Universe University

An after talk discussion with Konner Blunt from the Blunt Report on Halloween celebrations around the world, weather control, S.E.T.I. research, anthropomorphizing extraterrestrials, sleep paralysis, and UFOs. Special Guest: Konner Blunt.

In the late 1940s, the United States military began to take an interest in reports of unidentified flying objects or U.F.O.s which included multiple projects designed to investigate and evaluate the sightings. Despite the fact that many UFO sightings were cases of mistaken identity that could easily be explained away, a minority of them proved extremely perplexing to the U.S. government, leading some high level officials to consider the possibility that the Earth was being visited by extraterrestrials... and at the center of it all, there was one astronomer named J. Allen Hynek who struggled to bring his scientific expertise to bear on the mystery. REFERENCES: *'The UFO Phenomenon' * by George Constable, Time Life Books Inc. 'The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs' by Mark O'Connell 'Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base' by Annie Jacobsen 'Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program', New York Times by Helene Cooper

Guest Beth Gordon chats about her wildly popular Instagram account (Spacewhippet), space museums around the country, the significance of Apollo 11, and the future of human space travel. MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Spacewhippet.

Half a century ago this week, Apollo 11 set out to land on the moon. It was the culmination of hundreds of thousands of brilliant engineers working to make science fiction into science fact. But who were the three men who went on the journey? What did they experience during their epic journey to an alien world? And what significance does their historic mission have for humanity 50 years later? REFERENCES: *"What You Didn't Know About the Apollo 11 Mission" * by Charles Fishman https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-you-didnt-know-about-apollo-11-mission-fifty-years-ago-180972165/ 'The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space' by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis 'Somebody Else is on the Moon' by George H. Leonard Sergei Korolev: the Rocket Genius Behind Yuri Gagarin (2011) Guardian article by Robin McKie 'NOVA: To the Moon' (1997) PBS documentary 'The Engines that Came in From the Cold' (2001) documentary 'CuriousDroid' Youtube Channel MUSIC: "Shores of Avalon" Kevi

Michael Tremmel has a Bachelors Degree in physics and math from Northwestern University as well as a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Washington. He has written several publications in astrophysics journals about supermassive black holes and galaxy evolution. In this episode, he talks about popular misconceptions about black holes as well as the fabric of space-time itself. https://mtremmel.github.io/?fbclid=IwAR28u5BxUtzszdCv924Xm4gMKExL-VngRHkzwH20kJDuS6p6LUxDmfFnRcc For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Michael Tremmel.

A European patent clerk with an overactive imagination revealed to the world the very fabric of space and time. But decades later, the discovery of black holes would reveal far more challenging facts about the nature of our universe: gaping holes in the very fabric of reality itself. Within the depths of black holes, we might find the keys to a comprehensive and unifiying understanding of quantum mechanics and General Relativity... or we might find a window to oblivion. PHOTO CAPTION: X-ray emissions as captured by the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory. REFERENCES: "The Curious History of Relativity: How Einstein's Theory of Gravity was Lost and Then Found Again" by Jean Eisenstaedt "Cygnus X-1" StarDate.org http://blackholes.stardate.org/objects/factsheet-Cygnus-X-1.html "Case Study: John Michell and Black Holes" amnh.org https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/cosmic-horizons/case-study-john-michell-and-black-holes MUSIC: "Ossuary 6 - Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under

Guest Konner Blunt joins Chris and Blake for the after talk to discuss Pluto, the discipline of science, and life on Mars. Please listen to his shows at: iTunes:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blunt-report/id1396353716 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAxZDojccGJFJVcvYHUXPw Twitter: https://twitter.com/blunt_report Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluntreport/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebluntreport/ For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Guest: Konner Blunt.

Discovered by an American farm boy in his early 20s, Pluto has captivated us for quite some time... but astronomers would later discover many other strange worlds within the outer boundaries of the solar system. And the mere existence of these worlds led to one of the greatest controveries in the history of astronomy. *PHOTO CAPTION: * Pluto's mountain range (11,000 foot elevation) at sunset. *REFERENCES: * *"Out of Darkness: The Planet Pluto" * Clyde Tombaugh *"How I Killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming" * Michael E. Brown *MUSIC: * "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Americana" Kevin MacLeod (

In a longer than average after talk; Host and Producer discuss the famous 'face' on Mars, the Space Exploration Initiative under President Bush, NERVA nuclear rockets, the problem of space junk, finding life on other planets, and the options for traveling to Mars. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Young entrepreneur Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the hopes of building his own rockets and sending human beings to Mars. In the 21st century alone, we have seen startling revelations about the red planet. But Musk would soon find out that rocketry is a tedious and difficult business. Today, he has plans to send human beings to Mars... but just making the journey there, let alone landing on its surface, could prove to be the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space *REFERENCES: * "The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must " by Robert Zubrin "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future" By Ashlee Vance *MUSIC: * "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1 - A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ht

Guest Vera Demchenko joins the after talk to discuss her work at the famous Green Bank Observatory, life on Mars, Elon Musk, and the value of space exploration. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

For some time now, human beings have been fascinated by the planet Mars, from its earthlike features to its potential for alien life. This world may hold vital clues as to whether or not human beings are alone in the universe. We've sent robots to explore the red planet, yet human beings have never set foot on its surface. If humans ever make it to this remote planet, it will be due to the dedicated efforts of a few bold and brilliant figures in our recent history. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: Elon Musk's signature in the sand of another world. *REFERENCES: * "The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must " by Robert Zubrin "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future" By Ashlee Vance "A Brief History of Mars Missions" Space.com "Mars and Its Canals" by Percival Lowell MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons

Host and Producer discuss space stations (including China's national space station), nuclear technology used for peaceful purposes, and Orion starships. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space CORRECTIONS: The "Colorado Skies" series still exists at the Fiske Planetarium. "A Closer Look" is just a separate series. Our Mars episode will likely be released in February, not January. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ REFERENCE: "Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship" By George Dyson

Since the dawn of the space age, the governments and militaries of the world have prepared for war in outer space: from the early days of the Cold War to America's Air Force in the 21st century... from anti-satellite weapons to Soviet military space stations. One military space vehicle was even designed that could carry human beings to the stars... or annihilate the entire human race. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: Sketch of a Project Orion spacecraft *REFERENCES: * "Astrospies" NOVA, 2008 (Documentary) "Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship" By George Dyson *MUSIC: * "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Not As It Seems" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1 - A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License

Host and producer discuss Giordano Bruno's mystical beliefs, Neil deGrasse Tyson's politics, star gazing, light pollution, paradigm shifts in science, and the bible. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ REFERENCES: 'The Great Myths 3: Giordano Bruno was a Martyr for Science' by Tim O'Neill historyforatheists.com 'A Burning Obsession: Cosmos and its Metaphysical Baggage' by Peter Hess ncse.com 'Copernicus and His World' (documentary) Open University (OU) and BBC London

For centuries, humanity concieved of a cosmos with a fixed earth at its center with stars and planets orbiting around it. Then one day, an obscure Polish priest proposed an outlandish new theory. But it was Galileo and his telescope that would provide the ultimate proof for this radical theory when he bore witness to the universe as it truly existed. Galileo boldly challenged the Catholic Church's view of the universe... in the process, he gave birth to modern astronomy. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: The first known diagram to depict a heliocentric (sun centered) universe. MUSIC: "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Hidden Past" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Co

For over a millenium, our understanding of the universe and our place within it had been deeply flawed. A few pioneers in astronomy concieved of the universe in a different way, challenging the established order. Yet one of them was more brazen than all the others. His name was Galileo and he is considered the father of modern science... but in the eyes of the Catholic Church, he was also a heretic. Join us for Episode 5: The Heretic on November 19th. "Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Host and producer talk about moon landings, review the film 'First Man', Space X, talk recent news about the Soyuz, and look forward towards future episodes. CORRECTION: In reality, Neil Armstrong did not bring a bracelet from his deceased daughter along with him to the moon, as portrayed in the film 'First Man'. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity MUSIC: "Slow Burn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In the thrilling conclusion to our three part series, the space race comes to a conclusive end with the first attempts to send human beings to the moon. In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union's once unstoppable space program suffered a serious setback but they were determined to press on. In America, Von Braun's Saturn V rocket was completed and tested. After the Apollo 1 tragedy, NASA decided to make a bold move to save the space program. Yet even as the Soviet Union lagged behind in the space race, they still had a few tricks up their sleeve. For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: Universe University's producer stands next to a Saturn V F-1 rocket engine at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. MUSIC: "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunder Dreams" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Lice