Wow in the World: "A Guided Tour of Mars with Emily 'The Space Gal' Calandrelli"

Release Date: November 10, 2025
Podcast: Wow in the World (Tinkercast | Wondery)
Hosts: Mindy Thomas & Guy Raz
Special Guest: Emily Calandrelli ("The Space Gal")

Episode Overview

In this imaginative and laughter-filled episode, Mindy Thomas embarks on a dream adventure to Mars, guided by "The Space Gal," Emily Calandrelli. With appearances from station crew members (including familiar Wow in the World characters in new Mars-y roles), listeners are taken on a fun, educational "tour" of a fictional Martian research base. The episode explores real science topics: what living on Mars could be like, the challenges scientists face, and why learning to farm and exercise on the Red Planet is so important.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Journey to Mars: Setting the Scene

• Distance and Challenges:
  • Emily highlights the scale of space travel: “The furthest human beings have ever traveled is to the moon, which is 238,900 miles away from Earth. Mars... can be anywhere from 34 to 250 million miles away.”
    (03:36)
  • Mars missions are complicated not just due to distance, but also travel time and the need for self-sufficiency.

2. The Artemis Mars Research Base Tour

• Mission Logistics:

  • Emily: “Our stay here on Mars is for about 18 months... we’re about halfway through our three-year mission.” (07:48)
  • Explains that much of a Mars mission is consumed by travel back and forth, not just the time spent on Mars itself (08:33).

• Crew Roles:

  • Guy Raz appears as the Chief Science Officer/geologist, showing the role of rock and soil analysis in searching for Mars’ secrets.
    • “We already know there used to be liquid water here on Mars because of what we’ve already found in the Martian soil. My hope is that one day we’ll find signs of life too.” — Guy Raz (10:10)

3. Science on Mars: Life, Food, and Exercise

• Farming and Food Security:

  • Most food is pre-packaged, but growing food is critical for future colonies and recycling air:
    • “If all goes according to plan in the future, we’ll have entire colonies of people living here on the red planet...” — Emily (13:21)
    • “Plants also help recycle the carbon dioxide within the station.” — Emily (12:52)

• Biologist Thomas Fingerling:

  • Adds humor and insight into the importance of fresh food, “Sometimes a fellow just wants a turnip, you know.” (12:45)

• Exercise and Gravity:

  • Emily explains Mars’ weaker gravity: “Mars only has 38% of Earth's gravity…without constant exercise, our bones and muscles…can get really weak.” (14:41)
  • Astronauts on Mars (and on the ISS) must exercise 2 hours a day to stay healthy.

4. Teamwork and Problem-Solving

• Station Technician ("Zero G Force"):

  • Fixes the communications system with a dramatic “karate chop,” demonstrating problems (and creative solutions) faced by astronauts (15:59–16:48).

• Emergency Drill—Dust Storm:

  • The base receives a warning of an approaching Martian dust storm.
  • Emily explains that, “A 60 mile per hour gust of wind here on Mars feels about the same as a light breeze back on Earth,” due to Mars’ thin atmosphere. (19:16)
  • Moments of suspense turn into an opportunity to learn about Martian weather.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mindy’s Excitement:
  “What? I am like your biggest fan ever. Times a million.” (06:22)

• Guy Raz (Science Officer Mode):
  “I use [the spectrometer] to analyze the Martian dirt samples… hoping that some of these minerals in the soil can tell us more about the past here on Mars.” (09:54–10:10)

• Thomas Fingerling, on Farming:
  “Well, that food is basically microwave TV dinners. If you want some real food around here, you gotta grow it yourself.” (12:04)

• Emily Calandrelli, on Exercise:
  “The main reason [for 2 hours of daily exercise] is because Mars only has 38% of Earth's gravity. Meaning we're about 38% lighter here than we would be on Earth. And without constant exercise...our bones and our muscles...can get really weak.” (14:41)

• Dust Storm Surprise:
  Mindy: “But nothing happened…”
  Emily: “A 60 mile per hour gust of wind here on Mars feels about the same as a light breeze back on Earth.” (18:45–19:16)

• Returning to Earth (and waking from the dream):
  Mindy: “You all were [in my dream]…Dennis, I never saw you. But you were on the radio from mission control.” (21:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Notes | |-----------|----------------------------------------------|-------| | 03:20 | Introduction to Mars Missions | Emily explains NASA’s future Mars plans | | 04:16 | Research Base Concept | Building labs for long-term study | | 07:35 | Entering the Mars Research Base | Start of the "tour" of the fictional habitat | | 09:42 | Soil Science & Search for Life | Key science task on Mars | | 11:10 | Introduction to Station Cook/Biologist | Farming and food on Mars | | 13:21 | Importance of Growing Food for Future | Anticipating Mars colonies | | 14:41 | Gravity, Exercise, and astronaut fitness | Why exercise is critical in low gravity | | 15:54 | Technician "Zero G Force" fixes comms | Fun, teamwork, and problem-solving | | 17:31 | Dust Storm Alert & Science Lesson | Emergency becomes a teachable moment | | 19:05 | Explanation of Martian Atmosphere | Why Mars storms aren’t as dangerous | | 20:14 | Return to Reality/Waking Up | Transition out of the dream sequence | | 21:05 | Mindy recounts her dream to the group | Wrap-up, blurring dream and reality |

Episode Tone and Takeaways

• Tone: Playful, imaginative, and loaded with curiosity. The characters riff off each other with lots of enthusiasm, puns, and running jokes, making dense science topics accessible and memorable for younger listeners.
• Learning Takeaways:
  • Mars is a long (and complex) journey, requiring careful planning and teamwork.
  • Life on Mars will require learning to grow food, recycle air, and stay healthy in low gravity.
  • Mars’ atmosphere is thin — making even fierce storms much milder than Earth’s.

Closing Thoughts

This "cartoon for the ear" episode makes space science accessible, exciting, and laugh-out-loud fun. By blending real Martian science with fantastical storytelling and jokes, Mindy, Guy, and Emily Calandrelli invite kids (and grown-ups) to dream about humanity’s future on Mars—and maybe imagine themselves exploring the Red Planet one day.

Want more WOW? Explore more with the World Organization of Wowzers, and check out Emily Calandrelli’s videos for more space adventures!