission unrecoverable.Artemis III gets a crew and Florida's push to launch at sea
NASA has named the crew of the Artemis III mission that the agency is calling “one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken.”
Blue Origin's explosion and the ethics of human space exploration
Blue Origin says it expects to fly its New Glenn rocket by the end of this year. That’s after an explosion last week destroyed a rocket and damaged the company’s launch facility at Cape Canaveral.
Starship flies again and the hunt for galactic glue
NPR's Geoff Brumfiel brings us up to speed on SpaceX's latest Starship test. Plus, the Roman space telescope is closer to launch. What might it find?
Listening to the cosmos and cooking up a space menu
Some things in the universe we just can’t see through visible light, so instead, astronomers rely on radio waves and radio astronomy. Plus, from trips to the International Space Station to flybys around the …
Show notes
Some things in the universe we just can’t see through visible light, so instead, astronomers rely on radio waves and radio astronomy. Plus, from trips to the International Space Station to flybys around the moon, there’s a lot that goes into meal prepping for crews that leave the planet, including taste and dietary needs.The science behind space food and supporting tomorrow’s STEM leaders
From 10-day moon missions like Artemis II, to months-long stays on the International Space Station, there’s a lot that goes into thinking about what foods to pack for those astronauts. Plus, the Astronaut …
Show notes
From 10-day moon missions like Artemis II, to months-long stays on the International Space Station, there’s a lot that goes into thinking about what foods to pack for those astronauts. Plus, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, founded by some of the original members of Mercury Seven astronauts, awards merit-based scholarships for STEM education.Women in space and meal planning for space travel
Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins speaks on Christina Koch’s journey to becoming the first woman to fly to the moon. Plus, one professor is cooking space food with his students.
Asteroid mining and space hospitality
From metals to rare elements, there are a lot of materials that can come from mining objects in space.
Could there be life on other worlds? Scientists look to Mars and the asteroid Bennu for that answer
The Curiosity rover on Mars has found possible signs of life on the red planet. Plus, a closer look at samples from the asteroid Bennu surprises scientists.
These are the latest 40 of 200 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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