Space Geek, Podcaster, YouTuber, JavaScript Developer. 🇨🇦 in 🇲🇽 Host @we_martians & @offnom
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Articles by Jake Robins
125 - Spiralling Down to Mercury (feat. Lina Hadid)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
124 - The Future of the Mars Program (feat. Scott Hubbard)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
123 - A Moon-Sized Opportunity (feat. Brett Denevi)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
122 - Uranus Awaits (feat. Amy Simon)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
120 - The Decadal Survey Part 1 (feat. Casey Dreier)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
119 - Cryovolcanism on Pluto (feat. Kelsi Singer)
Play Episode (36:07) New Horizons flew past Pluto in 2015 but work continues on discovering its secrets. One area of study is the activity of so called cryovolcanoes, icy mounds spewing liquidy water and reshaping Pluto's surface. Dr. Kelsi Singer, deputy project scientist for New Horizons, joins Jake to talk about her recent paper on the subject.
118 - Planetary Exploration at Rocket Lab (feat. Peter Beck)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
117 - Back to Venus (LPSC 2022)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
116 - China and the Planets (feat. Andrew Jones)
Play Episode (50:00) China has recently released a white paper outlining the next five years in spaceflight and it includes some interesting plans for the exploration of the planets. From lunar ambitions to Martian ones, Jupiter and beyond, China has big sights set. Andrew Jones returns to the show to talk about these plans and what China hopes to accomplish.
115 - Pieces of Mars (feat. Avi Okon)
Play Episode (50:23) The Perseverance rover has been exploring Mars for over a year now, and in that time it has collected six different rock cores. But these cores did not come easy, and Mars has thrown more than a couple curveballs at the rover operations team during this time. JPL's Avi Okon joins Jake to talk about these challenges, and how the sample caching system has performed throughout the first year.
114 - New Beginnings for MAVEN (feat. Shannon Curry)
Play Episode (46:39) NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is about to embark on its 5th extended mission observing the atmosphere of Mars, at a time when the sun's activity reaches a peak. The new PI for the mission, Dr. Shannon Curry, joins Jake to talk about this new mission, why it's so exciting, and how the work MAVEN is doing contributes to the overall exploration of our solar system.
113 - What Makes a Planet (feat. Phil Metzger)
Play Episode (50:48) In 2006, the IAU voted to define "Planet" in a way that had a profound impact on planetary science, most notably with regards to Pluto. But what is the story behind this decision, and why is it important to the field of exploration? Dr Phil Metzger joins Jake to talk about his new paper covering the very subject, and explains the context behind culture and science's different views on the subject.
112 - Artemis in 2022 (feat. Brendan Byrne and Emilee Speck)
NASA's flagship human spaceflight program Artemis got through a tough 2021 and has a challenging 2022 ahead of it. Space reporters Brendan Byrne and Emilee Speck join Jake to talk about these challenges, and what we're excited to cover in the year to come. • SpaceX lands SN10 only to have it exposed • Are We There Yet Learn about time on Mars! See live mission clocks, learn about sols and Mars years and solar longitude, and discover your Martian birthday! Visit Marsti.me, a new site from Jake.
There's More to Explore
There's More to Explore Jake talks about the decision to start covering more than just Mars in 2022. Learn about time on Mars! See live mission clocks, learn about sols and Mars years and solar longitude, and discover your Martian birthday! Visit Marsti.me, a new site from Jake. Celebrate Mariner 9's 50th anniversary with the Tharsis Planetary Park design at the WeMartians shop today! You can get it in a t-shirt or on a coffee mug.
Red Planet Review - Jan 1, 2022
In this free episode of Red Planet Review, Jakes keeps you up to date on Perseverance's new sample, Curiosity's holiday break, and the regulatory process for SpaceX big new rocket. Learn about time on Mars! See live mission clocks, learn about sols and Mars years and solar longitude, and discover your Martian birthday! Visit Marsti.me, a new site from Jake.
Sixty Years of BYU Studies Quarterly, 1959-2019
Publishing for scholarly audiences has a long history. Some propose that the first learned society on record was founded in Toulouse, France, in 1323. The Royal Society of London was established in 1660 and published Europe’s first scholarly journal five years later. In 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science published the journal Science, and since that time, the number of academic journals has proliferated. According to Philip G.
2021 Holiday Content
The holidays are here and we're on our break until the new year, but I don't want you to be without content! Listen in to some info about two other shows you can check out: Off-Nominal and Red Planet Review. Learn about time on Mars! See live mission clocks, learn about sols and Mars years and solar longitude, and discover your Martian birthday! Visit Marsti.me, a new site from Jake.
111 - Space Genes (feat. Chris Mason)
Play Episode (31:20) Space is a dangerous and challenging environment for the human body, but we're not completely helpless against it. One way to adapt ourselves to space is to unlock the power of the human gene. Geneticist Dr Chris Mason joins Jake to talk about his book The Next 500 Years where he lays out the science behind gene therapy and how it can help us leave Earth to Mars and beyond.
110 - The Ancient Floods of Mars (feat. Tim Goudge)
Play Episode (44:21) Mars' river valleys are an iconic feature, formed billions of years ago in a different climate. Planetary Scientist Tim Goudge joins Jake to talk about how they were formed, and how one such formation method may have been more important than we once thought.
109 - Remembering Mariner 9 (feat. William K. Hartmann)
Play Episode (55:26) Fifty years ago this month, the Mariner 9 mission became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet beyond Earth. It created the first global map of Mars and set the course for Martian exploration for the next five decades. Dr. William K Hartmann was a co-investigator on the mission and wrote the book The New Mars: Discoveries of Mariner 9, and he joins Jake to talk about the impact this mission has, even today.
13 - Making Humans Multiplanetary (feat. Anthony Colangelo)
Play Episode (47:54) Elon Musk has now bore his heart (of gold) to the world. His plans for making humans multiplanetary have been shared with us, including his incredible 42-engine reusable booster, his 100-person interplanetary spaceship, and his vision for colonizing Mars. Together they form the SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System, and they are nothing if not bold.
108 - Space, UAE, and the World (feat. Sarwat Nasir)
The UAE started their space agency in 2014 and have accelerated at a remarkable pace since then, including putting their first orbiter around Mars this year. The work continues with new mission announcements, astronaut selections and more. Dubai-based space journalist Sarwat Nasir joins Jake to report on Expo 2021 and IAC 2021, two back to back space conferences happening in the UAE.
107 - Perseverance in Conjunction (feat. Vivian Sun)
The Perseverance Rover has been operating for over 200 sols already. It's travelled far with the help of the Ingenuity helicopter and is already delivering great science, including acquiring its first rock sample. NASA JPL's Vivian Sun joins Jake to talk about the mission's successes and failures, and what we can expect from it next.
106 - Sulfate Curious (feat. Ashwin Vasavada)
Curiosity recently celebrated its 9th birthday on Mars and is exploring a new area of Gale Crater rich in sulphates. NASA JPL's Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity's project scientist, joins Jake to talk about this new area, the dramatic landscapes it holds, and what it can tell us about past life on Mars and the history of Mars' climate. We talk Curiosity Rover and the Sulfate-bearing Unit Our new design pokes fun at some of the criticism of SpaceX's Starship system. Wear it proudly!
105 - Icy Flows of Arcadia Planitia (feat. Shannon Hibbard)
Arcadia Planitia has attracted a lot of attention because of its potential as a human landing site on Mars. It's hidden water reserves, under the surface, are one of many reasons it may be ideal. Geologist Shannon Hibbard joins Jake to talk about the ice underground, and some of the interesting flows she's found. Our new design pokes fun at some of the criticism of SpaceX's Starship system. Wear it proudly!
104 - The Gooey Centre of Mars (feat. Simon Stähler)
WeMartians is an ad-free, listener-funded podcast that depends on the generous support of its patreon subscribers. Join today for as little as $3/month and get access to many perks, including: Access to the exclusive Off-Nominal Discord Community Red Planet Review, the short weekly podcast covering Mars and space headlines Advanced notice of interviews and a chance to contribute questions Get just enough updates on podcasts, products, and news without cluttering your inbox.
103 - Space Lasers on Mars (feat. Nina Lanza)
Play Episode (40:19) With the arrival of Perseverance at Jezero Crater, NASA now operates two space laser instruments - ChemCam and SuperCam. Together, they are exploring Mars' past by understanding the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks. ChemCam's principal investigator Nina Lanza joins Jake to discuss the both instruments, what they're up to, and what we're learning from them.
102 - Bus Stops to the Moon (feat. Paul Bookout)
The Orion spacecraft isn't the only payload flying on the Artemis 1 launch. NASA's new SLS rocket is also taking 13 secondary payloads to deep space, from science missions to tech demonstrations. Paul Bookout from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center joins Jake to talk about these payloads and how they integrate with the main mission. Our new design celebrates the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Mariner 9 mission, first spacecraft to orbit Mars. Get it on a shirt or a coffee mug today!
101 - SmartSuit (feat. Ana Diaz Artiles)
Today's space suits get the job done, but come with drawbacks that slow astronauts down, cause fatigue and injury, and introduce risks to the mission. Engineer Ana Diaz Artiles joins Jake to talk about her NASA-funded SmartSuit concept, which could solve many of these problems for future astronauts. Our new design celebrates the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Mariner 9 mission, first spacecraft to orbit Mars. Get it on a shirt or a coffee mug today!
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100 - Zhurong Rover on Mars (feat. Andrew Jones)
Play Episode (39:39) The Chinese National Space Administration's Tianwen-1 mission made history this month when its Zhurong rover landed safely in Utopia Planitia, Mars. Space journalist Andrew Jones joins Jake to talk about the landing process, the surface operations, and what effect this mission's success will have on space domestically in China and abroad.
99 - A SpaceX Moon Lander for Artemis (feat. Casey Dreier)
Play Episode (48:01) NASA has selected SpaceX's Starship to receive the sole award to take NASA astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the Artemis program. It's a non-traditional choice for NASA, and The Planetary Society's Chief Advocate Casey Dreier joins Jake to talk about what this means going forward for NASA and space exploration.
7 - Sitting in a Tin Can (feat. Casey Stedman)
Play Episode (40:51) NASA and other space organizations have used mission analogues to simulate various aspects of space travel since the dawn of the space age. As humanity steps closer to deep space and eventually Mars, new analogues are being developed to represent the new challenges we’ll face. HERA (Human Exploration Research Analogue) is one such mission, and crew member Casey Stedman gives us an inside look at the exciting challenges he faced while stuck inside a habitat for 30 days.
35 - The State of Mars 2018 (feat. Brendan Byrne & Emilee Speck)
It’s a new year, and another trip around the sun exploring Mars. Emilee Speck & Brendan Byrne return to the show to continue a new tradition of covering the year that passed and the year that will be. From robotic exploration of Mars rovers and spacecraft to the endless saga of NASA’s human spaceflight program, we take a step back and examine everything going on. Miss last year’s Sate of Mars 2017?
24 - Risks and Rewards (feat. Leonard David)
24 – Risks and Rewards (feat. Leonard David) Play Episode (50:40) All the obstacles in spaceflight can theoretically be broken down in to subsets of risk. Whether personal risk, programmatic risk, financial risk or professional risk, these are the things holding back individuals and organizations from accomplishing goals. What does this mean for Mars and how can we overcome it?
37 - Red Car for the Red Planet
After years of delays, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket has finally flown, sending a test payload of a Tesla Roadster with a mannequin called Starman to interplanetary space. With the launch, it becomes the most powerful rocket in the world. Jake, along with Anthony from the Main Engine Cut Off podcast, travelled to Florida to watch the launch from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site and returns to talk about the history, development and future of this fantastic launch vehicle.
10 - Science meets Engineering on the 2020 Rover (feat. Sarah Milkovich)
Play Episode (42:58) NASA’s next flagship Mars mission will put the generation of their rovers on the surface of Mars. With the working title of Mars2020, the rover will improve upon the Curiosity design that so far has been wildly successful. But putting together a rover, even one with a borrowed design, is not easy. Sarah Milkovich, a Science Systems Engineer with JPL, tells us about the challenges of bridging the gap between science and engineering on a $2 billion rover.
8 - Gullies on Mars (feat. Tanya Harrison)
Play Episode (33:03) Increasingly, Mars is appearing to us as a living, breathing world with dynamic features. One such feature that has captivated planetary scientists around the world is the occurrence of Martian Gullies, channels carved into the surface as if by water, in a world where flowing water is not exactly common. We talk with Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and geologist from the University of Western Ontario.
60 - Why Go To Mars? (feat. Michael Robinson)
Play Episode (42:47) It’s been 50 years since Apollo 11, and while there’s still a lot to celebrate about the whole Apollo era, it also begs the question, “why haven’t we gone back?” Michael Robinson, historian and host of the podcast Time to Eat the Dogs joins Jake to dig in to what motivates people to go to deep space and Mars in an attempt to understand how to make it happen again. We Talk Motivations for People to Explore Mars and Deep Space Planetary Radio Space Policy Edition feat.
15 - The Frosty Plains of Utopia Planitia (feat. Cassie Stuurman)
Play Episode (32:12) Some call water the “oil of the solar system” because of its importance in our eventual exploration of other planets. Finding new sources and learning about how to access it plays a key role in our future. Using the SHARAD instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Cassie Stuurman and a team at University of Texas at Austin discovered a massive deposit of ice in the northern plains of Utopia Planitia.
18 - The State of Mars 2017 (feat. Brendan Byrne & Emilee Speck)
• Bigelow seeking further use of their module The year 2016 was a big one for Mars, and 2017 might be even bigger yet. We’re joined by two space reporters from Orlando to talk about the highlights of last year in Mars exploration, and look ahead to 2017, which promises to take us closer to the Red Planet. Brendan Byrne is a reporter from WMFE Orlando and the host of “Are We There Yet?”, a podcast about space exploration. Emilee Speck is a reporter from WKMG with a passion for planetary missions.
6 - Mars; God of War (feat. Kyle Dally)
Play Episode (38:16) Mars reached opposition (when it, Earth and the Sun form a straight line) on May 22nd. It’s closest approach (today, May 30th) is another important astronomical event. All of these work on a 26-month cycle. Astronomers around the world have their eyes trained on the blood-coloured planet, tracking its retrograde motion, supreme brightness, and near-approach with great interest.
69 - Looking for Life on Mars on Earth (feat. Teresa Fornaro)
Play Episode (43:48) In July, ESA plans to launch the 2nd ExoMars mission, a rover called the Rosalind Franklin that will search for signs of life on Mars. It’ll do so with the MOMA instrument. Recently, scientists from ESA and NASA embarked on an expedition to the Pilbara region in Australia to practice identifying biosignatures in rocks to prep them for their eventual interpretation of the data coming back.
45 - Coming Together for Mars (feat. Jeff Johnson)
Play Episode (57:16) Missions to Mars don’t happen by accident. A ton of planning goes in long before the spacecraft is even selected. Understanding the consensus wishes of the scientific community is critical to putting resources into the right missions, and one group that helps gather that consensus is the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group.
30 - Keeping Track of Curiosity (feat. Fred Calef)
30 – Keeping Track of Curiosity (feat. Fred Calef) Play Episode (49:56) Without GPS, keeping track of our Martian explorers is no easy task. Data management for the thousands of photos, especially their locations, is in fact a full time job. Fred Calef, JPL’s “Keeper of the Maps” joins Jake to talk all about how we build a base map for Curiosity to help scientists get the right context for their geologic studies.
82 - WeMartians Live - Mars 2020 Perseverance Launch
In the first ever WeMartians live video webcast, Jake is joined by co-host Tanya Harrison and special guests Alexandra Pontefract, Nathan Williams, and Phillip Hargrove to experience the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. • Off-Nominal Podcast • Most Recent Episode: 32 – Well Within the Kill Zone (feat. Richard Garriott) WeMartians theme music is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and arranged by Jake Robins with Public Domain NASA audio and WeMartians interview samples.
11 - Mad About Manganese (feat. Nina Lanza)
Play Episode (35:47) The Mars Curiosity Rover has an impressive suite of instruments, but none incite as much excitement as ChemCam, a laser/camera combo that vaporizes rocks and analyzes their components. ChemCam is firing more than it ever has before, and Nina Lanza, a staff scientist on its team, is helping make some pretty remarkable discoveries with it.
25 - Building a Rover (feat. Abbie Hutty)
25 – Building a Rover (feat. Abbie Hutty) Play Episode (37:45) Europe’s ExoMars program has already kicked off with the Trace Gas Orbiter, currently manoeuvring downward to its final science orbit. But ExoMars is not limited to a single mission. By 2020, ESA hopes to launch the first European rover to the Red Planet.
12 - Mission to sMars (feat. the crew of HI-SEAS IV)
Play Episode (48:51) Understanding human social behaviour under conditions of remote isolation, close quarters, and constrained resources will one day be critical to successfully executing a crewed mission to Mars. Analogues and simulations provide a useful tool to learn these tactics. HI-SEAS IV (Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation) is one such experiment, and six crewmembers recently exited after an entire year in a dome on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano.
29 - A Teenage Rover (feat. Mike Seibert)
Play Episode (53:55) For over 13 years, NASA’s Opportunity Rover has been exploring Meridiani Planum on Mars. The determined spacecraft has faced a lot of challenges through its mission, not least of which is continuing to operate in the harsh Martian environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Mike Seibert joins Jake to talk about all the intricacies of operating a spacecraft another world away.
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