Casual Space

How is one person working to make space travel accessible to everyone?

One scholarship at a time, according to Niko Blanks.

"For me, sending pediatric cancer patients and their families to Space Camp is all about inspiring them to know that they can achieve their dreams no matter what hurdles they face."

Niko's a senior spaceflight operations student looking to accomplish a big goal. And he's just the person to make it happen- he's already overcome big obstacles in his life at an early age. With his new, Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship, Niko is helping to send pediatric cancer patients and their families to Space Camp. You can help send these patients and their families, too- the application process for the summer of 2021 is open, and the fundraising for this scholarship just kicked off in a BIG way during Yuri's Night! Space Camp, Space Kind, Space Flight Operations and space travel- it's all right here in this conversation with the amazing and aspiring Niko Blanks.

About the scholarship: https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/spacecamp

About Yuri's Night and where to donate! https://yurisnight.net/scholarship/

About Niko! Niko Blanks is from Chattanooga, TN and is currently a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University studying Spaceflight Operations. Niko has interned as a mechanical engineer on the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract and has been a part of multiple NASA engineering design challenges for Artemis EVA operations. As the Crew Engineer of the Sensoria M3 Mission, Niko conducted human factors and EVA operations research at HI-SEAS in December 2020. Most recently, Niko is partnering with the Yuri's Night Foundation and the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer to start the Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship. Cosmic Odyssey is dedicated to inspiring pediatric cancer survivors by providing them with scholarships to attend SpaceCamp in Huntsville, Alabama. As a brain cancer survivor, Niko's ultimate goal is to make space travel accessible to everyone and one day set foot on the Moon and Mars himself.

Follow Niko on Insta: @nikoinspace

About the Austin Hatcher Foundation https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/spacecamp

The Austin Hatcher Foundation is partnering with the Yuri's Night to help send pediatric cancer survivors to space camp! With the help of former Austin Hatcher Foundation patient, Niko Blanks, the foundation will be offering our patients and families the opportunity to apply for a scholarship for space camp!

Niko Blanks was treated as a child at the Austin Hatcher Foundation for a Grade II Fibrillary Astrocytoma. Following his diagnosis and treatment, Niko decided he wanted to give back in any way he could to children experiencing the same trials he had to overcome. Niko now a student studying Spaceflight Operations and wants to educate those going through the difficulties that come with pediatric cancer on the thing that he feels truly changed his life. This is where the idea for the Cosmic Odyssey Space Camp Scholarship Program was born!

Find out more about Space Kind training, and join the program in May: https://www.spacekind.org

And don't forget- Join me at the 1st Annual Analog Astronaut Conference! http://www.analogastronaut.com/

Are you intimidated by looking at the night sky? Wondering what's what in our big universe? The astronomers are here to help (it's easier than you think)!

Beth recently invited John, Samantha and Jenna to take your questions about the stars, the planets, the comets and more- all LIVE on the Casual Space Podcast Facebook page! A fun time was had by all (you can tell right away- there's a LOT of laughing) and the gang promises to return with more great questions in May, so start stargazing tonight, and get your questions ready & tune in again in May when YOU can ASK THE ASTRONOMERS!!!

About the Astronomers:

John Read fell in love with astronomy in his late twenties after viewing Saturn in a $13 telescope from the pharmacy. A few years later, he quit his job in the Fortune 500 to become a full-time astrophysics student, author, and father of three.

ASK JOHN MORE SPACE QUESTIONS: [email protected]

Samantha Jewett is the Outreach Assistant at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's (RASC) National Office. She's got a Bachelor's in Physics with an Astrophysics Specialization, and is currently earning her Master's degree in Education focusing on informal science education. Samantha spent her undergrad learning about the physics and math behind space science, joining the RASC introduced her to the exciting world of amateur visual astronomy. LEARN MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA's WORK AT: [email protected]

Jenna Hinds is the Outreach Coordinator at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's National Office. She studied marine biology in university and shifted into science communication after realizing she prefers talking about science to actually doing science. Now, Jenna gets to share science with folks from around the world every day! CHECK OUT JENNA's MOST RECENT SHOW AT: rasc.ca/moonatnoon

Check out the RASC: RASC | Canada's premier organization of amateur and professional astronomers, promoting Astronomy to all.

You're going to want to enjoy John's You Tube engaging videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkcV7-BZTDxlqIKYS89T4fQ

And there's lots of books, too- https://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-John-Read-Space-Science/s?rh=n%3A13443%2Cp_lbr_one_browse-bin%3AJohn+Read

If you're ready to stargaze and want to enjoy a fun challenge, go here: https://www.learntostargaze.com/astronomychallenge

Have fun! And as John says, "Clear skies!"

Is there life out there?

It is the fundamental question we humans have been asking since the beginning of our existence. Beth and Chad attempt to answer this question, then work in The Fermi Paradox, the Drake Equation, and of course, chickens and lizards.

Learn more about the Fermi paradox here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox,

And here's the Drake Equation N = R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L

And here's how SETI helps us understand the Drake Equation (SETI): https://www.seti.org/drake-equation-index

If you have questions or topics that Must Be Discussed, share them with Beth & Chad at [email protected] and join the conversation on Facebook or Instagram!

Have you ever been hesitant to try to learn the night sky, or wonder how you can view the cosmos with just a little help? David Dickinson has created the ultimate field guide for us backyard astronomers!

David Dickinson is the co-author of The Universe Today Guide to Viewing the Cosmos. Whether you want to impress viewers at a star party, or learn what you can see with your new telescope, David shows you how to find the most impressive views the night sky has to offer.

He is an Earth science teacher, freelance science writer, retired USAF veteran and backyard astronomer. He currently writes and ponders the universe as he travels the world with his wife.

In his new book (he's got several) The Backyard Astronomer's Field Guide: How to Find the Best Objects the Night Sky has to Offer, David helps each of us discover beautiful nebulas, constellations, deep sky objects and more with our telescopes. Find more of David's books and guides here: https://www.amazon.com/David-Dickinson/e/B00JH2909O

Broken down by month and by hemisphere to ensure you get the best possible view, David shows you how to find objects like spiral galaxies, stunning sights in the Milky Way and stars that bring the "wow factor" to astronomy. With 44 sky charts and David's expertise, it's like having a pro-astronomer out in the field with you.

This week on the show, David explains to Beth:

-how constellations got their names, how they've been different names throughout history, depending on who was ruling at the time, and from what location you were looking at the night sky

-what it's like to see the southern constellations and other unique cosmic phenomena for us in the northern hemisphere, and

-how you can connect with the stars in your very own unique way, you don't have to be an expert or make a star purchase to do it, either!

Follow Dave on Twitter at: Dave 'Indoor Cat' Dickinson @Astroguyz

Laurie thought middle school music students would participate more if they had music about space and rockets, but no such music existed. So she created it. You can guess what happened next.

Music educator, author, and space enthusiast, Laurie Orth, had the out-of-the-box idea that perhaps her students would participate more in music class if they had music about space and rockets. Inspired by NASA's STEM education website, with countless STEM lesson ideas for educators, she decided to create her own space-themed recorder music.

After incorporating the space music, Laurie found that her students were more attentive and eager to learn. The combination of the two contrasting disciplines of music and space exploration kept everyone 100% engaged in class. They increased their music reading abilities without even realizing it!

This week on the show, Laurie shares with Beth:

-how her son inspired her to merge her love of music with a newfound interest in space,

-how one of the simplest of instruments- the Recorder- can serve as a powerful tool for students to enjoy music, and

-how being brave and inventing something new for the world can provide benefits beyond what you ever imagined!

Learn more about Laurie and grab a copy of Rocket Recorder at https://www.laurieorth.com/

Download FREE MUSIC RESOURCES from Laurie here! https://www.laurieorth.com/free-downloads-signup/

Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space and a veteran of three shuttle missions, talks with Beth about her experience as part of the team that launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained the Hubble Space Telescope on this week's episode of the Casual Space Podcast.

The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe. It has, among many other achievements, revealed thousands of galaxies in what seemed to be empty patches of sky; transformed our knowledge of black holes; found dwarf planets with moons orbiting other stars; and measured precisely how fast the universe is expanding. In Handprints on Hubble, retired NASA astronaut Kathryn Sullivan describes her work on the NASA team that made all of this possible. This week, Dr. Sullivan joins Beth to describe how she and other astronauts, engineers, and scientists launched, rescued, repaired, and maintained Hubble, the most productive observatory ever built!

A moment from the show:

Beth: What invited you to write your book, "Handprints on Hubble" and share your story?

Dr. Sullivan: I, like countless engineers on the ground and at mission control, am really proud of everything Hubble has done, and I feel like I have a fingerprint, I have a contribution on everything Hubble has done. The idea of (sharing this) percolated for a long time until a friend at the Smithsonian was trying to get me to consider writing a memoir, and that's when the penny dropped- If my story could be the vehicle for telling an overlooked chapter of the Hubble history, and bringing the people who really are the hidden figures of the Hubble story into the foreground so the important work they did got its due. All of the creativity, the engineering, the design work, the imagining in the mid-60's a school-bus size telescope and that the astronauts would take care of it! It was astonishing! People don't often think of engineers of being imaginative, but Hubble is a really brilliant example of the kind of vision and imagination that describes most of engineering, so if I could use my story to help people understand the importance of this early history of Hubble, that would be worth writing. -Kathy Sullivan from the Casual Space Podcast

Learn more about Dr. Sullivan at http://kathysullivanastronaut.com/

Get your copy of Handprints on Hubble at: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/handprints-hubble

Carissa Christensen is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of BryceTech. Christensen is an internationally-recognized expert on R&D processes, technology forecasting, and the space industry. She is currently a member of the National Research Council Space Technology Industry Government-University Roundtable, which advises NASA.

She has served on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council since 2018. She is a Senior Advisor to the annual US Air Force Schriever Wargame. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

On this episode of the Casual Space Podcast, Ms. Christensen enjoys a more casual conversation with Beth about our inherent desire as humans to explore, to learn, and how exploring space can help us be better human beings.

A moment from the show:

From Beth: When did your interest in space begin?

From Carissa: My interest in space started with a series of questions. I began with asking, "How is knowledge created? How do we figure things out?" Then, my questions evolved into, "How does science work?" Then I found a parallel thread in asking how governance and government work. To me, representative government is an extremely powerful human invention-because it gives us access to the minds and the capabilities of so much broader a cross-section of humanity. Those threads all come together for me (maybe unexpectedly) in a career in space because governments and governance is such an important part of how space activities have occurred. As we were talking about getting to space is so much about learning and exploring…all of those things come together for me in the framework of knowing (more), learning (more), and ultimately for humans- being more.

​

And,

"When I think about what's universal about space, I think about the very fundamental human desire to want to learn, to know and to explore. And to me, space is the extreme manifestation of that. You can't explore it unless you learn and unless you know- which is so difficult and so challenging. It's a fundamental desire to unpack that mystery, and it's a tough mystery to work with.

-Carissa Christensen from the Casual Space Podcast

Learn more about Bryce at https://brycetech.com/

Read any of the available Bryce Tech Reports here: https://brycetech.com/reports

If space exploration didn't happen the way you envisioned it, go back and rewrite the story.

For All Mankind is an incredible new sci-fi series on Apple TV+ created and written by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi. If you have not yet discovered this intense and dramatic show, here's why it's worth binge watching immediately- it's an alternate history depicting "what would have happened" if the global space race never ended after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States.

In this episode of the Casual Space Podcast, Beth asks Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and television producer Ron Moore (Star Trek; Battlestar Galactica and Outlander), about the challenges presented when telling (rewriting) the alternative history of America's space race, and why this show moved Beth (many times) to tears. When will we see a woman walk on the moon? Can art imitate life to influence our next space race? How in the world did Ron and his team perfectly recreate historic Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center?

All this and more waiting for your ears to enjoy in this episode of Casual Space!

A moment from the show:

​Beth: How do you think people will react when we witness a woman walk on the Moon for the first time?

Ron: "I think when a woman sets foot on the Moon, that is going to be a real seminal moment. I think it's going to move people, I think people will all gather around their TV sets just like they did in 1969 to see it happen… it means something… especially in the context of this event not having happened for so long, that when women do it, it will be a major event! -Ron Moore from Casual Space Podcast

To watch every episode from every season of For All Mankind, go to:

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/for-all-mankind/umc.cmc.6wsi780sz5tdbqcf11k76mkp7

Follow Ron on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/writerRonDMoore or on Twitter at: @RonDMoore

Science communication can often be challenging… and at times, make even the most talented scientists, reporters, and educators reluctant to take on the task of communicating scientific findings and new discoveries. In this episode, Brian Palermo infuses his expertise from his experience with improvisation and acting to help us better communicate science! By implementing strategies from improv (think of the "yes, AND" approach to conversations), Brian shows how all of us can easily communicate information successfully through story.

Brian Palermo is a professional actor and communications expert who works with executives, business leaders, and audiences teaching the art of improv to present powerful (and funny) stories.

In this Casual conversation Brian Palermo will help us:

- implement improv in your daily conversations to better connect with peers, colleagues, even family members (even your kids)!!

- enjoy excerpts from Brian's book; Connection, Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking- where a former scientist, a story consultant, and an improv actor come together to give you the critical thinking of science combined with a century of Hollywood knowledge in the creation and shaping of stories!

-laugh! Stories about science and space can be fun and inspirational, and Brian reminds us that storytelling should be .

I really enjoyed this conversation with Brian and plan on continuing to follow him on TV, in the movies- and if you are in the LA area, you can find Brian perform as an improv stand up actor every Wednesday in the Groundlings in Hollywood.

From the Show:

​Beth: Can we bridge our science-illiterate nation via story??

Brian: "We can, and I think that's one great tool to do it, but you know, having the concept of, "We need to use story" is great, but having the ability to execute that is very hard. It's not easy to construct a story – to take science data and construct it into narrative form is very difficult, AND, to deliver it, to present it to other humans is another challenge. It's doable, but it takes work to get there."

-Brian Palermo from Casual Space Podcast

To learn more about Brian Palermo, go to: https://www.palermoimprovtraining.com/about

We mentioned Randy Olsen's book: https://www.amazon.com/Houston-We-Have-Narrative-Science/dp/022627084X

And of course, check out Brian's book with Randy Olsen, and Dorie Barton, "Connection. Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking." https://www.amazon.com/Connection-Hollywood-Storytelling-Critical-Thinking/dp/0615872387/ref=asc_df_0615872387/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=265958393932&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16145716171067840377&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021552&hvtargid=pla-538612589161&psc=1

Will we find life on Mars?

On Thursday, February 18, 2021, the Mars Perseverance rover will land at the site of an ancient river delta in a lake that was once filled known as Jezero Crater. The rover will spend at least one Mars year (two Earth years) searching for signs of ancient life!

What happens when the Mars Perseverance rover lands on Mars this Thursday?

What is EDL and why does it make for such a stressful moment?

What are some of the differences with this rover "Percey," vs. Curiosity?

What is a sky crane? How will it work?

The specific location where Percy is intending to land is important and significant. Why?

Answers to these questions and more, on this BONUS episode of Casual Space with Dr. Tanya Harrison, and Dr. Graham Lau. Tanya is a respected Mars expert who worked as a geoscientist and mission operations specialist on multiple NASA Mars missions over the past 13 years, including the Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Dr. Tanya is a respected thought leader in the commercial space sector and has served as Director of Research for Arizona State University's NewSpace Initiative. Currently, Tanya works as the Director of Science Strategy for the federal arm of the Earth observing satellite company Planet Labs. Tanya holds a Ph.D. in Geology with a Specialization in Planetary Science and Exploration from the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Graham Lau is an astrobiologist and communicator of science, and many people know him online as "The Cosmobiologist." Dr. Graham Lau also serves as the Director of Communications and Marketing for Blue Marble Space, a Research Scientist with the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, the Director of Logistics for the University Rover Challenge, and the host of the NASA Astrobiology and SAGANet show "Ask an Astrobiologist".

To learn more about Dr. Tanya and her work: https://www.tanyaharrison.com/

To learn more about Dr. Lau and his work: https://cosmobiota.com/

This will be the very first attempt of a sample return from Mars! To learn more about this very long and complicated process, check out: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-sample-return-msr

To learn more about Mars Perseverance Rover: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/

And don't miss this LANDING TOOLKIT: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

Curiosity is STILL exploring Mars! Check out the continued activity at: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/

And, JOIN THE LIVE WATCH PARTY AT https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watch-online/

Watch with Tanya at WeMartians: https://www.wemartians.com/

Watch with Dr. Graham Lau and Beth Mund at Explore Mars: https://www.exploremars.org/