Amateur Astronomers protecting our home world this week on planetary Radio. Radio. Hi everyone, welcome to Public Radio's travel show that takes you to the final

frontier.

I'm Ed Kaplan of the Planetary Society. All over our planet so-called

amateur astronomers are watching the skies for near-Earth objects, asteroids and

comets that cross the path of Earth's orbit.

A lucky handful have had their observations aided by grants from the Planetary Society.

We'll talk with two of them.

Bruce Betts will join me at the other end of today's show for a

quick look at the night sky, which happens to include a comet, and we've got another

special space trivia contest prize. Emily Lachawalo will share news that has people in Japan celebrating and it has nothing

to do with the World Cup.

We'll visit with her right after we hear from Bill Nye about the same topics and another that has Bill worried about opportunities

to explore the outer solar system and other places where solar cells don't cut it.

Hey, Bill Nye, the planetary guy, now the executive director of the planetary society.

This is an exciting week in space exploration.

First of all, the Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency,

Jackson, successfully deployed a solar sale. Now, he's got to tell you,

deployment unfurling, paying out, getting it to open in the icy blackness of space

with a solar sail has been an old problem.

These things are so thin and delicate, and when you start unrolling them, the whole spacecraft shakes around.

Well, they did it.

They pulled it off.

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