Podcasts · Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries
Japan’s Phobos Mission & Martian Quakes: Exploring Mars’ Moons, Canyons, and the Search for ET
· 34 min · Episode 673
Episode Japan’s Phobos Mission & Martian Quakes: Exploring Mars’ Moons, Canyons, and the Search for ET
Space Nuts: Mars’ Moons, Martian Quakes, and the Search for ET In this engaging episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson explore two mysteries from Mars, along with a new effort to listen for signs of life beyond Earth. First, they unpack Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which will study Phobos and Deimos, attempt a landing on Phobos and bring samples back to Earth. The discussion turns to a Marsquake traced to the immense Valles Marineris canyon, offering fresh clues that the Red Planet may still be geologically active. Finally, Andrew and Fred Watson examine Saudi Arabia’s plans for a major astronomical observatory, including a site for Laser SETI detectors searching for brief flashes of possible extraterrestrial communication. Join them for a cosmic tour filled with planetary puzzles, ambitious missions and a little speculation about how aliens might get in touch. Key topics - Japan’s MMX mission to investigate Mars’ moons and return samples from Phobos. - The possible origins of Phobos and Deimos, and the challenges of landing on a world with almost no gravity. - A Marsquake linked to Valles Marineris and what it suggests about the planet’s geological activity. - Saudi Arabia’s planned observatory and the use of optical Laser SETI detectors in the search for extraterrestrial signals. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and episode overview 01:20 - Japan’s MMX mission and the mysteries of Phobos and Deimos 06:00 - How the mission will study Phobos and attempt to collect samples 12:00 - The challenges of landing on Phobos and the planned sample return to Earth 15:45 - A Marsquake traced to Valles Marineris 19:30 - What the quake reveals about Mars’ geological activity 22:00 - Saudi Arabia’s new observatory and the Laser SETI search 26:00 - How optical detectors could look for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence 29:00 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.
Links in the notes 1
Transcript
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.