Episodes
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
In this episode:
We meet Dr. Jason Reimuller, Executive Director of both the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and Project PoSSUM, a nonprofit astronautics research and education program within the IIAS studying our upper atmosphere and its role in our changing global climate. Jason is also Co-Investigator of NASA’s PMC-Turbo experiment and works as a commercial research pilot and flight test engineer with atmospheric remote-sensing company GATS, Inc. He is a National Association of Underwater Instructors scuba divemaster, has authored the book Spacecraft Egress and Rescue Operations, and formerly served as a system engineer and project manager for NASA’s Constellation Program.
In our conversation, Jason explains how little we understand about our planet's upper atmosphere, noctilucent cloud dynamics and how they're indicators for changes in global climate, the many aspects of Project PoSSUM, how it advocates for underrepresented groups in the space community, and whether he personally has an interest in being involved in the space missions of the future.
Explaining his part in Project PoSSUM, Jason says, “You know, my first role in this organization is to serve our community ... serve the community, and to make sure that what we’re all doing is preserving that historic role and the imperative of what astronauts have been.”
To learn more about the IIAS, go to https://astronauticsinstitute.org, and for more on Project PoSSUM visit https://projectpossum.org. Candidate applications for the Out Astronaut program that Jason mentions in this conversation are being accepted through Jan. 31, 2021, at https://outastronaut.org/contest/.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom © copyright 2015, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Emily Carney – Space Hipster, Writer, and Podcaster
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
In this episode:
We meet Emily Carney, a leading social media influencer, writer, and public speaker highly knowledgeable on a number of human spaceflight topics. She was formerly a nuclear propulsion mechanic for the U.S. Navy, and also a schoolteacher for a time. She was working as a freelance writer when she founded her blog This Space Available in 2010, which is was later picked up by the National Space Society, and then she created the hugely popular Space Hipsters Facebook group in 2011, which recently passed the 20,000-member mark. In addition to those ongoing endeavors, she is also cohost of the new Space and Things podcast.
In our conversation, Emily describes what sparked her interest in space, her time in the Navy, the ethos and community behind Space Hipsters, her favorite historical space figures and spaceflight programs, the recent successes in space that excite her the most, and whether she has ever considered any other roles in the space community.
Commenting on what she feels is a critical mindset for the future of spaceflight, Emily says, "I think it's important for us to go forward, and to be future-thinking and to think, 'Okay, what are we going to be doing in space 50 to 100 years from now? How are we going to expand our civilization, and are we going to expand it into space? How are we going to use this technology in a positive way?'"
Note: This podcast was recorded on December 14, 2020. Since the recording took place, the Space Hipsters Facebook group surpassed 20,000 members. Also, mentions of the SpaceX SN8 Starship launch are in reference to the first high-altitude test flight of that prototype, which occurred on December 9, 2020.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom © copyright 2015, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Lori Garver & Courtney Stadd — Former Presidential Transition Staff Members
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
In this episode:
Space4U welcomes two veterans of presidential transitions to discuss the process and how it relates to the U.S. space program. For a balanced perspective, we’re joined by former transition staff members from both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Lori Garver served as NASA’s Deputy Administrator during the Obama Administration from 2009–2013, as well as during the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Policy and Planning. For the latter half of 2008 into early 2009, Ms. Garver served as the lead for the Obama Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for NASA. She’s a veteran of Capitol Hill, the commercial space industry, various campaigns, an advisor to numerous groups and space organizations, and she founded the Brooke Owens Fellowship to promote diversity in the aviation and space exploration communities for female college undergrads.
Courtney Stadd served as NASA’s Chief of Staff and White House Liaison during the George W. Bush Administration. He’s also a veteran of the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, where he served at the National Space Council and later NASA. For the latter half of 2008 into 2009, he served as the lead of the George W. Bush Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for NASA. He is also a veteran of the commercial space industry, having been an entrepreneur, business development officer, and program leader for several enterprises.
In our conversation, Lori and Courtney discuss how a transition takes place, the elements involved, the different players on a transition team and what they do, how transition teams cooperate, what an incoming administration seeks to achieve during a transition, and more.
Note: This conversation was recorded prior to the events that transpired at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 – events that would certainly have impacted the discussion. Although this recording predates those events, the collateral effects they will have on the Presidential transition remain to be seen.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom © copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged