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Blue Dot: Mars science in 2024: Perseverance and Curiosity rovers and Mars Odyssey orbiter

Perseverance Rover Self Portrait
NASA
/
JPL
Perseverance Rover Self Portrait

We get an update on NASA's explorations of Mars in 2024 as Host Dave Schlom visits with two scientists and an engineer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. We checked in on the Perseverance Rover, which has been exploring Jezero Crater since February 2021, with Deputy Project Scientist Katie Stack Morgan.

Then Dave visits with Abigail Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity, Percy's older sibling who has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012. Finally, we get an orbital perspective on the red planet with Joseph Hunt, Project Manager for the Mars Odyssey orbiter, who has circled Mars since 2001. It's a fascinating look at the state of science on the pale red dot!

Dave Schlom is the longtime host and creator of Blue Dot. From surfing to Voyager in interstellar space, rock guitar to orcas in our imperiled oceans, the topics on Blue Dot are as varied as the host’s interests and connections -- which are pretty limitless! An internationally respected space history journalist, Dave is also deeply fascinated by all aspects of the grand workings of nature’s awesome machinery on scales ranging from galactic to subatomic. And topics take in all aspects of the arts and sciences.
Matt Fidler is a producer and sound designer with over 15 years’ experience producing nationally distributed public radio programs. He has worked for shows such as Freakonomics Radio, Selected Shorts, Studio 360, The New Yorker Radio Hour and The Takeaway. In 2017, Matt launched the language podcast Very Bad Words, hitting the #28 spot in the iTunes podcast charts.