October 25, 2021

A New Way to Experience Space with Space Perspective

40 minutes

The dream of going to space and experiencing zero gravity has only been realized by a handful of people. Commercial space flights are seeking to change this by creating a space tourism industry that will make it possible for more people to go past the edge of the earth. Currently, companies that are heavily invested in the industry compete on how far you can go, the quality of the experience, and the cost of getting there.

Today, I’m talking to Taber MacCallum, co-founder, and co-CEO of Space Perspective, a human spaceflight company planning to take people and payloads to the edge of space by balloon. He was also a founding member of the Biosphere 2 design, development, test, and operations team as well as a crew member in the first two-year mission.

In this episode, you’ll hear about the goals of Space Perspective and the achievements that they’ve had so far. You’ll also learn about the spacecraft Neptune and what it’ll take to be on the initial commercial trips to space. We also discuss the role that Siemens plays in helping companies create digital designs and perform well-rounded simulations.

Some Questions I Ask:

What does Commercial Spaceflight Federation do? (05:57)

Why is the sea the preferred landing place for the spaceship? (17:58)

Will there be any navigation aids on the capsule itself? (19:51)

Do you and your wife still have the aspirations of going to Mars? (25:28)

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The fundamental idea behind Space Perspective (08:20)

The price of going to space on Spaceship Neptune and the expected departure year (13:34)

What the Stratis project entailed and the record that was set (16:42)

How Space Perspective uses Siemens software for digital design and simulation (29:29)

Connect with Taber MacCallum:

Space Perspective