Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that advanced civilizations, in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, would convert their solar system into a megastructure enclosing their star. This gave rise to the concept of megastructures, many of which have been theorized over the years. These hypothetical structures are one of many technosignatures SETI researchers are on the lookout for as they probe the stars for signs of intelligent life.

Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that advanced civilizations, in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, would convert their solar system into a megastructure enclosing their star. This came to be known as a "Dyson's Sphere," a concept that inspired countless variations and other megastructure concepts. In this week's episode, we delve into some of the more exotic ideas and how they could be searched for by SETI researchers.

In the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), scientists need to consider what technologies they should look for, including those used by a more advanced species. This has spawned the idea of Megastructures, which was first proposed in the 1960s by theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson (who proposed the Dyson Sphere). Since then, many variations and other possible Megastructures have been proposed, all of which are fascinating and fun to think about!

Dr. Shawna Pandya is an aeromedical transport physician, a neurosurgery and emergency medic, leader of the an aquanaut with NASA's NEEMO analog missions, director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences' (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be Canada's first female commercial astronaut. She's also a black belt martial artist in Taekwon-Do, an analog astronaut, and an explorer. During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space, and what the future holds for humans living and working offworld.

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics!

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics!

The White House recently released its budget for FY 2026, which has led to significant concerns at NASA as it recommends significant cuts to international programs, education, and research. In addition, many of these cuts call for the cancellation of key elements of NASA's Artemis Program and its plans for sending crewed missions to Mars. This includes the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, and the Lunar Gateway.

The Kerbal Space Program is currently used as an educational tool to teach about spacecraft and mission design. But as Dr. Schmitt tells us, it should be used as a method for designing whole mission architectures. For years, Schmitt has relied on KSP and its realism mods to design and simulate missions, including those that will take astronauts back to the Moon!

In Earth's orbit, there are millions of debris objects that pose a collision risk for satellites and space stations. If left unchecked, the situation could lead to a cascading effect known as Kessler Syndrome. While space agencies worldwide track and monitor objects in orbit to prevent collisions, strategies for active debris removal are needed and many are being researched.

Moriba Jah is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin. He's also a major advocate for the "stewardship" of Earth and space.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most complex and powerful space observatory ever deployed. What it has discovered since it commenced operations has been nothing short of groundbreaking!

Keith Cowing has been one of NASA's most vocal critics for decades. Together, we discussed what the future may hold for NASA and its ambitious exploration programs.

Keith Cowing, a former NASA scientist and the creator of NASAWatch, has been a part of the space sector for decades. He's also one of NASA's most vocal critics.

Dr. Will Grundy, an astronomer and planetary scientist with the Lowell Observatory and a member of the New Horizons team, has been studying Pluto his entire professional life.

Stations in space that allow for long-duration stays and a permanent human presence throughout the Solar System are a time-honored concept. The concept achieved fruition by the late 20th century.

Wormholes, portals in spacetime that allow for faster-than-light travel, are a staple of science fiction. But what does the science say about them?

Red dwarf stars are the most common in the Universe, and are pretty good at forming rocky planets in their habitable zones (HZs). This includes Proxima b (the closest exoplanet to our Solar System)

The dream of interstellar travel, of reaching another star system and setting foot on another world, has been with us for centuries. Since before the Space Age, several concepts have been proposed.

Kenneth Goodis Gordon is a Ph.D. candidate with the University of Central Florida's Planetary Science Group. His research focuses on exoplanets and the search for life in the cosmos (astrobiology).

In 1966, NASA and the Soviet space program focused all of their efforts on getting to the Moon first. On July 20th, 1969, Americans succeeded and landed the first astronauts on the lunar surface.