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Small Steps, Giant Leaps

NASA’s technical workforce put boots on the Moon, tire tracks on Mars, and the first reusable spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. Learn what’s next as they build missions that redefine the future with amazing discoveries and remarkable innovations.

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Episode 160Aug 6, 2025

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 159: StarBurst: Gamma-ray Hunter

StarBurst, a satellite the size of a washing machine, aims to detect the initial blast of gamma-rays, the most powerful bursts of energy in the universe. These cataclysmic explosions can occur when dense neutron stars collide, forging metals like gold and platinum.

Episode 159Jul 23, 2025

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 158: Hubble: An Engineering Marvel

The Hubble Space Telescope has changed humanity’s understanding of the universe. Now in orbit for 35 years, it remains a remarkable feat of engineering.

Episode 157Jul 9, 2025

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 157: Fighting Wildland Fires with Drones

Fighting wildland fires by air at night is especially hazardous. NASA’s ACERO Project aims to make firefighting safer – day or night – with drones and smarter airspace management.

Episode 156Jun 25, 2025

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 156: A New Era of X-ray Astronomy with IXPE

IXPE, or the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, is NASA’s first space telescope dedicated to studying X-ray polarization from extreme objects like black holes and quasars.