Getting a taste of a super Earth's air this week onetary radio. Welcome to Public Radio's travel show that takes you to the final frontier.

I'm Matt Kaplan of the Planetary Society.

Astronomer Jacob Bean leads a team that has begun the very first atmospheric analysis of an

extrasolar planet that is not much bigger than our own. We'll talk to him about this ongoing

work. You'll never guess what's in store on today's edition of What's Up with Bruce Betts.

No, really, you wouldn't guess it in a million years.

And Bill Nye is just a couple of minutes away.

He'll commemorate the loss of American astronauts

in the three missions whose anniversaries are all remembered in this week, including the just past 25th anniversary

of the Challenger disaster.

Normally we'd be turning to Emily Loch Duwala right about now.

Unfortunately, she is a bit under the weather and asked for a break. So a quick review of the Planetary Society blog falls to yours truly.

Emily does want you to know that the February edition of her own What's Up

is almost ready to post at planetary.org slash blog.

Watch for this always excellent review of current missions around our solar system.

It is sure to include Star Dust, which is nearing its February 15 encounter with Comet Temple 1.

The spacecraft has just cited its objective. You can see the images in one of Emily's January 26 blog entries.

We'll link to it from the show page.

Also on the 26th, a self-portrait taken by Ikeros. the want to read a unique remembrance of the Challenger disaster by a scientist.

He tells Emily he was at the Jet Propulsion Lab on January 28, 1986.

He had been watching the images of Uranus being returned by Voyager 2 when he switched a tiny TV

monitor over to the space shuttle launch.

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