The Aquarius Project Podcast
In the wee hours of a Monday morning in February 2017, a giant green fireball erupted over Lake Michigan. That fireball was a meteor breaking up in the atmosphere, and the pieces of that meteor are now sitting almost 200 feet below the surface of the lake. In the months and years that followed, an unlikely scientific search-and-rescue team (led by a teen-programs manager at the Adler Planetarium) was formed in an attempt to retrieve a few meteorites.
Nobody had ever attempted a deep-water meteorite rescue mission like this before, and although a few astronomers and other experts helped move it along, most of the people working on the Aquarius Project were not scientists, but Chicago-area teenagers. And their fearless leader? He’s an actor by training. And some of the most important pieces of the puzzle came from a suburban cop, a building engineer at the Shedd, and other neighborhood explorers who were in the right place at the right time.
The podcast follows the project as it unfolded: every twist and turn and the mysteries and surprises they encountered along the way. The full podcast is now available to follow the journey from start to finish. Will they succeed? You’ll just have to listen to find out.
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Update: The Results Are In!
Did the team find space rocks or what? After a VERY long wait, the lab results are in.
Episode 6: No Matter What It Is, It’s Something
After three years, the team reveals what they recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Get the FULL STORY behind the Aquarius Project’s discoveries with Chris, teens, and NASA scientist Marc Fries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfrphU2wu3M
Episode 5: Welcome to the Bottom
Two years after the project began, Chris and teens get on a boat and sail out to the meteor crash site. Everyone does their best to pick up some space rocks and avoid being consumed by self-doubt.
Mentioned in this episode: The Aquarius Project on National Geographic’s Overheard podcast! Listen here: on.natgeo.com/2wVNdsE
Episode 4: These Are Just, Like, Parts From Home Depot
A tube with some glass in it, a book with a missing cover, a bunch of very old rocks, and a homemade sled all have very interesting stories to tell—if you’re willing to listen.
In this episode:
Outro music by Jim and the Povolos
High-fives to Curiosity Daily for this super fun interview with Chris Bresky and Aubrey Henretty
Episode 3: What IS Easy, Though?
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Adler teens play to their strengths, get frustrated, get philosophical, and get back to work.
Update: Aquarius Project wins fancy award; Ep. 3 coming soon!
Episode 2: Unintended Consequences
A cop, a brother, a sci-fi author, an ancient whale, and a museum employee make choices that lead—unintentionally—to a meteorite hunt.
Episode 1: There’s Not a Zero Percent Chance
A meteor crashes into a Great Lake. An irresistible challenge awaits.
TRAILER: INTRODUCING THE AQUARIUS PROJECT
What does it take to get you to go outside and explore your neighborhood? How about a giant green fireball over the lake?
