The Astro Ben Podcast: Professor Sara Seager: Astrophysicist and professor of planetary science and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Professor Sara Seager: Astrophysicist and professor of planetary science and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jun 10, 2022

Professor Sara Seager is an astrophysicist and a Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science, and a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she holds the Class of 1941 Professor Chair. She has been a pioneer in the vast and unknown world of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars other than the sun. Her ground-breaking research ranges from the detection of exoplanet atmospheres to innovative theories about life on other worlds to development of novel space mission concepts.

In space missions for planetary discovery and exploration, she was the Deputy Science Director of the MIT-led NASA Explorer-class mission TESS; she was PI of the JPL-MIT CubeSat ASTERIA; is a lead of the Starshade Rendezvous Mission (a space-based direct imaging exoplanet discovery concept under technology development) to find a true Earth analog orbiting a Sun-like star; and most recently has directed a mission concept study to find signs of life or life itself in the Venus atmosphere and is PI of a small mission to Venus targeted for launch in 2023.

Her research earned her a MacArthur “genius” grant and other accolades including: membership in the US National Academy of Sciences; the Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences, the Magellanic Premium Medal; and has been awarded one of Canada’s highest civilian honors, appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Professor Seager is the author of, “The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir”.

00:00 Introduction to Episode 40

00:47 Introduction to Sara Seager (Ben impressed by a blackboard)

03:20 Starshade (here)

06:04 What is an exoplanet?

07:28 When was the first exoplanet detected?

08:15 How many exoplanets are there?

08:57 When did Sara start her career chasing exoplanets?

09:57 Scepticism around exoplanets

12:27 How many planets in the universe could support human life?

13:17 Science behind interstellar

14:44 Do we have to send humans/robots to exoplanets?

15:36 Solar gravitational telescope (hypothetical)