Weekly Space Hangout – May 8, 2015: Emily Rice & Brian Levine from Astronomy on Tap

Host: Fraser Cain (@fcain)
Special Guest: Emily Rice & Brian Levine from Astronomy on Tap

Guests:
Jolene Creighton (@jolene723 / fromquarkstoquasars.com)
Charles Black (@charlesblack / sen.com/charles-black)
Brian Koberlein (@briankoberlein)
Dave Dickinson (@astroguyz / www.astroguyz.com)

This Week’s Stories:

Astronomers find first evidence of changing conditions on a super Earth 
NASA May Plumb For Signs Of Life In Enceladus’ Plumes
Pulsar with Widest Orbit Ever Detected, Discovered By High School Research Team
NASA warp drive
Crowdsourcing a comet’s trajectory
2 Summer Comets
Stricken Progress cargo ship goes down
SpaceX passenger Dragon aces debut test run
Will Mars Scramble Your Brain? Scientists Debate Radiation Study
Mount Everest Shrank As Nepal Quake Lifted Kathmandu
Europe’s Next Space Chief Wants a Moon Colony on the Lunar Far Side
Space Station Could Get Laser Cannon to Destroy Orbital Debris
Amazing Photos: Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io
#TWiM: Headline: Should You Get a Tesla Home Battery? Let Physics Explain
How a New Telescope Will Measure the Expansion of the Universe | Berkeley Lab
NASA May Plumb For Signs Of Life In Enceladus’ Plumes
Morning Coffee In Style: Samanth Cristoforetti Brewed First Espresso Ever in Space, and Why Brews Served in Microgravity will Percolate Better Science than Coffee, Thanks to the Space Cup
Rocket Lab: the Electron, the Rutherford, and why Peter Beck Started it in the First Place
Could Mars Rover Curiosity’s Wheel Damage Be Caused by Corrosion?
New Name for Space Launch System Gets Backing of Lawmakers
Astronomers Find First Evidence of Changing Conditions on a Super Earth
Proposed Legislation Would Make Space Settlement a National Goal
Astronomers Set a New Galaxy Distance Record
#TWiM: SpaceX Crew Dragon Ready for First Critical Flight Test Wednesday
Volcano Loki Observed from Earth
Wind Power at Sea: The Vindskip Merchant Ship: Applying Aerospace Techniques to Earth-Bound Vessels
Astrophysicists Offer Proof Of Forming Planets
Astronomers Unveil the Farthest Galaxy
LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface
NASA Confirms Electromagnetic Drive Produces Thrust in Vacuum
Black Holes Gorging at Excessive Rates
Traffic Around Mars Gets Busy
Improved Detection of Radio Waves from Space
Virgin Galactic Provides Update on Second SpaceShipTwo
Is NASA Moving Toward a Hyperspace Drive?
Saturn Moon’s Activity Could Be ‘Curtain Eruptions’
The Planetary Society’s Light Sail Launches on May 20!
Did dinosaur-killing asteroid trigger largest lava flows on Earth?
Missing Link in the Evolution of Complex Cells Discovered
Russia’s Space Cargo Ship to Burn up in Atmosphere Friday
UAE Positions 2020 Mars Probe as “Catalyst” for New Generation of Scientists and Engineers
NASA’s SDO Observes “Cinco de Mayo” Solar Flare
Mysterious ‘X-Files’ Sounds Heard 36km Above Earth’s Surface
Scientists Capture Stunning “Mini Supernova” Explosion
World’s Largest Radio Telescope has a Permanent Home for its Headquarters
This Is Your Brain in Deep Space: Could Cosmic Rays Threaten Mars Missions?
Geochemical Process on Saturn’s Moon Linked to Life’s Origin
Ocean on Saturn Moon Enceladus May Have Potential Energy Source to Support Life
Fresh Evidence for How Water Reached Earth Found in Asteroid Debris
Mapping Dark Matter
Europa’s Elusive Water Plume Paints Grim Picture For Life
Doomed Russian Spacecraft About to Fall
ALMA Discovers Proto Super Star Cluster
Curiosity Rover Captures the Martian Sky as Our Sun Sets on its Horizon
Hubble Finds Giant Halo Around the Andromeda Galaxy
Pluto-Bound Craft Hunts for Hazardous Moons
Star Explosion Is Lopsided, Finds NASA’s NuSTAR
MESSENGER Reveals Mercury’s Ancient Magnetic Field Secrets
#TWiM SpaceX Pad Abort Test Equals 0-345mph Real Quick!
First Light of New Laser at Paranal

We record the Weekly Space Hangout every Friday at 12:00 pm Pacific / 3:00 pm Eastern. You can watch us live on Google+, Universe Today, or the Universe Today YouTube page.

You can join in the discussion between episodes over at our Weekly Space Hangout Crew group in G+, and suggest your ideas for stories we can discuss each week!