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Pluto, we hardly knew ye.\xa0Well, not anymore!\xa0Until recently, Pluto and Mars were respectively the least-known and best-known planet-sized bodies in our Solar System.\xa0Thanks to the New Horizons spacecraft, our picture of Pluto has changed from a featureless dot to a place where we can name the geologic features.\xa0And with rovers and orbiters surveying the red planet, we now know much more about Mars than our parents ever did.\xa0Examining our planetary backyard has provided insight into the trillion other planets in our galaxy.\nDive into a mountain lake and trek though the driest desert on Earth with a scientist who\u2019s had not one but two near-fatal incidents in these extreme environments. Find out what questions compel her to keep returning.\nAnd scientists on the New Horizons mission remember why the nail-biting Pluto flyby almost failed at the last minute. Find out what surprises Pluto offered and what the mission might uncover as it heads to its next, outer solar-system target.\nAlso, from Earth-like planets to super Earths and water worlds: a tour of some of Kepler\u2019s most intriguing extrasolar planets.\nGuests:\n\n\nNathalie Cabrol-\xa0Planetary scientist at the SETI Institute.\n\n\nAlan Stern-\xa0Principal Investigator for NASA\u2019s New Horizon mission, and co-author with David Grinspoon of \u201cChasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto.\u201d\n\n\nDavid Grinspoon-\xa0Senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, and co-author with Alan Stern of \u201cChasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto.\u201d\n\n\n Jack Lissauer-\xa0Space scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center.\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices