Space Case

“2001” and Artificial Intelligence

WSUM — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:04:04 -0500

Artificial Intelligence is common in science fiction, with one of the most famous cases being HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” AI is a topic of much debate and controversy today, but does it have applications in space exploration and technology?

“Gravity” and Astrophysics

WSUM — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 12:25:49 -0500

“Gravity” depicts a scientist’s fight against the forces of the universe while orbiting Earth. Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of the universe, and it works in some unexpected ways.

“Outer Wilds” (yes, again) and the History of the Universe

WSUM — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 14:14:43 -0500

“Outer Wilds” makes predictions for a universe not dissimilar from our own. Our universe is very vast and very, very old, with a long and fascinating history. But what is the future of such a universe?

Probes and Space Telescopes Pt. 2

WSUM — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:07:36 -0500

Continuing our discussion of probes and space telescopes. Two space telescopes that often go unrecognized in the face of the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble, as well as two probe missions to parts yet unexplored.

“Andor” and Ground Telescopes

WSUM — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:07:00 -0500

“Andor” is a Star Wars show exploring the tactics of fascism and imperial powers. As a separate topic, a number of ground telescopes tend to be overshadowed by their space-borne siblings. Even so, ground telescopes contribute a large amount to the field of astronomy

“Wall-E” and Climate Change

WSUM — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 13:13:43 -0500

“Wall-E” follows a little robot who cleans up trash in what is left of the Earth after an environmental disaster. While this is an extreme example, climate change occurs every day on Earth. While it may seem hopeless sometimes, there are ways to fight climate change.

“2010” and Rocket Science

WSUM — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:40:37 -0500

In many sci-fi movies, including “2010: The Year We Made Contact,” astronauts pull daring maneuvers in rockets and spaceships. While we aren’t there quite yet, rocket launches are becoming more and more routine, even for amateurs.

“The Europa Report” and Life in Space

WSUM — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:38:53 -0500

In “The Europa Report,” a team of scientists heads to Europa to find evidence of life. What they find is far beyond their capabilities. We’re still trying to confirm the existence of life in space, but we may be closer than you think…

“Arrival,” Aliens, and Linguistics

WSUM — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 11:46:33 -0500

In “Arrival,” a linguist is given a task of planetary importance: deciphering the language of aliens who have come to Earth for unknown reasons. Linguistics may not be all Hollywood chalks it up to be, but there is actual language science to dissect from the movie’s aliens.

"Slingshot,” Titan, and Saturn

WSUM — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 18:30:15 -0500

In "Slingshot” three astronauts (or maybe just one?) embark on a voyage to Saturn’s moon Titan to retrieve methane. We tour the beauty that is Saturn, and its unique moons, like Titan.

"Cosmos" and Amateur Astronomy

WSUM — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:11:48 -0500

In "Cosmos," three amateur astronomers find evidence of extraterrestrial life. Amateur Astronomy may not be that glamorous, but there’s still lots to explore with just a telescope.

"Star Trek", probes, and space telescopes

WSUM — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 14:23:01 -0500

In "Star Trek: the Motion Picture," the crew of the iconic USS Enterprise face off against a human probe returned to destroy Earth. While that probe was not actually made, humans have sent a number of machines into the stars.

"The Martian" and the Red Planet

WSUM — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 14:21:28 -0500

In “The Martian”, a stranded astronaut must fight to survive on a hostile world. In reality, NASA is working to put humans on Mars in the next decade.

"Outer Wilds" (again) and the outer Solar System

WSUM — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:29:22 -0500

In Outer Wilds, a satellite goes undiscovered because it orbits vertically, while the planets orbit horizontally. In reality, some outer solar system objects have gone undiscovered because of their orbits.

History of Astronomy, pt. 2

WSUM — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:37:41 -0500

Continuing our discussion of the history of astronomy, we talk about the “Dark Ages” and highlight later figures like Copernicus, Galileo, and Einstein.

"Star Wars" and Galaxies

WSUM — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:36:06 -0500

In a galaxy far, far away, the forces of good and evil fight for control. In some not so far, far away, there is plenty for humanity to explore.

"Hidden Figures" and the History of Astronomy, pt. 1

WSUM — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 18:20:53 -0600

"Hidden Figures" tells the (exaggerated) story of three Black women who made history at NASA. We dive into different cultures’ historical impacts on astronomy.

"Cowboy Bebop" and the major Jovian Moons

WSUM — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:04:06 -0600

"Cowboy Bebop” is a jazzy sci-fi Western about bounty hunters in our solar system, sometimes on Jupiter’s moons. Each of the four biggest moons is unique, with features that make them stand out in our solar system.

The Dark Spaces - Dark Matter

WSUM — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:16:14 -0600

Most of space is just that - empty space. But there’s a lot more there that we just can’t see: dark matter.

"Interstellar" and Black Holes

WSUM — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 16:39:31 -0600

"Interstellar," a Christopher Nolan movie, focuses heavily on a black hole and the planets around it. Black holes have to come from somewhere, marking the end of a star’s long life cycle.

"Outer Wilds" and Exoplanets

WSUM — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 16:37:41 -0600

"Outer Wilds" is a video game about exploring a solar system full of unique planets. Meanwhile, we’re confirming the existence of new exoplanets faster than ever.

"The Silent Sea" and Moon Missions

WSUM — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 16:36:28 -0600

"The Silent Sea," a Netflix series, follows a group of astronauts on an ill-fated mission to Earth’s Moon. In the real world, NASA has big plans in the coming years for the Moon.