Looking back on 2023

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Planetary Radio’s 2023 year-in-review celebrated major space milestones: Bennu sample return, JWST discoveries, Artemis-era lunar exploration, and a surge in advocacy and public engagement. Guests highlighted award winners, policy wins for missions like Veritas, key mission launches, human spaceflight developments, and the anticipation of 2024’s eclipse, Europa Clipper, Hera, and more.

Main Topics: Best of 2023 Awards: Kate Howells reviews Planetary Society’s annual fan-voted awards, where the standout image was Earth seen from the Moon during a total solar eclipse, and the top mission moment was OSIRIS-REx returning Bennu samples. Space Advocacy and Policy Wins: Jack Kirley describes a strong year for advocacy, especially pushing for a 2029 launch date for VERITAS and broader support for Mars Sample Return, NEO Surveyor, and Dragonfly through the Day of Action and congressional engagement. Major Science and Exploration Highlights of 2023: The panel reflects on JWST’s transformative science, the Bennu sample return, Lucy’s Dinkinesh flyby surprise, JUICE’s launch, Psyche’s launch, and Juno’s continuing Io observations. International and Human Spaceflight Momentum: Discussion covers Artemis progress, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing, Japan’s SLIM mission, the commercial and national lunar exploration wave, and the expanding global human spaceflight landscape. Public Engagement and the Power of Space Images: The speakers emphasize how accessible imagery and dramatic events like eclipses, sample returns, and lunar missions inspire public interest, help build advocacy, and broaden support for space science. 2024 Outlook and Anticipated Missions: Bruce Betts previews Europa Clipper, MMX, commercial lunar landings, Artemis II, HERA, and the total solar eclipse, framing 2024 as another high-activity year for both science and planetary defense.

Key Arguments: The Planetary Society’s annual fan vote showed that people are especially drawn to space moments that feel close to home, such as Earth-from-the-Moon eclipse imagery and asteroid samples returning to Earth. Sample-return missions matter because they enable repeated analysis over time as tools improve, making missions like OSIRIS-REx scientifically valuable long after return. JWST is exceptionally important because it serves both astronomy and planetary science while producing visually compelling images that help engage the public. Advocacy directly influences mission outcomes; organized public support helped secure strong congressional backing for VERITAS and keeps planetary missions visible in budget debates. Human spaceflight and robotic exploration are complementary: astronauts inspire public imagination, while robotic missions and sample return provide foundational science. Planetary defense and exploration are linked; DART, Hera, and related asteroid missions are framed as practical steps toward protecting Earth while learning about small bodies. 2024 is positioned as a pivotal year because of the eclipse, Artemis II, Europa Clipper, MMX, commercial lunar landers, and HERA, all of which will sustain public attention and scientific progress.

Data Points: Best image winner: Earth seen from the Moon during a total solar eclipse - Planetary Society’s Best of 2023 award for solar system image Top planetary science moment: OSIRIS-REx returned samples from asteroid Bennu - Awarded as the year’s standout planetary science event Artemis II crew member: 1 Canadian astronaut (Jeremy Hansen) - Jack Kirley notes Canadian participation in the mission Day of Action attendance: Over 100 members - Planetary Society’s 2023 advocacy event in Washington, D.C. Exoplanets confirmed: About 5,600 - Mentioned during discussion of the growth of exoplanet science Spacecraft in human spaceflight snapshot: 20 people in space simultaneously - Matt Kaplan notes a peak on May 25, 2023 Low Earth orbit population: 17 people - Five days after the 20-person peak, including ISS and Tiangong crews ISS crew count: 11 people - Part of the low Earth orbit human spaceflight snapshot Tiangong crew count: 6 people - Part of the low Earth orbit human spaceflight snapshot Year of Artemis-related milestone: 2023 - Launch of Artemis-era lunar exploration and related global moon missions JWST operational time: About 1.5 years - Matt notes the telescope’s rapid scientific output Osiris-REx sample return date: September 2023 - Ray Pauletta attended the Utah sample drop event DART target: Dimorphos - Bruce Betts identifies it as the smallest visited asteroid body discussed Vesta comparison: About the size of Iceland - Bruce contrasts large asteroid scale with Dimorphos Potential launch target dates: January 8 and November 2024 - Referenced for the first CLPS lunar mission and Artemis II timing

Pivotal Quotes: "the first thing we really got people to vote on was the best solar system image of the year" — Kate Howells: Introduces the annual Best of 2023 fan awards "the sample return missions have the best is potentially yet to come" — Kate Howells: On the long-term scientific value of OSIRIS-REx samples "we've got Europa Clipper launching, and that'll take years to get there, but we'll get out and explore Europa" — Bruce Betts: Previewing major 2024 mission expectations

Implications: The episode frames 2024 as a breakout year for lunar exploration, planetary defense, and sample-return science. Public enthusiasm and advocacy are shown to materially shape mission success and future funding.