Space Wonders - an ESA podcast collection

Ripples in the fabric of reality, distant galaxies acting as lenses, and filaments of galaxies stretching across the cosmos – gravity is more than just the force that keeps us from floating off the surface of Earth. In this final episode of Expedition Sound, we venture out into deep space and explore some of the extraordinary phenomena caused by gravity that we can observe with ESA’s space missions.

Guided by a sonification of a collage of so-called Einstein Rings, we explore how gravity shapes the large-scale structure of the Universe and how ESA’s Euclid space telescope reveals objects that would otherwise remain hidden from view.

Along the way, we learn from Valeria Pettorino, Project Scientist of Euclid, about gravitational lensing, Einstein rings and the cosmic web of galaxies that stretches across the Universe.

In a conversation with Lorenzo Speri, Research Fellow working on ESA's upcoming LISA mission, we learn from each other through a sonification exchange. Lorenzo teaches us about gravitational waves through sound, and together we discuss how sonification can help us understand phenomena that are difficult to observe directly, while opening new doors to experiencing and communicating science.

 

Hosted by Zsófi Szalavári

 

Check out the image that the sonification illustrates here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/03/Strong_gravitational_lenses_captured_by_Euclid For the sonification, only 35 of the 112 images were used.

Learn more about ESA’s Euclid mission: esa.int/Euclid

Learn more about ESA’s LISA mission: esa.int/LISA

Citizen Science project ‘Space Warps’: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid/Euclid_Space_Warps_help_spot_galaxies_bending_spacetime

 

Many thanks to Klaus Nielsen (DTU Space / Maple Pools) and Parsa Emamdadi for making the sonification in this episode. If you would like to hear more sonifications and music by Klaus, please visit: https://linktr.ee/maplepools 

Original theme music produced by Marci Szalavári (https://soundcloud.com/septrone-hd).

 

Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – we travel from our Sun out into the depths of space to uncover what the space telescopes of ESA’s science missions teach us about the Universe.

Wobbling stars and distant worlds – in this episode of Expedition Sound, we leave the planets of our Solar System behind and venture out into our home galaxy to explore the stars and exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. Through the sonification of so-called starquakes observed by the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope, we explore what we can learn from listening to the heartbeat of stars and how astronomers uncover clues about their age, structure and life story.

We hear from Sarah Kane, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, who studies stars using data from ESA's Gaia mission. Sarah shares how starquakes can help astronomers learn about the ages of stars and reflects on her experiences doing astronomical research as a scientist with a visual impairment.

We also meet Maximilian Günther, Project Scientist for ESA's upcoming Plato mission, to explore what we can learn from studying exoplanets and how missions such as Gaia and Plato are helping us piece together the story of worlds so far from our own.

 

Hosted by Zsófi Szalavári

 

Check out the sonification by Joey Mombarg here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2022/06/Gaia_sees_starquakes

Learn more about ESA’s Gaia mission: esa.int/Gaia

Learn more about ESA’s Plato mission: esa.int/Plato

 

Original theme music produced by Marci Szalavári (https://soundcloud.com/septrone-hd).

 

Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – we travel from our Sun out into the depths of space to uncover what the space telescopes of ESA’s science missions teach us about the Universe.

We get as close as possible to travelling aboard a spacecraft, experiencing what it would be like to fly towards planet Mercury. Through a sonification of data collected during ESA/JAXA BepiColombo’s sixth flyby, we can almost feel the spacecraft shaking and the rocky planet’s gravity tugging on it.

In this episode of Expedition Sound, we explore the planets of our Solar System and make a stop at planet Mercury. Blasted by the Sun's intense heat and shaped by a magnetic field unlike any other rocky planet’s, this small world is a place that still holds many mysteries.

We hear from BepiColombo Project Scientist Geraint Jones about which of Mercury's mysteries the mission will help scientists unravel, and about what hearing the spacecraft approach the planet is like for someone so involved in the mission. In this episode, we also talk with Ben Ruggles, who was an undergraduate student at the University of Portsmouth, UK, at the time of recording. Ben explains how he uses sonification in his astronomy research as a scientist with a visual impairment, and discusses the challenges of collaborating with others while doing science through sound.

 

Hosted by Zsófi Szalavári

 

Check out the sonification by Carmelo Magnafico (IAPS/INAF) here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/01/The_sounds_of_BepiColombo_s_sixth_flight_past_Mercury

Learn more about the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission: esa.int/BepiColombo

Find out more about STRAUSS, the sonification tool that Ben is using for his research: https://www.audiouniverse.org/our-research-and-code/strauss-code

 

Original theme music produced by Marci Szalavári (https://soundcloud.com/septrone-hd).

Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – we travel from our Sun out into the depths of space to uncover what the space telescopes of ESA’s science missions teach us about the Universe.

Guided by a sonification created with data from the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission, we explore some of the mysteries of our Sun, how Solar Orbiter is studying them, and how sound can make astronomy more accessible.

In this episode of Expedition Sound, we set off on our first journey of this podcast series and travel to the Sun – our familiar, friendly neighbourhood star.

Along the way, we meet one of Solar Orbiter’s project scientists Miho Janvier, who helps us uncover the science behind solar flares, the solar cycle, and the mysteries that scientists are still trying to solve about the Sun. We also hear from Nic Bonne, a blind astronomer and science communicator at the University of Portsmouth, about how sonification can open new doors to astronomy and create richer ways for everyone to experience the Universe.

 

Hosted by Zsófi Szalavári

 

Check out the sonification of this episode here: esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2024/12/See_and_hear_three_years_of_solar_fireworks

Learn more about ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission: esa.int/SolarOrbiter

Learn more about ESA’s Smile mission: esa.int/Smile

Find out more about Nic Bonne’s Tactile Universe project: tactileuniverse.org/

 

Many thanks to Klaus Nielsen (DTU Space / Maple Pools) for making the sonification in this episode. If you would like to hear more sonifications and music by this artist, please visit: linktr.ee/maplepools 

 

Original theme music produced by Marci Szalavári (soundcloud.com/septrone-hd).

 

Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – we travel from our Sun out into the depths of space to uncover what the space telescopes of ESA’s science missions teach us about the Universe.

We talk to Julia Schwartz, expert in flight dynamics, and Klaus Merz, space debris, about Solar Orbiter's upcoming risky Earth flyby. On 27 Nov, it will pass almost as close as the International Space Station in one of the closest flybys on record, which will see the spacecraft pass through two regions of hazardous debris. Could Solar Orbiter swerve from collision, if needed? Has the recent 'fragmentation event' increased the risk?

A year ago today, a failure on the Integral spacecraft meant it fired its thrusters for likely the last time. Hear Richard Southworth, Operations Manager for the mission explain how in the 365 days since, the spacecraft in Earth orbit has continued to shed light on the violent gamma ray Universe.

Not only that, Integral should soon be working even more efficiently than before, as mission control teams implement an ingenious new way to control the 18-year-old spacecraft.

ESA needs you. We need a name for our new spacecraft. Its mission? To spot potentially hazardous solar storms before they reach Earth.

We speak to Jussi Luntama, ESA's Head of Space Weather about the mission, why it needs a new name, and what kind of submissions he's hoping for.

Submit your proposal at: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_weather/Name_ESA_s_new_mission

Once every two years, asteroid experts around the globe meet up and pretend an asteroid impact is imminent. Why? To prepare for the likely – but plausible – scenario in which this comes true.

In this episode, we speak about the hypothetical impact scenario playing out at this year's Planetary Defense Conference and why it matters, with Detlef Koschny, ESA's Head of Planetary Defence.

Get the full story on hypothetical asteroid 2021 PDC on the Rocket Science blog: https://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2021/04/26/deep-fake-impact/

André Kuipers is one of a handful of astronauts who has had to 'shelter-in-place' from a piece of marauding space debris.

In 2012, a debris fragment was spotted heading towards the International Space Station. Its orbit was hard to predict but it looked like it could pass at a distance of approximately 10 kilometres: that meant code red.

ESA astronaut André, along with his fellow passengers, had to seek shelter in the two Soyuz spaceships which function as safe houses and as lifeboats. Fortunately, the debris passed safely by. We spoke to André about what this experience was like, and also to his wife Helen who recounts the exact moment she found out.

In the final episode of the ESA-UNOOSA podcast on space debris, Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, and Simonetta di Pippo, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, discuss this topic of global concern.

What are the two leading organisations doing to tackle space debris? What more needs to be done? Is there reason to be hopeful?

Space may seem vast, but the orbits around Earth in which satellites reside are a limited natural resource. Since the beginning of the space age, millions of debris fragments have been created which now threaten any spacecraft that crosses their path.

So what can we do to protect these vulnerable regions for future generations? Find out in episode nine of the ESA-UNOOSA space debris series, with Stijn Lemmens and Tanya Keusen.

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…ainability_of_space

Humans in space have a lot to contend with, and for those orbiting in low-Earth orbit, space debris is a real concern.

So what's the risk to astronauts on-board the International Space Station? How safe are they when they perform a space walk, and what are the "clanking" sounds they report hearing? Find out in episode 8 of the ESA-UNOOSA space debris podcast with Vitali Braun and Ottavia Pesce.

While you listen, check out the corresponding infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…d_human_spaceflight

**Links referred to in the podcast:

The robotic arm on the International Space Station checks the Columbus module for signs of impact: www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Hun…_science_laboratory

The 7 mm-diameter impact chip in the Cupola of the ISS, gouged out by a tiny piece of space debris: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…p#.YGQpHyPoJgY.link

Debris in orbit varies from millions of millimetre-sized particles to thousands of much larger objects like defunct satellites and rocket parts. As such the damage debris can cause varies from a gradual degradation of satellite parts over time to immediate and total destruction.

Find out about the damage debris can do - including leading to the "Kessler syndrome" - in episode 7 of the ESA-UN space debris podcast with Beatriz Jilete and Markus Woltran.

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…act_of_space_debris

The millions of fragments of debris in orbit today are the direct result of 'fragmentation events' in the past. But how do we know what caused the 550 known, debris-creating events to date? And what can we learn from them?

In episode 6 of the ESA-UNOOSA space debris series, Vitali Braun and Jorge del Rio Vera discuss the various past events that have lead to today's debris environment, and what we can expect in the future.

While you listen, check out the corresponding infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…ace_debris_creation.

What goes up, nearly always comes back down. Roughly 100 satellites and rocket bodies reentered Earth's atmosphere every year in the last decade. It might sound scary, but atmospheric reentries are nothing to be worried about - in fact they are a fundamental tool in minimising the creation of space debris and ensuring a sustainable future in space.

In this podcast, episode 5 in the ESA-UN space debris series, Stijn Lemmens and Jorge del Rio Vera it discuss the risk from reentries and why they are so important.

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…e_role_of_reentries.

Since the beginning of the space age, with the launch of Sputnik in 1957, we have launched thousands of rockets carrying more than ten thousand satellites into space.

In recent years, this number has dramatically increased, as well as the variety of missions being flown. In this podcast, episode #4 in the ESA-UNOOSA space debris series, Ian Freeman and Francesca Letizia discuss what these changes mean for the future of spaceflight and the creation of space debris, While you listen, check out the corresponding infographic that illustrates this topic: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/03/We_re_launching_more_than_ever#.YD9ND2zPUaw.link

Space might seem an empty, vast expanse, but satellites in Earth's orbit face the constant risk of collision - with other satellites and rockets, dead or alive, or with fragments of their debris.

It is now routine for operators of spacecraft in busy highways to divert their mission out of harms way. In fact at ESA, each mission flown performs on average two 'collision avoidance manoeuvres' per year.

In this podcast, episode 3 in the ESA-UN space debris series, Benjamin Bastida Virgili and Hazuki Mori discuss the cost of these manoeuvres and what can be done.

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic.

Our planet's atmosphere gradually slows down satellites in orbit and brings them back down to Earth. However, depending on their altitude, this process can take an extremely long time. Had the dinosaurs launched a satellite into the furthest geostationary orbit, it would still be up there today. So, what do we do with spacecraft once they reach the end of their lives?

In episode 2 in our ESA-UN space debris series, Francesca Letizia and Xing-Yi Ang discuss the problem of slowly returning satellites, and what needs to be done to responsibly dispose of them at the end of their lives.

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic.

Satellites in orbit share near-Earth space with millions of fast-moving and dangerous debris objects. Tim Flohrer, Head of ESA's Space Debris Office, and Nathalie Ricard, Scientific Officer at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), discuss the scale of the debris problem, asking what are our satellites are up against?

While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic.