NASA Releases First Season of Spanish-language Podcast
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, NASA is releasing new content for Universo curioso de la NASA, the agency’s first Spanish-language podcast. A five-episode season will start Tuesday, Sept. 19, with new episodes released weekly.
In each episode, Universo curioso will highlight the contributions of NASA’s Hispanic and Latino workforce to the agency’s groundbreaking work in Earth and space exploration. The season features interviews with NASA experts, including an astronaut, a space weather scientist, an astrochemist, and oceanographers. Episodes focus on some of NASA’s top missions, bringing the wonder of exploration, space technology, and scientific discoveries to Spanish-speaking audiences around the world.
“Inspiring the world through discovery is at the core of who we are at NASA, and it starts with ensuring that space is accessible for all,” said Dr. Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The Universo curioso de la NASA podcast shares the incredible stories from NASA’s Hispanic and Latino workforce with Spanish-speaking audiences from around the world so the next generation – the Artemis Generation – is inspired to join us as we explore air and space for the benefit of all.”
The first-ever episode of Universo curioso ran in 2021, as part of the agency’s Spanish coverage of the launch of its James Webb Space Telescope, with two more episodes in Spanish tied to agency milestones in 2022. This year marks the first release of a complete season.
Hosted by Noelia González communications specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, listeners are invited to traverse the Sun, investigate life outside of Earth, and spend a day living and working in space.
“It’s no coincidence that the first agencywide podcast that NASA has launched since 2020 is in Spanish, the second most-spoken language in the U.S. and globally,” said NASA Chief of Staff Susie Perez Quinn. “Spanish speakers worldwide are listening to more and more podcasts, and we’re excited to bring the thrill and wonder of NASA’s groundbreaking missions and their impact on our daily lives to even more audiences.”
Several episodes will help mark agency milestones, such as the return to Earth of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who on Sept. 11 broke the record the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut, as well as the arrival of the first asteroid samples collected by the United States, and two upcoming solar eclipses.
A complete list of the new episodes, as well as their release dates, is as follows:
- Tuesday, Sept. 12: Trailer for Season 1
- Tuesday, Sept. 19: Episode 1: Sample Return Missions: Bringing Space Back to Earth
- Tuesday, Sept. 26: Episode 2: What Happens to the Human Body in Space?
- Tuesday, Oct. 3: Episode 3: Our Changing Oceans
- Tuesday, Oct. 10: Episode 4: All About the Sun
- Tuesday, Oct. 17: Episode 5: Are We Alone in the Universe?
“Universo curioso de la NASA” is a joint initiative of the agency’s Spanish-language communications and audio programs. The new season, as well as previous episodes, are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and NASA’s website.