World Space Week and farewell to Swift episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 2, 2026 · 1H 4M

World Space Week and farewell to Swift

from Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science · host The Planetary Society

Dennis Stone, president and co-founder of the World Space Week Association, takes us behind the scenes of the largest annual space event on Earth. From its origins as a volunteer effort in Houston to a UN-declared celebration reaching 50,000 events in over 100 countries, Dennis shares how World Space Week inspires the next generation, and how you can get involved this Oct. 4 through 10. Then, Science Editor Asa Stahl breaks down the end of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the 21-year-old space telescope that's falling out of orbit after a bold rescue mission fell short. Plus, Chief Scientist Bruce Betts looks back at a milestone centennial in this week's What's Up, 100 years since Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2026-world-space-week-and-swiftSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 2, 2026

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Dennis Stone, president and co-founder of the World Space Week Association, shares how the largest annual space event on Earth came to be and how you can join the celebration this October. Plus, Science Editor Asa Stahl walks us through the final chapter of the Swift space telescope.

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World Space Week and farewell to Swift

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This episode was published on September 2, 2026.

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