A surprising look inside the atmosphere of a distant sub-Neptune.

This week on Planetary Radio.

I'm Sarah Al-Ahmad of the Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar system and beyond.

This week we explore TOI 270D, an exoplanet observed by JWST that's giving scientists a window into the most common type of exoplanet in our galaxy, sub-Neptunes.

I speak with Chris Glein, principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute,

and lead author on a new pre-print paper that blends atmospheric chemistry, geophysics,

and Earth-based analogs to decode this mysterious world.

Surprisingly, figuring out whether or not an exoplanet hides an ocean of water or an ocean of magma can be really complex.

But with the right tools, we're getting closer to the answers.

Then we'll get a space policy update from Jack Corelli, our director of government relations.

He'll unpack the U.S. president's new skinny budget request.

It proposes a 24.3% cut to NASA overall, including a staggering 47%

reduction in its science program funding. That's the largest request cut in the agency's history.

We'll talk about what happens next and how scientists, advocates, and global partners are

pushing back.

And as always, we'll wrap up with What's Up with Bruce Betts and a brand new random space fact.

Before we move on, just a quick reminder to all of those asteroid hunters out there.

Proposals are open for the 2025 round of the Planetary Society's Shoemaker and Near Earth Object grant program,

but the deadline is fast approaching. If you're an amateur or a professional astronomer tracking near-earth

objects, you'll want to check it out. The deadline to apply is next week on May 14th.

You can learn more and download the request for proposals at planetary.org slash NEO grants.

Now, let's take a mental journey across the vast distances between stars to a world unlike our own. The exoplanet we're talking about today is

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