On average once every three to four years one ends up in the Netherlands: a meteorite. The most recent impact was in 2017, just north of Amsterdam. Usually such a thing goes unnoticed, but there have also been catastrophic meteorite impacts with disastrous consequences. Take the one from 66 million years ago in Yucatán, Mexico, for example, which ended the dinosaurs. In this episode, Govert investigates how afraid we should be for this kind of cosmic disaster and whether we can do something about it. The American government, in particular, is investing serious sums of money to chart the floating cosmic "rubble". Govert meets asteroids experts, visits their telescopes and hears how they work. Carolyn Shoemaker tells about her discovery of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, the impact of which on Jupiter was the first to be seen live. The chairman of the B612 Foundation, Danica Remy, tells Govert how you can avert the danger of an imminent cosmic impact. But it appears that these plans are only theory for the time being ...

In this episode, Govert shows that astronomy is closer than you may think. Whether it is the search for distant galaxies, the questions about the origin of the universe, or the research into the birth of new stars; Astronomy has everything to do with our own existence, here and now. Ewine van Dishoeck explains that the same molecules that make up our bodies are created in distant, thin gas clouds between the stars. In the Sackler laboratory in Leiden, the Netherlands, she and her team simulate the universe to better understand the origin of these molecules. But also on the other side of our planet, in Chile, detailed research is being done on these molecules, far away in our cosmos. With the largest telescope in the world, the ALMA observatory of the European Southern Observatory, science scans the universe for those organic molecules; molecules that make life here on Earth possible. These kinds of discoveries make Govert realize that we, and all the life around us, are in direct contact with that vast universe around us.

After our visit to the moon, Mars appears to be the next new cosmic destination for humanity. It is certainly high on NASA's most recent "to-do list". Govert explains why specifically that red planet attracts us so much. He also takes us back in time, to show the fascination for Mars through the ages. With current technology and science, Mars is being investigated and mapped at a rapid pace. Alfred McEwen has been photographing the surface of Mars for years now with "his" HiRISE satellite camera and showing his most mesmerizing images. Govert also visits NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, from where the various robots and carts on Mars are controlled. Vera Mulyani goes one step further. She explains to Govert why she and her Mars City Design team are preparing Mars for a human invasion. The first prototypes of Mars homes will soon be built in the Californian Mojave Desert.

In Hollywood they have known for a long time: extraterrestrial life exists. But more and more scientists nowadays take this possibility into account. This is mainly due to the discovery of thousands of exoplanets - planets at other stars. But the discovery of extremophiles (simple organisms that can live under the most extreme conditions) also nourish scientific expectations. In this episode, Govert investigates what we already know for sure about extraterrestrial life and what we can discover in the short term. He also goes on a nightly quest with Anita Owens in Sedona (Arizona) to spot UFOs and meets Jill Tarter, who has been hunting radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations for half a century (the Hollywood movie "Contact" is based on her life). In Chile, Govert meets the Belgian astronomer Michaël Gillon, who recently discovered the planet system TRAPPIST-1: seven earth-like planets around one star. The expectations that life will soon be discovered on one of those planets are high.

How did the universe originate? If you delve into the cosmos, that is perhaps the most pressing question of all. Since the acceptance of the "big bang" phenomenon, science has been trying to get closer to this moment, some 13.8 billion years ago. In this episode, Govert takes us on a journey back in time to get as close as possible to the birth of the universe. He explains how astronomers can travel back in time with the help of light. Professor Heino Falcke does that in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, by photographing a black hole 50 million light-years away for the first time. Govert also visits the telescopes in Arizona and California with which astronomers Vesto Slipher and Edwin Hubble laid the foundation for the big bang theory. And in Chile, Govert is being towed to the Very Large Telescope, with which scientists can get closest to the big bang. And the end is not nearly in sight, because a new generation of telescopes is currently under construction ...

For many people, the moon landing is the event of the last century. It was groundbreaking and still inspiring today. Today, science is just as enthusiastic about further exploration of the universe. In this episode, Govert delves into the history of the Apollo program, where people visited the moon. He visits various locations in the United States where the Apollo moon landings were scientifically prepared. In this episode Govert also gives us a glimpse into the future of space travel and astronomy. Because the moon landing has sparked our urge to explore. There are projects in the pipeline that will have a similar impact as the moon landing. In the coming decades the first people will go to Mars, we may discover some form of extraterrestrial life and we will know how the universe came into existence. Govert meets experts and visits locations in the United States, Chile and the Netherlands where the basis for these new cosmic challenges is currently being laid. Perhaps the events of the 21st century ...