Need a new space station? Pump it up, this week on planetary radio.

Welcome to the travel show that takes you to the Final Frontier.

I'm at Kaplan to the Final Frontier.

I'm at Kaplan of the Planetary Society.

Join me at the sprawling headquarters of Bigelow Aerospace for a Bon Voyage party

and a conversation with Robert Bigelow, the pioneer of inflatable habitats for space, big ones.

Senior editor Emily Lockwala continues her reporting on what she found at last week's

Lunar and Planetary science conference.

In a couple of minutes, he'll tell us about the dramatic climax of the messenger mission.

The Mercury orbiting spacecraft is returning amazing science and images as it spirals down toward its doom.

Bruce Betts awaits with his what's up preview of an early April total lunar eclipse.

We'll begin with the briefest of hellos from Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye, the Science

Guy, checking him by mobile phone from a train. Bill, tell us why you are on the train headed

to Washington DC.

Yes yes yes because the Planetary Society is sponsoring a workshop and we have assembled

the real deal people not people not to be critical of my fellow citizens but not people don't really

know what's going on and we're going to really take into account the budget and how long it will

take to sustain funding on a real mission to Mars.

It's very exciting.

And we'll be doing it for two days.

With results coming later in the year, listen, this connection is so poor that I think I'll let you go, but we'll look forward to getting

a report next week.

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