Felix and Anish unravel the fascinating saga of NASA's Mariner missions, the trailblazing spacecraft that paved the way for interplanetary exploration. From the heartbreaking failures of Mariner 1 and Mariner 3 to the triumphant successes of Mariner 2’s Venus flyby and Mariner 4’s first-ever images of Mars, the duo dives into the highs and lows of these historic missions. Discover how Mariner 9 became the first Mars orbiter and how Mariner 10 used Venus’s gravity to explore Mercury. Along the way, Felix and Anish explore the science, engineering, and sheer determination that turned these missions into milestones in space exploration.

In this episode, Felix and Anish take you on an orbital adventure to explore the fascinating world of satellites! 🛰️ From GPS and weather forecasting to top-secret spy missions, satellites shape our everyday lives in ways you might not expect.

How do satellites get into space? What keeps them from falling back to Earth? Why does the U.S. own most of them? We break down the different types of satellites, how they work, and what the future holds for space communication. Plus, we dive into satellite orbits, power systems, and the incredible engineering behind these space robots!

Join Felix and Anish as they dive into the groundbreaking innovations behind SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. From the first-ever orbital-class rocket capable of reflight to record-breaking satellite launches, discover how these rockets redefined the future of space exploration. Learn what makes these engineering marvels human-rated, their impressive payload capabilities to low Earth orbit (LEO), and their pivotal role in NASA and commercial space missions. Plus, a closer look at the significance of reusability, the milestones of Falcon Heavy, and what “payload to LEO” really means for the next frontier of space travel.

Join Felix and Anish in this amazing life story about Johannes Kepler, the mathematician and astronomer who overcame childhood illness and poor eyesight to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Discover Kepler's revolutionary three laws of planetary motion, his work on optics, and his collaboration with Tycho Brahe. We discuss Kepler's efforts at creating harmony between science and theological reflection, his defense of his mother in a trial for witchcraft, and his interesting notions of "cosmic music." From his struggles with religions to the lasting heritage in modern astronomy, this episode throws light on the man's life who really reached out for the stars.

In this episode, Felix and Anish explore India’s ambitious Chandrayaan missions, which have propelled the nation to the forefront of lunar exploration. They’ll take you through Chandrayaan-1’s groundbreaking discovery of water molecules on the Moon, Chandrayaan-2’s challenges and achievements, and the historic success of Chandrayaan-3, which landed near the Moon’s south pole. Tune in as they discuss the scientific goals, technical innovations, and global significance of these missions, and what they reveal about the Moon’s potential as a resource for humanity. Join Felix and Anish to discover how Chandrayaan has reshaped our understanding of Earth’s closest neighbor and opened new possibilities for future exploration.

Join Felix and Anish as they dive into the largest moon in our solar system: Ganymede, and one of the most scientifically engrossing targets for space exploration. They look into Ganymede's strong magnetic field, what its icy surface and mysterious ridges have revealed about its past, and examine the intriguing possibility of an ocean hidden beneath miles of ice that could support life. From scientific breakthroughs made by the Galileo spacecraft to exciting goals of missions like JUICE, they will go over how researchers are pushing the boundary to comprehend this enigmatic world, and why Ganymede is one of the most promising candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life.

In this episode, Felix and Anish travel to the outermost part of the solar system to explore one of the biggest mysteries, the Oort Cloud. Lately referred to as the birthplace of long-period comets, this part of our sky is supposed to be full of icy bodies with secrets that wait for their time to come out.

Learn how the Oort Cloud serves as a bridge between our solar system and interstellar space. Felix and Anish will discuss some interesting theories on its formation, along with comets Hale-Bopp and Halley's Comet, which figure importantly, and the dwarf planet Sedna, which may reside within its icy grasp.

Tune in as they discuss the latest research on what could be unveiled by future missions regarding this cosmic frontier. Listen in to learn more about the fascinating world of the Oort Cloud!

Join Felix and Anish as they explore the revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope-JWST-the world's most powerful space observatory. Learn how this incredible feat of engineering will revolutionize the understanding of the cosmos, from star and galaxy formation to searching for other habitable worlds.

Felix and Anish take you through JWST's incredible features, from its enormous sunshield to its stunning infrared imaging capabilities to its unique location at the second Lagrange point-known as L2. They share fascinating insights into how JWST is already reshaping our view of the universe using its stunning images and revolutionary discoveries.

Tune in as they discuss some of the most exciting findings from the telescope-from examining distant galaxies just after the Big Bang formed them to studying the atmospheres of exoplanets.