#30 - December 2014

The Discussion: The historical landing of the Philae probe on
Comet 67P, lunar imaging and astronomy outreach in the UK.


The News: In the news we relive the events around the comet
landing and the latest science findings from Churyumov
Gerasimenko, the upcoming first test flight of America’s new
manned space capsule Orion and the tragic accident aboard Virgin
Galactic’s Spaceship Two, resulting in the death of one of the
crewmembers


The 5 Minute Concept: Fresh on the heels of the European Space
Agency’s latest successful mission, Paul turns his attentions
this months to the beacon of knowledge, space exploration and
engineering that rose from the ashes of Europe’s darkest days:
ESA.


The Interview: Ralph speaks with NASA’s Orion Project Manager,
Paul Marshall, about the upcoming test flight and the future of
manned American space exploration.


Q&A: Listeners’ questions via email, Facebook & Twitter
take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always
plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month
Ralph & Paul answer:


How far away is Voyager from the Oort Cloud and how many
years will it be before it gets there? Lee Garner via Twitter.

I'm bored of reading sniffy comments about the cost of
Rosetta. Can u do a piece next podcast about the benefits vs low
budget?Alex Speed via Twitter.