Episode

#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
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2:02:33
Published: Mon May 17 2021
Description

Katherine de Kleer is a professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy at Caltech. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Fundrise: https://fundrise.com/lex - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free - Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off EPISODE LINKS: Katherine's Website: http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~dekleer/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:07) - Pluto (12:14) - Kuiper belt (16:12) - How to study planets and moons (19:54) - Volcanoes on Io - moon of Jupiter (32:25) - Is there life in the oceans of Europa? (41:46) - How unlikely is life on Earth? (52:15) - Life on Venus (54:30) - Mars (1:01:17) - What is interesting about Earth as a planet? (1:11:55) - Weather patterns (1:17:04) - Asteroids (1:26:06) - Will an asteroid hit Earth soon? (1:34:50) - Oumuamua (1:50:00) - Book recommendations (1:56:37) - Advice for young people

Chapters
The idea of speed reading is to sacrifice some comprehension for faster reading.
00:00 - 04:05 (04:05)
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Speed Reading
Summary

The idea of speed reading is to sacrifice some comprehension for faster reading. However, it may not be suitable for all types of reading material and may not be the best strategy for everyone.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Pluto's classification as a planet has evolved over time as our understanding of the outer solar system has grown.
04:05 - 11:50 (07:45)
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Pluto
Summary

Pluto's classification as a planet has evolved over time as our understanding of the outer solar system has grown. It was initially classified as a planet, but due to the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and a range of sizes of objects in the region, Pluto's classification changed to a dwarf planet.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
The solar system is unique because we can send spacecraft missions to study the objects in detail, allowing us to discover cool and weird things.
11:50 - 20:00 (08:09)
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Science
Summary

The solar system is unique because we can send spacecraft missions to study the objects in detail, allowing us to discover cool and weird things. However, it's disappointing that we may miss out on signs of life during flybys.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Tidal heating plays a significant role in driving geological activity on satellites and making subsurface oceans in places like Europa and Enceladus habitable.
20:00 - 25:34 (05:33)
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Tidal Heating
Summary

Tidal heating plays a significant role in driving geological activity on satellites and making subsurface oceans in places like Europa and Enceladus habitable. The way it works is if multiple moons have orbital periods that are integer multiples of one another they meet at the same point in the orbit.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the challenges of tracking and understanding volcanic eruptions, including the need for high resolution imaging and the potential benefits of sending a spacecraft mission.
25:34 - 29:22 (03:47)
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Volcanoes
Summary

This podcast discusses the challenges of tracking and understanding volcanic eruptions, including the need for high resolution imaging and the potential benefits of sending a spacecraft mission.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Water is necessary for life as we know it, making the subsurface oceans of icy satellites one of the prime locations for life evolution in the solar system.
29:22 - 36:54 (07:32)
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astrobiology
Summary

Water is necessary for life as we know it, making the subsurface oceans of icy satellites one of the prime locations for life evolution in the solar system. The chances of life evolving on the surfaces of celestial bodies in the solar system are very low, but subsurface oceans offer a potential heat source, liquid, and nutrients for life to thrive.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Titan, Saturn's moon, presents the potential for life evolving in its atmosphere, which would be more accessible if we visit in the future, but there are still unknowns such as how its ocean could stay globally liquid over time.
36:54 - 41:39 (04:44)
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Titan, life, atmosphere, Saturn
Summary

Titan, Saturn's moon, presents the potential for life evolving in its atmosphere, which would be more accessible if we visit in the future, but there are still unknowns such as how its ocean could stay globally liquid over time.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
The search for intelligent alien life raises big questions about the universe and its inhabitants, but our own biases could make it difficult to recognize extraterrestrial intelligence even if it's right in front of us.
41:39 - 49:36 (07:56)
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Aliens
Summary

The search for intelligent alien life raises big questions about the universe and its inhabitants, but our own biases could make it difficult to recognize extraterrestrial intelligence even if it's right in front of us.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Exploring extreme planets and moons can help in creating a theory and framework for understanding them, even if it means testing them to their limits.
49:36 - 55:18 (05:42)
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Space Exploration
Summary

Exploring extreme planets and moons can help in creating a theory and framework for understanding them, even if it means testing them to their limits. With tools that sense the contents of an atmosphere, it is difficult to make conclusive statements about the presence of life, especially with planets like Venus that have sulfuric acid clouds and dense and hot surfaces.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
To colonize Mars, humans need to find ways to make use of the planet's resources to produce food and air needed for survival, which is currently a major obstacle to colonizing the planet.
55:18 - 1:00:26 (05:08)
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Colonizing Mars
Summary

To colonize Mars, humans need to find ways to make use of the planet's resources to produce food and air needed for survival, which is currently a major obstacle to colonizing the planet.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Plate tectonics play a crucial role in refreshing the nutrient supply and raw materials on the Earth's surface, creating diversity through evolutionary biology.
1:00:27 - 1:09:39 (09:12)
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Plate Tectonics
Summary

Plate tectonics play a crucial role in refreshing the nutrient supply and raw materials on the Earth's surface, creating diversity through evolutionary biology. Additionally, they are vital in creating habitable surfaces.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
In this podcast transcript, the speaker contemplates whether aliens would be interested in visiting our cities, discusses the fascinating properties of some planets, and ponders how different tools of measurement might affect what we consider important in the search for extraterrestrial life.
1:09:40 - 1:15:10 (05:30)
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Astronomy
Summary

In this podcast transcript, the speaker contemplates whether aliens would be interested in visiting our cities, discusses the fascinating properties of some planets, and ponders how different tools of measurement might affect what we consider important in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Asteroids provide a unique opportunity to study the statistical properties of the asteroid belt and to learn about the composition of our own core and mantle by analyzing their composition based on collisional fragments and orbits.
1:15:11 - 1:23:58 (08:47)
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Asteroids
Summary

Asteroids provide a unique opportunity to study the statistical properties of the asteroid belt and to learn about the composition of our own core and mantle by analyzing their composition based on collisional fragments and orbits.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the different types of surfaces seen on other planets, including those that are solid and rocky, dusty, and those with a strange malleable texture.
1:23:59 - 1:31:54 (07:55)
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planets
Summary

This episode discusses the different types of surfaces seen on other planets, including those that are solid and rocky, dusty, and those with a strange malleable texture.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
In the future, robots may traverse through the solar system to collect data and expand our understanding of space.
1:31:54 - 1:39:15 (07:21)
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Space exploration
Summary

In the future, robots may traverse through the solar system to collect data and expand our understanding of space. By sublimating material off ice shards and accelerating them out of the solar system, scientists can learn more about objects such as Pluto.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Researcher, Dr. Jason Wright, proposes the idea that interstellar objects, such as Oumuamua, could be used to search for extraterrestrial life by examining the objects more closely and monitoring them for signs of intentional activity.
1:39:15 - 1:44:32 (05:17)
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Alien life
Summary

Researcher, Dr. Jason Wright, proposes the idea that interstellar objects, such as Oumuamua, could be used to search for extraterrestrial life by examining the objects more closely and monitoring them for signs of intentional activity.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
The scientific community tends to prioritize the scientific method over individual creativity, but there is value in demonstrating authenticity as a curious human being.
1:44:32 - 1:49:51 (05:18)
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Science
Summary

The scientific community tends to prioritize the scientific method over individual creativity, but there is value in demonstrating authenticity as a curious human being. This can inspire others to be more open-minded and consider different perspectives.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
The slow reveals in books can be compared to the vast, desolate spaces in astronomy that provide a sense of acceptance for the profound loneliness of the individual existence.
1:49:51 - 1:56:26 (06:35)
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Astronomy
Summary

The slow reveals in books can be compared to the vast, desolate spaces in astronomy that provide a sense of acceptance for the profound loneliness of the individual existence.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Finding joy in everything means embracing not only the big exciting things but also the details, repetitive tasks, and the work that involves a lot of failure.
1:56:26 - 2:01:18 (04:52)
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Self-improvement
Summary

Finding joy in everything means embracing not only the big exciting things but also the details, repetitive tasks, and the work that involves a lot of failure. Enjoying the techniques and work you do is crucial to finding satisfaction.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast
Catherine de Kleer discusses the possibilities of finding life on other planets, the challenges in studying them and the future of space exploration.
2:01:19 - 2:02:23 (01:04)
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Space Exploration
Summary

Catherine de Kleer discusses the possibilities of finding life on other planets, the challenges in studying them and the future of space exploration.

Episode
#184 – Katherine de Kleer: Planets, Moons, and Asteroids in Our Solar System
Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast