February 20, 2017 7:49 pm

Tuesday, Bill Nye and Eugene Mirman take the StarTalk All-Stars to Awesome Con… and beyond!

Last summer, Washington D.C.’s annual Comic Con, Awesome  Con, hosted a truly awesome event. And yes, it was more awesome than this awesome wordplay, I promise.

For StarTalk’s first appearance at the Con, Bill Nye and Eugene Mirman invited a panel of scientists and comedians which included former Deputy Administrator of NASA Dr. Dava Newman, All-Stars host astrobiologist David Grinspoon, better known as Dr. FunkySpoon, comedian Jo Firestone, and comedian Hari Kondabolu.

Before we got to Mars, because after all, it was Awesome Con, Bill couldn’t help but wonder about everyone’s favorite superhero. Dava didn’t disappoint with her answer and explanation of “Elasti-Spider-Bat-Girl” and Eugene wondered if Batman can fly or just fall really well. David shared his thoughts on Planet Girl/Planet Boy before revealing his own superpowers.

Then it was time to set our sights on the red planet. During her time as Deputy Administrator at NASA, Dava was responsible for conjuring up the plan for the Journey to Mars. She gave details on all aspects of her responsibilities for that undertaking including technology creation, working with Congress, and creating international partnerships to promote a worldwide approach towards future space travel.

Next Bill and David discussed the similarities and differences of interplanetary space travel and early expeditions of European explorers. Tomorrow night, you’ll discover the challenge of sterilizing a rover being sent to Mars, the reason why it’s not possible to clean it completely, and how we deal with the possible microbes it’s bringing to Mars upon landing.

Explore the process of trying to find examples of past Martian life from possible fossils with Dava, while Bill ponders if we should also be preparing for the possibility of finding current Martian life.

Learn about the James Web Space Telescope and how it will be able to see into a distant planet’s atmosphere even when it’s only backlit by its home star. Closer to home, first time StarTalk guest Hari can’t get over how we are even able to have internet on the International Space Station.

You’ll also get insight from David on the bio-signatures of Earth and the “life cycles” that come with having an active geological planet. However, as you’ll hear, his hands have a lot to do with the explanation and our panel seems very intrigued by his visual demonstration, a reminder to our listeners that there’s no substitute to attending future live shows to get the full StarTalk Live! experience.

If you want to join the journey to Mars, then please join us tomorrow night for StarTalk All-Stars Live! at Awesome Con (Part One): To Mars and Beyond at 7pm EST right here on our website, as well as on our new All-Stars channel on iTunes Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And if you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

And remember, StarTalk All-Stars Live! at Awesome Con (Part One): To Mars and Beyond will conclude next week with Part Two.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
– Ian Mullen