Episodes
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
In this episode:
We meet Kevin Rice who spent 40 years in the aerospace industry, roughly split between Lockheed Martin’s legendary Skunk Works and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At Skunk Works Kevin served as Director of Business Management, where his responsibilities included management of several hundred employees in the execution of budgeting, scheduling, proposal development, cost estimating and pricing, contracts, and risk management. His work supported tactical aircraft projects including the F-117, F-22, and F-35, as well as reconnaissance projects such as the U-2, SR-71, various C-130 projects, and the sub-scale X-33 reusable launch vehicle.
Following that, and until his retirement in 2019, Kevin worked for NASA JPL, as a Division Manager and Director of Project Business Management for NASA’s research and development centers. Kevin developed, implemented and maintained JPL’s project controls processes, and created JPL’s business policies and practices manual (the “Dark Green Book”), which served as a model for business throughout NASA. He also developed the independent assessment model adopted by NASA to assess project performance. From 1992 to the present, Kevin has served as adjunct professor of Corporate Finance, International Business, and Global Financial Management at the University of Redlands.
In our conversation, Kevin discusses how he budgeted costs and set timelines for massive aerospace projects, established risk evaluation and management controls, what it was like maintaining constant discretion on classified projects, details on Skunk Works’ X-33 reusable launch vehicle program with NASA, and his experiences riding the annual Federal appropriations rollercoaster.
Discussing his own personal commandments for business management, Kevin says, “It’s about understanding the trends — what are the facts, what is the relationship between facts — that’s analysis. Assessment is, ‘What do I do with that information?’” You know, what is the risk attendant to that? How reasonable is it? What are some of the alternatives that we can apply to some of that?”
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 Jun 16, 2021
Trevor Bennett – Cofounder of Starfish Space
Wednesday Jun 16, 2021
Wednesday Jun 16, 2021
In this episode:
We meet Dr. Trevor Bennett, cofounder of Starfish Space — a software, robotics, and autonomous space infrastructure company developing satellite servicing and space debris capture missions. Their current products include the Otter space tug, Cephalopod software, and Nautilus capture mechanism.
Trevor earned his PhD in Aerospace from the University of Colorado where he was a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow and was also spotlighted in the Aviation Week “20 Twenties.” Trevor has worked at both NASA Goddard and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on robotic missions, and for Blue Origin on the New Glenn launch vehicle.
In our conversation, Bennet explains what led him to cofound Starfish Space and focus on these specific aspects of the space ecosystem, why space debris is a critical issue from his perspective, what sets Starfish apart from other companies developing technologies for space debris capture, the company’s upcoming in-orbit test launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9, and more.
In explaining the role that Starfish Space would like to play in the space infrastructure of the future, Trevor says, “If we are able to provide some component of that industry and do in-space mining, in-space recycling, in-space manufacturing — I think that’s really where the space industry kicks off and starts doing amazing things.”
To learn more about Starfish Space, visit starfishspace.com.
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 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 Nov 04, 2020
Dylan Taylor – Voyager Space Holdings & Space for Humanity
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Dylan Taylor, who is an active pioneer in the space exploration industry as a CEO, investor, thought leader, and futurist. Currently, Dylan serves as Chairman & CEO of Voyager Space Holdings, a multinational space holding firm that acquires and integrates leading space exploration enterprises globally. He previously served as a director for Fortune 500 company UMB Bank and is the former Global President of Colliers International. Dylan is also the founder and board chairman of the nonprofit organization Space for Humanity, and a cofounding patron of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
In this episode, Dylan discusses what inspired him to shift his professional focus from banking and real estate to financing space exploration, his thoughts on how commercial space and government agencies can harmoniously complement each other, which space initiatives have the best chance of being realized in the near future, and shares Voyager’s ethos for acquisitions. He gives what he believes are realistic timelines for humans returning to the Moon and getting boots on the ground on Mars, and also shares his reasons behind founding Space for Humanity.
In describing Space for Humanity’s mission and criteria for selecting the citizen astronauts they intend to send to space via commercial space flights, Taylor says, “That narrative can be, look at these amazing kinda ‘everyday citizens’ that are committed to going to space, coming back, and the covenant is: ‘We’ll send you, no cost to you — but when you come back, you need to impact the world in a positive way.’ So, it’s sort of a fellowship, if you will.”
To learn more about Voyager Space Holdings, visit https://voyagerspaceholdings.com.
Note: This podcast was recorded on May 19, 2020, predating the successful SpaceX/NASA Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch (originally slated for May 27, 2020, actually launched on May 30, 2020), which is why it is referred to here in future tense and as occurring on a different date. This recording also refers to a lack of mask wearing in Colorado which predates the statewide mandatory mask order instituted by Governor Jared Polis on July 16, 2020.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Steve Howard – Spaceport Camden
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Steve Howard, County Administrator of Camden County, Georgia, and project lead for Spaceport Camden, currently in development. As project lead, Steve is working to realize Spaceport Camden’s mission of developing a world-class spaceport through a public-private partnership that will establish Camden County as the commercial space center of the United States. Howard also sits on the board of directors for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
In our conversation, Steve explains why Camden County is a prime location for a commercial spaceport, the area’s space heritage dating back to the 1960s, how the commercial sector is driving the need for a spaceport like this, and the beneficial assets this particular geographic location has to offer. He also discusses some of the hurdles involved in establishing a spaceport, how the region has embraced the project, how it will change the state, and what he foresees for future of the spaceport in five to ten years’ time.
In detailing what sets Spaceport Camden apart from government-run launch facilities, and the importance of having spaceports available solely to commercial space companies, Steve says, “What Georgia can offer is a clean slate — where the appropriate requirements of NASA and the military will never impact the commercial schedule.”
To learn more about Spaceport Camden, visit https://spaceportcamden.us.
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 Sep 30, 2020
Sean Wilson – Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Sean Wilson, Director of Media and Public Relations at Northrop Grumman Space Systems. Starting her career as an enlisted Satellite Systems Operator for the U.S. Air Force, Sean has since held a number of different roles in space communications, including stints as a Communications Analyst and Astronaut Instructor at Futron Corporation, a Public Relations Specialist at NASA Johnson Space Center, and Director of Corporate Communications at Orbital ATK. In her current role at Northrop Grumman Space Systems, she’s a big part of shaping the company’s messaging and strategies for communicating to the public, company shareholders, and media.
In our conversation, Wilson discusses how her career path led her to specialize in communications, the time she spent as an astronaut instructor, her approach to simplifying industry jargon into consumable communications, how her team coaches high-level executives to speak to the public, and the components of communications plans for launches and missions. She also explains how the role of social media has evolved in the PR arena, the most emotionally taxing events she has had to field as a professional communicator, and the children’s book she authored.
In describing how she got her earlier job with NASA, Sean says, “I spammed, faxed, and snail-mailed, and barraged every contractor within the greater Houston area that had anything remotely to do with NASA, and I think I finally broke one down and they said, ‘Please, if you’ll stop emailing us, we’ll hire you!’”
To learn more about Northrop Grumman, visit northropgrumman.com.
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 Aug 05, 2020
Jason Held – Saber Astronautics
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Jason Held, CEO of Saber Astronautics, a mission control operations software and services company, with locations in Sydney, Australia, and Boulder, Colorado, USA. Prior to founding Saber, Jason was a Major in the U.S. Army's USSTRATCOM (Space Command) during which time he served as an active-duty engineer at Army Space and Missile Command Battle Lab. Later, as a civilian, he wrote flight software for the Hubble Space Telescope and testing for the International Space Station. He has lectured for the IRS Space Station Design Workshop, the University of New South Wales, and the International Space University. He also led a research expedition in the high Canadian Arctic, and he has served on the Australian government's Expert Reference Group designing their space agency.
In this conversation Jason explains how his passion for space began in childhood, yet he felt space jobs were inaccessible due to his academic struggles. He details how he believes that the perceived hurdles to space jobs can be overcome to achieve the democratization of space. He also discusses the capabilities of Saber's PIGI satellite tracking software, and how Saber partnered with an Australian craft brewery to create a recipe and drinking vessel that allows beer to be consumed in space.
In describing his feelings about the democratization of space, Jason says, “Space is something that anybody can do. You know, if someone like myself, with the history I had on the academic side can pull into it, I think anybody can... So, the more exposure that you have to it at a young age, the more you’re going to be ready for the markets that are going to come up, and the space jobs that are going to come up in 10 to 20 years’ time.”
To learn more about Saber Astronautics, visit saberastro.com.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Peter Beck – Rocket Lab Founder
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Peter Beck, the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, a space technology company and global leader in dedicated small satellite launches. Since founding the business in 2006, Peter has grown Rocket Lab to become a globally recognized industry leader in space, and a billion-dollar company employing hundreds of world-class engineers and technicians.
In this conversation, Peter discusses how he first became interested in space as a child, what led him to establish Rocket Lab, some of the company’s most challenging and memorable launches, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the company and its workplaces, and Rocket Lab’s foray into designing interplanetary missions to Venus and beyond.
Explaining his thoughts on the future of space exploration, Peter says, “If we stay on the same trajectory of ... exponential development, then in 50 years’ time — man, we probably will be ... in another solar system somewhere.”
To learn more about Rocket Lab, visit rocketlabusa.com.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Kevin DeBruin – The Fit Rocket Scientist
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Kevin DeBruin, a space educator who brings space down to Earth for all of us in a creative and entertaining way. A former NASA JPL rocket scientist, Kevin is also the author of To NASA and Beyond: Perseverance to Achieve the Impossible, a TEDx speaker, American Ninja Warrior, and CuriosityStream’s brand ambassador for all things space and science.
Kevin shares with us the obstacles he faced as a student, including struggles with mathematics. He tells us about securing his dream job working with NASA, and why he left after discovering a passion for teaching and inspiring others about space. Kevin tells about his techniques for bringing space down to Earth and making the learning process fun and engaging. He also shares a little about his time competing as an American Ninja Warrior.
Learn more about Kevin at https://www.kevinjdebruin.com/
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged
Thursday May 28, 2020
José Morey - Intergalactic Doctor
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
In this episode:
We meet Dr. José Morey. José Morey, M.D., is a Fellow of the Eisenhower Foundation and the Chief Medical Innovation Officer for Liberty BioSecurity. Previously, Dr. Morey served as Associate Chief Health Officer for IBM Watson Health. He led enterprise wide research collaborations with partners across the globe to develop AI medical breakthroughs.
Dr. Morey is also faculty at Singularity University where he leads exponential technology, innovation and human augmentation curricula. He also serves as a mentor for MIT Solve and IDEAS technology accelerators and is considered the first Intergalactic Doctor.
José tells us about the “Intergalactic Doctor” title he has been given, and his dream to work in the STEM fields as a child. He explains his desire to give back and how technology and space make that possible. José also shares information about the work being done at Liberty BioSecurity, including a unique biological isolate LJ-321, which first developed resistance to chronic UV radiation as a result of long duration exposure to space on the exterior of an Earth orbiting satellite. Testing of LJ-321 has shown similar efficacy at shielding against UVA and UVB radiation to that of leading commercial brands of SPF 50 sunscreen.
LJ-321 is a Space Certified product. Learn more about it and the Space Foundation’s Space Certification process at https://www.spacefoundation.org/space_certification_/lj-321-active-ingredient-in-commercial-uv-protection/
To learn more about Liberty BioSecurity and its cutting edge capabilities across the life sciences, visit https://www.libertybiosecurity.com/.
Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged