Podcast appearances and mentions of phil bland

Somewhere out past Mars in the early hours of Easter Monday, a space probe called Lucy whizzed by an asteroid named Donaldjohanson.Lucy then sent back images showing Donaldjohanson is about five kilometres wide and shaped like a peanut.It's one of a handful of asteroids on Lucy's 12-year itinerary.So what does the billion-dollar mission hope to achieve?

2024 - 08 - 19 Professor Phil Bland by CurtinFM 100.1 in Perth, Western Australia

Dive into the cosmos with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 52, as we traverse the stellar seas to discover a groundbreaking revelation: stardust from a supernova, harboring secrets from a newly identified type of star. An extraordinary find in an ancient meteorite has led scientists to a hydrogen-burning supernova, a stellar phenomenon only recently recognized by astronomers. This episode sheds light on how a tiny particle, a relic from a star that perished before our solar system's birth, is providing invaluable insights into the cosmos' intricate workings.The voyage of discovery doesn't end there. Rejoice in NASA's triumph as the venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft reestablishes contact after months of silence, sending clear data across the vast expanse from the very edge of interstellar space. The episode also celebrates the successful ascent of New Zealand's Electron rocket, which lofted NASA's innovative solar sail satellite, set to harness the gentle push of sunlight for propulsion.Join us as we delve into these celestial tales and more, including the profound implications of presolar grains on our understanding of the universe, the dynamic environments that shape star and planet formation, and the technological marvels that continue to expand humanity's reach into the void.For a journey through time and space that captivates and educates, tune in to SpaceTime with Stuart Gary. Embrace the enigma of the stars and become part of a community that looks beyond our world to the wonders that await.Support the show and access ad-free episodes at https://www.spreaker.com/show/spacetime. Follow our interstellar conversations on Twitter @stuartgary, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Join us as we unravel the fabric of the universe, one episode at a time.This episode is brought to you by NordPass. As you navigate the celestial pathways, secure your digital life with a password manager you can trust. Visit www.bitesz.com/nordpass for a special offer.For more space news, listen to Astronomy Daily the Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts, or stream from www.astronomydaily.io.This week's guests include: Phil Bland, from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences Amir Caspi from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antinio Texas   And our regular guests: Alex Zaharov-Reutt from techadvice.life Tim Mendham from Australian Skeptics  

It's been half a century since humans travelled to the moon when astronauts explored an area of the moon known as the Taurus-Littrow Valley in 1972. Now, NASA's Artemis space program could resume travel to the moon by 2024 and provide exciting opportunities for the next generation of planetary scientists and space explorers.To explore this topic, Sarah was joined by Professor Phil Bland and Professor Gretchen Benedix. Phil and Gretchen are both planetary scientists from the Space Science and Technology Centre at Curtin University. They talked about NASA's Artemis program, how Curtin University is involved, the evolution of CubeSats and lunar mining. How NASA's Artemis program will contribute our understanding of the moon [01:17]Curtin's involvement in the program [08:35]Resources that can be mined from the moon [13:48]How the Artemis program will shape the future of human civilisation [25:28]Watching the 2023 solar eclipse [32:54]The best ways the public can stay across the Artemis program [35:31]Learn moreHere's why humans are going back to the moonFrom WA to the moonConnect with our guestsProfessor Phil Bland, Planetary Scientist, Curtin UniversityProfessor Bland is a planetary scientist who is the Director of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) at Curtin University, Director of the Australia node of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute and Director of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN).He has worked with NASA, ESA and JAXA and led the Curtin team that coded and built the Binar-1 CubeSat, which was launched into low orbit from the International Space Station in August 2021. Six more Binar missions are planned over the next 18 months.Professor Bland was named Western Australia Scientist of the Year in 2019. His goal is to see Australia take its place amongst space faring nations by leading our own planetary missions, and to inspire the public and advance industry through space mission science and engineering.Professor Bland's staff profileProfessor Bland's LinkedIn profileProfessor Gretchen Benedix, Planetary Geologist, Curtin UniversityProfessor Benedix is a renowned planetary geologist and meteorite expert who works at Curtin University. She is particularly interested in extraterrestrial geology, the physical and chemical processes that shaped the asteroids and how they relate to the formation and evolution of the planets.Professor Benedix has made significant contributions to the field of planetary science through her research. She has participated in numerous expeditions including a two-month-long expedition to Antarctica in 2001, where she led a team of researchers to collect meteorites from the ice. In addition to her research, Professor Benedix is a dedicated educator and mentor, working to inspire the next generation of planetary scientists. She is actively involved in science outreach programs and regularly speaks at public events to share her passion for planetary science with the broader community.Professor Benedix's staff profileProfessor Benedix's LinkedIn profileJoin Curtin UniversityThis podcast is brought to you by Curtin University. Curtin is a global university known for its commitment to making positive change happen through high-impact research, strong industry partnerships and practical teaching.Work with usStudy a research degreeStart postgraduate educationGot any questions, or suggestions for future topics?Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.auSocial mediaTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTranscriptRead the transcriptBehind the scenesHost: Sarah TaillierResearcher and Editor: Anita ShoreProducer & Recordist: Emilia JolakoskaSocial Media: Amy HoskingExecutive Producers: Anita Shore and Jarrad LongFirst Nations AcknowledgementCurtin University acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which Curtin Perth is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation, and on Curtin Kalgoorlie, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields; and the First Nations peoples on all Curtin locations.MusicOKAY by 13ounce Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library.Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.

Professors Gretchen Benedix and Phil Bland join Mark Sutton to discuss all things lunar!

Without funding for basic research, many space workers are out of jobs.   On this week's episode of Space Connect Podcast, host Bella Richards is joined by Professor Phil Bland from Curtin University, who is also the director of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC).    Professor Bland reveals that Australia needs to aim higher in funding basic research to make more discoveries, send more homegrown spacecraft into orbit, and to keep people in their jobs.    Bella and Phil also chat about Curtin's Binar-1 launch last year, the challenges that came with it, and how it proved that Australia does have all the space capabilities.

Audio glitches again. They're less obvious on speakers. Hopefully we've actually fixed it this time.The director of Wonder Woman 1984 has joined the crusade to stop movies being released on streaming. She thinks they look fake. It's a good cause, but we're not sure the world is ready for this.Junk food lowers your life expectancy. Fruit is good for you. A new study has put numbers to just how good and bad some foods are for you.It's time to step into the Multiverse. Actually, not so fast, it's not a thing yet. But it will be soon, and people are really into it. And hopefully this time it won't involve insane developers killing player's meat bodies, or using it to make society even more monetised.Streaming Movies Are Fake- https://comicbook.com/dc/news/wonder-woman-director-patty-jenkins-says-streaming-service-movie-look-fake/- https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2021-08-31/how-wonder-woman-1984-director-patty-jenkins-really-feels-about-streaming-movies-the-wide-shot Fact : Junk Food Lowers Your Life Expectancy- https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/one-hot-dog-knocks-36-minutes-off-your-life-study-claims/ Screw The Multiverse..There Is The Metaverse- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-08-20-what-is-the-metaverse-and-why-is-it-worth-so-much-money Other topics discussedDune's Theatrical Release Date Has Been Delayed in Australia- https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/09/dune-release-date-delayed-australia/Dune 2 is not a sure thing – but director Denis Villeneuve is optimistic- https://www.gamesradar.com/amp/dune-2-is-not-a-sure-thing-but-director-denis-villeneuve-is-optimistic/ Writers Guild of America, East (a labor union representing film and television writers as well as employees of television and radio news. The Writers Guild of America, East is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America West.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writers_Guild_of_America,_East Writers Guild of America West (a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writers_Guild_of_America_West New Farm Cinemas (a cinema at 701 Brunswick Street, New Farm, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Farm_Cinemas 2001: A Space Odyssey (a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. )- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film) Screen Actors Guild (The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_Actors_GuildIMPACT World+: a globally regionalized life cycle impact assessment method- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-019-01583-0 Frankfurter Würstchen (A Frankfurter (German for Frankfurt sausage) is a thin parboiled sausage made of pure pork in a casing of sheep's intestine.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurter_W%C3%BCrstchenAn Australian 'wellness guru' says staring directly into the sun is 'one of the best forms of free medicine'- https://www.businessinsider.com/pete-evans-says-staring-into-the-sun-is-a-form-of-medicine-2018-12?r=AU&IR=T Second Life (an online virtual world, developed and owned by the San Francisco-based firm Linden Lab and launched on June 23, 2003.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life Mastodon (software) (free and open-source software for running self-hosted social networking services. It has microblogging features similar to the Twitter service, which are offered by a large number of independently run Mastodon nodes (known as "instances"), each with its own code of conduct, terms of service, privacy options, and moderation policies.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodon_(software)How an avatar on Second Life sparked a real-life court case- https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/nov/25/second-life-internet Ready Player One (film) (a 2018 American science fiction adventure film based on Ernest Cline's 2011 novel of the same name. Directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Zak Penn and Cline, it stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One_(film)Fortnite Is Letting You Relive MLK's 'I Have A Dream' Speech- https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031674883/fortnite-mlk-i-have-a-dream-speech-martin-luther-king Guide to roleplaying a wedding (Although weddings are not recognized by World of Warcraft in any way (one does not get any benefits), couples can still get married simply for roleplaying purposes.)- https://wowwiki-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Guide_to_roleplaying_a_wedding Dwarf Fortress ((officially called Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress) is a construction and management simulation and roguelike indie video game created by Bay 12 Games. Freeware and in development since 2002, its first alpha version was released in 2006 and it received attention for being a two-member project surviving solely on donations.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Fortress Sword Art Online (a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the near future and focuses on protagonist Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_Art_OnlineShout Outs 29th August 2021 – WA researchers make history with first locally-made satellite launched into space - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-29/first-wa-satellite-binar-1-launched-into-space/100415996?fbclid=IwAR0Vtn6QTsYMHFVfZOVoHY4RqMOCA2D7seRFRmAHxXibQPABSbHGjepoJbo A small group of Perth researchers have made Western Australian history, using a device not much bigger than a vegemite sandwich. The Binar-1 satellite was launched into orbit on Sunday afternoon (Perth time) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US. The craft, which takes its name from the Noongar word for fireball, will now head to the International Space Station, where astronauts will release the satellite into low-Earth orbit. It marks the first time a WA-made satellite has been launched into space. Phil Bland, the director of Curtin University's Space Science Technology Centre, which built the device, says it won't be the last. "You're not succeeding in space unless you're flying stuff, so we are building the technology that is going to allow us to fly all the time," Mr Bland said. The Binar team are hoping to launch at least seven small spacecraft over the next two years, to prove their technology works. If it does, it could make a massive difference to the way Western Australians are able to access space. Binar researcher and PhD student Ben Hartig wrote about how important that would be for Australia. "By developing completely home-grown technology, we can avoid relying on expensive imported components, meaning the Australian space industry can stand on its own two feet while reaching for the heavens," he said.29th August 2021 – Astra Test Flight (Launch Vehicle 0006) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Tdm797BzM&t=5612s Astra launched its fourth Rocket 3 vehicle, Rocket 3.3 (LV0006). The flight carried an instrumentation payload for the United States Space Force under the Space Test Program, and a separation of payload from the launch vehicle was not planned. Shortly after liftoff, a single engine failure caused the vehicle to drift horizontally several tens of meters sideways off the launch pad before ascending vertically. The vehicle deviated from its licensed trajectory and range safety terminated the flight at approximately T+2:28. The rocket reached a peak altitude of 50 km before crashing into the ocean downrange of the launch site. No injuries or damage to property were reported from this incident.30th August 2021 – Actor Ed Asner passes away at 91 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-30/ed-asner-dies-aged-91-up-mary-tyler-moore-lou-grant/100417378?fbclid=IwAR2JabVjk-9-u9xa5mmjdKjjiOprn1NIXQOcpFOrNGdIA-orQN0CkGp-bSM Asner, whose diverse credits also included a key voice role in the acclaimed 2009 animated film Up, died at his home surrounded by his family, Asner was known for his liberal politics and his stint as Screen Actors Guild president in the 1980s when he criticised US involvement in Central America during the administration of a previous head of the actors' union, then-president Ronald Reagan. In a career of remarkable longevity, Asner acted into his 90s. Asner was integral to the success of the situation comedy Mary Tyler Moore, which ran on CBS from 1970 to 1977 and boasted one of the best assemblages of actors and writers in US TV history. Later in his career, Asner became a successful voice actor for animated TV shows and films and played Santa Claus in several projects, including the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy Elf. In the sentimental 2009 animated film Up, Asner provided the voice for the main character, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, who after the death of his beloved wife ties balloons to his house and floats off to fulfil his fantasy of exploring South America, only to find he has a youthful stowaway. The movie won an Oscar for best animated film and a nomination for best picture. Asner remained a busy actor into his 90s with appearances in such series as Dead to Me and Cobra Kai. He died of natural causes at his home in the Tarzana, Los Angeles.1st September 2021 – 15th anniversary of Idiocracy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy The film, written by Beavis & Butthead creator Mike Judge and Tropic Thunder co-writer Etan Cohen, imagines a world 500 years into the future, when civilization has all but collapsed because humanity has become irretrievably stupid. It illustrates how this happened with a voice-of-God narrator and a comparative case study: the high IQ yuppie couple who sensibly wait and wait to have kids until they can't anymore on one side, and the trailer trash meatheads (really no other way to describe them) with the giant brood of neglected children and Maury Povich-esque sex life who keep procreating at an alarming rate on the other. The film was not screened for critics, and the distributor, 20th Century Fox, was accused of abandoning it. Despite its lack of a major theatrical release, which resulted in a mere $495,000 gross at the box office, the film received positive reviews from critics and has become a cult film. During the 2016 presidential primaries, writer Etan Cohen and others expressed opinions that the film's predictions were converging on accuracy, a sentiment repeated by director Judge during the general election. At the time, Judge also compared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump—who later won and became President of the United States—to the film's wrestler-turned-president, Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. When asked about predicting the future, he remarked, "I'm no prophet, I was off by 490 years."Remembrances31st August 1965 – E.E.Smith - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._E._Smith Edward Elmer Smith, publishing as E. E. Smith, Ph.D. and later as E. E. "Doc" Smith, was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and science-fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera. Smith's work is strongly identified with the beginnings of US pulp sf as a separate marketing genre, and did much to define its essential territory: galactic space dominated by Galactic Empires, these usually being run by humans, though Aliens appear frequently, not only as Villains; Space Opera plots, featuring Heroes and their Inventions, are the norm; Wars rage across the parsecs. But although Smith's his protagonists fit comfortably into this universe, it is the case that his greatest protagonists, the Lensmen, are also soldiers: willing employees in a higher cause. His earlier heroes may be freelance, and seem in retrospect singularly detached from the universes they dazzle, but his later heroes – like Kim Kinnison himself – advance through promotion, and rule their universes as dictators in all but name, for the cause of Good. When in 1915 Smith began to write the first novel of his Skylark series with Mrs Lee Hawkins Garby, a neighbour seconded to help with feminine matters such as dialogue, no prior models existed in popular fiction to source the combined exuberance and scale that The Skylark of Space (written 1915-1920; August-October 1928 Amazing; 1946; rev with cuts 1958) demonstrated when it finally began to appear in Amazing Stories, two years after the start of that magazine, in the same issue as Philip Nowlan's "Armageddon – 2419 A.D." (August 1928 Amazing), the story which introduced Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It was not until he began to unveil the architectural structure of his second and definitive Series that Smith was able to demonstrate the thoroughness of his thinking about Space Opera. And it is with the Lensman series – or The History of Civilization, the over-title for the 1953-1955 limited-edition boxed reprint of the original books – that his name is most strongly and justly associated. The Lensman series inspired one of the earliest of sf WarGames, Lensman (1969). Two Japanese Anime adaptations, the film Lensman and the Television series Galactic Patrol Lensman (1984-1985), unfortunately poisoned Hollywood interest in Western versions of the saga. Smith was widely read by scientists and engineers from the 1930s into the 1970s. He was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2004. He died at the age of 75 in Seaside, Oregon. Famous Birthdays 31st August 1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtz A German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields. The largest German association of research institutions, the Helmholtz Association, is named after him. In physiology and psychology, he is known for his mathematics of the eye, theories of vision, ideas on the visual perception of space, color vision research, and on the sensation of tone, perception of sound, and empiricism in the physiology of perception. In physics, he is known for his theories on the conservation of energy, work in electrodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, and on a mechanical foundation of thermodynamics. As a philosopher, he is known for his philosophy of science, ideas on the relation between the laws of perception and the laws of nature, the science of aesthetics, and ideas on the civilizing power of science. His first important scientific achievement, an 1847 treatise on the conservation of energy, was written in the context of his medical studies and philosophical background. His work on energy conservation came about while studying muscle metabolism. He tried to demonstrate that no energy is lost in muscle movement, motivated by the implication that there were no vital forces necessary to move a muscle. This was a rejection of the speculative tradition of Naturphilosophie which was at that time a dominant philosophical paradigm in German physiology. In fluid dynamics, Helmholtz made several contributions, including Helmholtz's theorems for vortex dynamics in inviscid fluids. Helmholtz was a pioneer in the scientific study of human vision and audition. Inspired by psychophysics, he was interested in the relationships between measurable physical stimuli and their correspondent human perceptions. For example, the amplitude of a sound wave can be varied, causing the sound to appear louder or softer, but a linear step in sound pressure amplitude does not result in a linear step in perceived loudness. The physical sound needs to be increased exponentially in order for equal steps to seem linear, a fact that is used in current electronic devices to control volume. Helmholtz paved the way in experimental studies on the relationship between the physical energy (physics) and its appreciation (psychology), with the goal in mind to develop "psychophysical laws." Helmholtz studied the phenomena of electrical oscillations from 1869 to 1871, and in a lecture delivered to the Naturhistorisch-medizinischen Vereins zu Heidelberg (Natural History and Medical Association of Heidelberg) on 30 April 1869, titled On Electrical Oscillations he indicated that the perceptible damped electrical oscillations in a coil joined up with a Leyden jar were about 1/50th of a second in duration. He became interested in electromagnetism, and the Helmholtz equation is named for him. Although he did not make major contributions to this field, his student Heinrich Rudolf Hertz became famous as the first to demonstrate electromagnetic radiation. He was born in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation.Events of Interest31st August 1422 – King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while in France. His son, Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of nine months. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VI_of_England#Child_king He succeeded to the throne as King of England at the age of nine months on 1 September 1422, the day after his father's death; he remains the youngest person ever to succeed to the English throne. On 21 October 1422, in accordance with the Treaty of Troyes of 1420, he became titular King of France upon his grandfather Charles VI's death. His mother, the 20-year-old Catherine of Valois, was viewed with considerable suspicion by English nobles as Charles VI's daughter. She was prevented from playing a full role in her son's upbringing. In reaction to the coronation of Charles VII of France in Reims Cathedral on 17 July 1429, Henry was soon crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on 6 November 1429, aged 7, followed by his own coronation as King of France at Notre Dame de Paris on 16 December 1431, aged 10. He was the only English king to be crowned king in both England and France. It was shortly after his crowning ceremony at Merton Priory on All Saints' Day, 1 November 1437, shortly before his 16th birthday, that he obtained some measure of independent authority. This was confirmed on 13 November 1437, but his growing willingness to involve himself in administration had already become apparent in 1434, when the place named on writs temporarily changed from Westminster (where the Privy Council met) to Cirencester (where the King resided). He finally assumed full royal powers when he came of age at the end of the year 1437, when he turned sixteen years old. Henry's assumption of full royal powers occurred during the Great Bullion Famine and the beginning of the Great Slump in England. 31st August 1956 – The Forbidden Planet landed in Ireland - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/ On this day in 1956 (in Ireland), Forbidden Planet arrived in Earth's theaters. Here's the plot summary: "When Adams and his crew are sent to investigate the silence from a planet inhabited by scientists, he finds all but two have died. Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira have somehow survived a hideous monster which roams the planet. Unknown to Adams, Morbius has made a discovery, and has no intention of sharing it (or his daughter!) with anyone."First mainstream film to have the music performed entirely by electronic instruments.The famous poster for the film shows a menacing robot carrying a struggling pretty girl - a staple of "monster movie" posters from the 1950's. In fact, no such scene occurs in the film itself and the robot portrayed in the poster is of course actually the very likeable Robby the Robot.Robert Kinoshita, who is credited with building Robby the Robot, was also Art Director for the TV series Lost in Space (1965). Many of the "Lost in Space" robot's features are similar to Robby's: glass "head" with animated elements; rotating antenna "ears" (although the "Lost" robot's ears rarely moved after the pilot episode); flashing light "mouth"; chest panel with more animated elements. For that matter, much of the layout of "Forbidden Planet"'s spaceship is mirrored by "Lost"'s Jupiter 2: saucer shape; integral landing gear/entry stairs; lower external dome with animated lights; central, plexi-domed navigation station; vertical hibernacula arranged along perimeter. In addition, Robby and the "Lost" robot had a couple of "family reunions" in two "Lost in Space" episodes: Lost in Space: War of the Robots (1966) and Lost in Space: Condemned of Space (1967).Robby the Robot was originally operated by stuntman/actor Frankie Darro. He was fired during filming after almost falling over while in the expensive prop, following a five-martini lunch.With the death of James Drury (Crewman Strong) on April 6, 2020, Earl Holliman (Cookie) is the last surviving member of the cast.According to Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon loved to disrupt takes by reciting dirty limericks in the middle of his dialogue.IntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us on Facebook- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comSupport via Podhero- https://podhero.com/podcast/449127/nerds-amalgamated See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Space exploration has led to greater understanding of the planet Earth, our Solar System and our place in the universe, but there's still much to be discovered. To help uncover some of the greatest cosmic mysteries, space agencies around the world are planning missions to explore neighbouring planets to map their history and search for possible signs of past extraterrestrial life. In this episode, David Blaney is joined by Professor Phil Bland to discuss mission preparations to the Moon and Mars, the systemic and environmental challenges faced by automated rockets and rovers, and what we are doing at Curtin University in this space.What we can learn from looking at meteorites [03:53]CubeSats: what they are and what they can do [06:36]Major challenges faced by exploring space [10:36]Why Mars is such a big focus for space agencies [14:58]Who actually ‘owns' space? [18:13]How space exploration benefits the economy [24:17]Learn moreFrom WA to the MoonOur very own rocket manAre We Alone in the Universe? | Ask an ExpertProfessor Phil Bland | Taking Curtin into orbit!Got any questions, or suggestions for future topics?Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.au.Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of the university.Music: OKAY by 13ounce Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by Audio LibraryYou can read the full transcript for the episode here 

Professor Phil Bland was named a joint winner of the Scientist of the Year at the 2019 Western Australian Premier's Science Awards. Professor Bland leads Curtin University's Space Science and Technology Centre.

Professor Phil Bland was named a joint winner of the Scientist of the Year at the 2019 Western Australian Premier’s Science Awards. Professor Bland leads Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre.

Meet three couples who have taken their romances way further than most. Frank, passionate, hilarious stories of making it work.

Meet three couples who have taken their romances way further than most. Frank, passionate, hilarious stories of making it work.

Could rocks studied by the Mars rover Spirit in Gusev Crater in 2007 contain the hallmarks of ancient life? Geologist Steve Ruff of Arizona State University talks about what he found in hot springs in Chile which begs that question. He says the evidence is intriguing enough for NASA to send its next and more sophisticated Mars robot back to the same spot on the Red Planet in 2020. Adam also talks to Phil Bland of Curtin University in Australia - one of the creators of the Desert Fireball Network - an array of automated cameras across Australia, built to locate where shooting stars land as meteorites and also pinpoint from where they came in the solar system. Boosting the chances of collecting these meteorites and knowing their space origins should helps us to better understand how the Earth and other planets formed 4.5 billion years ago. There's new compelling evidence that microbes in the gut play a role in the development of Parkinson's disease. Tim Sampson of Caltech in the US outlines his experiments which raise this possibility and Patrick Lewis, another Parkinson's researcher at the University of Reading, puts the new findings into a wider context. Adam takes a tour of the spectacular new mathematics gallery at the Science Museum in London. The Winton Gallery's exhibited objects and design by the celebrated architect Zaha Hadid focusses on mathematics in the real world. Adam's guide is lead curator David Rooney.