'Mission: Interplanetary' podcast returns for Season 3

The Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative’s podcast "Mission: Interplanetary" will launch its third season Oct. 4 with a stellar lineup of guests and, for the first time, guest hosts.

This year’s season brings hosts astronaut Cady Coleman and scientist Andrew Maynard back together. Maynard is the author of "Films From the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies" and "Future Rising," as well as a professor in ASU's School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Coleman is a veteran of two space shuttle flights and spent six months living and working onboard the International Space Station. She serves as the ASU global explorer-in-residence at the School at Earth and Space Exploration.

They will be joined by guest hosts Tanya Harrison and Joe O’Rourke, who will take over hosting duties for several episodes.

“Season Three looks to be our most exciting season yet. I’m sort of in awe of the series of amazing guests we’ve lined up. There’s so much going on with space exploration now, it’s hard to keep track of it all. Season Three features top thought leaders in conversation about the big questions,” said Lance Gharavi, executive producer of "Mission: Interplanetary" and director of the ASU Interplanetary Initiative.

The creative team behind the podcast has been working diligently to assemble a high-powered lineup of guests. The first episode of the season launches Oct. 4, the first day of World Space Week. New episodes drop every week through Nov. 22. You can listen wherever you get podcasts. Below is the full lineup of episodes:

• Oct. 4: “How Do We Make Space Exploration More Sustainable?” with Moriba Jah from University of Texas at Austin.
• Oct. 11: “What Will We Do on the Moon?” with Chris Hadfield, retired astronaut and author.
• Oct. 18: “What Is the Relationship Between Religion and Space Exploration?” with Mary-Jane Rubenstein from Wesleyan University.
• Oct. 25: “What Can Space Exploration Teach Us About Innovation?” with Tracy Drain from NASA/JPL.
• Nov. 1: “What Are We Learning From the James Webb Space Telescope?” with Amber Straughn from NASA.
• Nov. 8: Alex MacDonald from NASA.
• Nov. 15: “What Is the Future of Food in Space?” with Bryan Onate from NASA's Exploration Research & Technology (ER&T) Programs.
• Nov. 22:  “What Would a Space Program That De-centers Whiteness Look Like?” with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein from University of New Hampshire.