Weekly Space Hangout – Sept 18, 2015: Planet Hunter Prof. Sara Seager

Host:

Fraser Cain (

@fcain

)

Special Guests:

Dr. Sara Seager, whose research focuses on computer models of exoplanet atmospheres, interiors, and biosignatures. Her favorite projects involve the search for planets like Earth with signs of life on them.

Guests:

Paul Sutter (

pmsutter.com

/

@PaulMattSutter

) Morgan Rehnberg (

cosmicchatter.org

/

@MorganRehnberg

) Pamela Gay (

cosmoquest.org

/

@cosmoquestx

/

@starstryder

)

This Week's Stories:

Yet another billionaire makes a rocket company

Yet another icy moon gets a global ocean

First crewed Orion mission delayed until 2023

International Observe the Moon Night and upcoming Eclipse

(not yet live)

Cassini Clocks Wind Speeds on Saturn

Stellar Discovery by Queen's Researcher

Misplaced Volcanoes on Jupiter's Moon Io

Globally Unique Double Crater Identified in Sweden

Curiosity Investigates Petrified Martian Sand Dunes, Contemplates Next Drill Campaign

The Space Review: Back from the brink: Akatsuki Returns to Venus

Astronomers Peer into the "Amniotic Sac" of a Planet-Hosting Star

Global Pluto Mosaic From New Hi Res Imagery Reveals Bewildering Diversity and Complexity

Rocky Planets may be Habitable Depending on their "Air Conditioning System"

A Taste of ESPRESSO

SDO Catches an Earth-Moon Double Photobomb

What happens to astronaut poop? NASA finally has an answer

Mercury Rotates Faster than Expected

Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne to utilize a dedicated aircraft

United Launch Alliance Picks US Rocket Engine Over Rival Russian One

US Military Foresees Robot-Run 'Transportation Hub' in Space

NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge

ESA Moon challenge

Philae's Descent: The Director's Cut

Andreas Mogensen Controls Ground Rover from Space

Cassini Finds Global Ocean in Saturn's Moon Enceladus

LRO discovers the Earth is "massaging" the Moon!

Nearby red dwarves could reveal planet secrets?

ROSETTA MISSION: Ptolemy sniffs next piece of the comet puzzle

SOHO's 3000th comet

A Shy Galactic Neighbour

The MARS Generation Website/Project/Non-Profit Organization Launches; Brainchild of 18-Year-Old Student Abigail Harrison (aka Astronaut Abby)

Watching an exoplanet in motion around a distant star

SEN is building a network of video cameras for spacecraft, primarily CubeSats, to create a space television network

Funky Light Signal From Colliding Black Holes Explained?

Blue Origin to Resurrect LC-36, Will Build & Fly Rockets & Spacecraft from Cape Canaveral

First Weld of Orion Exploration Mission-1 Crew Module

New support for converging black holes in Virgo constellation?

Pluto 'Wows' in Spectacular New Backlit Panorama

Big Iron gets technology boost

Living in space—and on Earth—is a balancing act

First manned flight of NASA's Orion may be delayed to 2023

A Peek Inside the Pluto Public Relations Machine

NH PROCESSED IMAGES on Twitter: "All in one #NewHorizons #PlutoFlyby #Pluto #NASA "

NASA Seeks Big Ideas from Students for Inflatable Heat Shield Technology

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

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.

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!

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today, founding the website in March 1999. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast.