Exploring our solar system
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC
4.7 • 9.4K Ratings
🗓️ 19 November 2022
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Infinite Monkey Cage teleports to California for this special episode recorded at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They are joined by comedian and talk-show host Conan O'Brien, alongside JPL's Dr Katie Stack Morgan and Dr Kevin Hand, and discuss the incredible missions that are hunting for signs of life within our own solar system. From the iconic Mars Rovers currently exploring the martian surface, to amazing future missions to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, the panel discuss the tantalising prospect of finding signs of life this close to home, and the incredible engineering and ingenuity that goes into planning these missions.
Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.5 | Welcome to the Infinite Monkey Cage, I'm Robin Inc. |
| 0:07.3 | And I'm Brian Cox. |
| 0:08.6 | Today we are at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a place that has |
| 0:12.9 | been at the centre of the robotic exploration of the solar system since the dawn of the |
| 0:16.6 | space age. |
| 0:18.0 | This is where the most iconic missions have been conceived, reconstructed and controlled. |
| 0:22.5 | JPL designed and built the first US satellite Explorer 1, launched on January 31, |
| 0:27.2 | in 1958, and followed that first flight with Ranger, Mariner, Viking, Voyager and Galileo |
| 0:33.0 | Cassini to name just a few. |
| 0:35.0 | JPL spacecraft are legends to anyone who loves the exploration of space. |
| 0:39.4 | Today JPL is operating amongst others the Juno spacecraft at Jupiter and the Curiosity |
| 0:43.9 | and Perseverance Rovers on Mars and constructing future missions, including the Europa Clipper, |
| 0:49.0 | to Jupiter's Moon Europa, a possible home for life. |
| 0:52.3 | And I can tell you that Brian Cox has never been happier than he is this morning. |
| 0:55.7 | The only reason he went into science communication was get closer to space rockets. |
| 0:59.6 | That's what you say. |
| 1:00.6 | Let's get the keys to go and see the space rockets. |
| 1:02.9 | He has just been smiling and giggling for the whole morning. |
| 1:05.9 | By the way, that's his impression of me. |
| 1:08.3 | Oh no, it's not. |
| 1:09.3 | My impression of you is the universe is filled with the shaniest things, but you'll all die. |
... |
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