Casual Space

Analog astronaut. Chef. Explorer. Pilot. Geologist. Artist. Professor. Author. STEM Communicator and…Cowgirl!? In short, Dr. Sian Proctor is just…. Incredible!

You will want to get to know this impressive woman beyond the Casual Space conversation with Beth, so here are some links to Dr. Sian's TedX Talks, videos, cookbooks, artwork and more!

START HERE: https://www.drsianproctor.com/

TEDx Talks: https://www.drsianproctor.com/media/

Space2Inspire (Dr. Sian's Artwork): https://www.drsianproctor.com/space2inspire/

Support Sian here: https://www.patreon.com/drsianproctor

About Sian: Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and science communication specialist with a passion for space exploration. Her motto is called Space2inspire where she encourages people to use their unique, one-of-a-kind strengths, and passion to inspire those within their reach and beyond.

She uses her AfronautSpace art to encourage conversations about women of color in the space industry. She's an analog astronaut and has completed four analog missions including the all-female SENSORIA Mars 2020 mission at the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Habitat, the NASA funded 4-months Mars mission at HI-SEAS, a 2-weeks Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), and a 2-weeks Moon mission in the LunAres Habitat.

She believes that when we solve for space, we also solve issues on Earth. She promotes sustainable food practices used in space exploration as a way to reduce food waste on Earth. She has a TEDx talk called Eat Like a Martian and published the Meals for Mars Cookbook. Dr. Proctor was a finalist for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program and got down to the Yes/No phone call which came from Astronaut Sunita Williams. She is an international speaker who enjoys engaging in educational outreach.

She is a continuing NASA Solar System Ambassador and serves on the Explore Mars Board of Directors, JustSpace Alliance Advisory Board, the Science in the Wild Advisory Board, the SEDS USA Advisory Board, and the National Science Teaching Association's Aerospace Advisory Board. In 2019, she was the science communication outreach officer on the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 383 and spent 2-months at sea with researchers investigating the Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. She also participated in the 2-week faculty development seminar Exploring Urban Sustainability in India.

She was a 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea, a 2016 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador (ACEAP), and a 2014 PolarTREC Teacher investigating climate change in Barrow, Alaska. She is a Major in the Civil Air Patrol and serves as a member of the Arizona Wing Aerospace Education Officer.

Dr. Proctor spent 21 years as a professor teaching geology, sustainability, and planetary science at South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the Open Educations Resource Coordinator for the Maricopa Community College District. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction: Science Education.

She recently finished a sabbatical at Arizona State University's Center for Education Through Exploration creating virtual field trips. She did her 2012-13 sabbatical at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute developing their science of disasters curriculum.

She has appeared in multiple international science shows and is currently on A World Without NASA and Strange Evidence. You can follow her on social media @DrSianProctor.

In 1984, Jim Wetherbee was selected to join NASA in its tenth group of astronauts. Over a twenty-year career, he flew six times on the Space Shuttle. The five-time commander flew two missions to the Russian Space Station, Mir, and two missions to the International Space Station. In 1998, he was appointed as the Director, Flight Crew Operations, specifically selected to improve the flight and ground safety in the astronaut corps. Based on that success, Jim was selected after the Columbia accident to enhance the safety aspects in the organizational culture at the Johnson Space Center, home of NASA's human space flight program.

With thirty-five years of experience in high-hazard operational environments, Jim enjoys consulting with leaders and operators in dangerous endeavors with critical mission objectives. He is the only American astronaut to have commanded five missions in space, and is the only person to have landed the Space Shuttle five times.

What an incredible conversation Beth and Jim share about space with SO many great techniques to apply in our every day lives! Here are some of Beth's favorite moments:

On the balance between having confidence and humility: "You must be confident to do the kinds of things astronauts and test pilots do… you have to have the confidence to be able to get in the vehicle and strap in, but you better have the humility to recognize that we're all humans and we might make a mistake- even as best trained as I am, I might make a mistake. If you have confidence, you'll make mistakes… If you don't have humility, you won't KNOW you're making mistakes."

Often I ask people, 'Do you know someone with supreme confidence and insufficient humility?' We all know those kind os people- and it's best to avoid those people and avoid their trailing wake of disfunction and debris."

-Jim Wetherbee from the Casual Space Podcast

At 35 minutes in, Jim shares his own perspective from flying the space from the shuttle- what surprised him, what he went looking for, and what came full-circle from his goal he set when he was 10 years old. At the end of the podcast, Jim explains what went through his mind and helped him sleep the night before he would launch and start his mission.

Here's more great memories about shuttle launches from Jim:

"When you see a rocket launch from a far, and you notice how very slow the rocket/ vehicle seems to be moving up off the Earth… there is NOTHING slow about a launch!!! You get that sense because it's so far away from the camera, but when you are SITTING IN IT, and it FIRES, and you instantly are accelerating at twice the force of gravity….I try to describe this experience in the book, and it's exactly analogous to lying down on a hard bench, in an elevator, in a 19-story tall building, having the floor suddenly open up, and you're dropping straight down 190 feet! The space shuttle feels that that, accelerating, but in the other direction. The launch tower out your window just disappears. You are forced back in your seat with twice the force of gravity, then quickly picks up to three times the force of gravity. I did the math, and at one point, there was more than 800+ pounds pushing on my body as I traveled straight up, and it's so hard you almost can't breathe! But you can't think about it or devote any brain cells towards breathing because your job is to be thinking about the life support, the reaction control systems, the readouts on the computers, making sure everything is working flawlessly, and if it doesn't and when it doesn't, you must take action right away."

You wrote the book, "Controlling Risk in a Dangerous World." How can we control risk when there's so much that seem out of our control right now in the world?!?!: Can we predict all accidents from observing the past? Are some unpreventable? We easily prevent potential accidents that are similar to recent occurrences, but preventing accidents that exceed corporate experience seems extraordinarily difficult. Organizations continue to be blindsided by tragedies that no one thought would occur. Yet, in any given postincident analysis, investigators often determine the latest catastrophe was tragically similar to a forgotten previous incident. New rules are promulgated, operating procedures are updated—and the cycle of accidents continues. Organizations must need something more than rules and procedures to prevent accidents.

About Jim Wetherbee: https://www.jimwetherbee.com/about-1

Jim earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1974. He began his career as a Naval Aviator aboard the USS John F Kennedy, flying the A-7 Corsair. After graduating from the US Naval Test Pilot School, Jim performed flight-testing of the F/A-18 Hornet.

Bringing his experience from the aerospace industry as a former NASA executive and astronaut, Jim joined the oil and gas industry as a Safety and Operations Auditor for BP. Four years later, he was selected as a VP for Operating Leadership. In this role, he supported efforts to improve performance results consistently over the long-term, by emphasizing effective leadership behaviors as a key way to influence and inspire people to conduct safe and high-quality operations.

After successful careers in naval aviation, aerospace, and the oil and gas industry, Jim is passionate about helping leaders and operators perform successfully in hazardous environments.

Get a copy of Jim's Book here: https://www.jimwetherbee.com/book

What a fun conversation! Beth and Alan combine all of the space topics you love in one incredibly entertaining episode, including: Astrochicks, George Lucas, hyphenated astronauts and tickets to the moon offered from former airlines company PanAm.

See You in Orbit? Our Dream of Spaceflight is the book Alan presents that will guide you on a historical, personal, irreverent, and often-humorous tour of the promises, expectations, principal personalities, and milestones regarding the goal individuals have to fly in space. At the end of the tour we'll assess whether we are getting closer to the day when we can greet fellow dreamers with the joyful salutation: See You in Orbit!Where to get your copy of the book, See You in Orbit https://www.amazon.com/See-You-Orbit-Dream-Spaceflight/dp/1733265708

"Their letters inspired me- they were so heartfelt. Look no further! I'm your man/ woman! This would bring meaning to my life! Why a teacher? Why not a plumber? How about Journalists? Nurses? Everyone wanted to go." -Alan Ladwig about being the manager of space flight participant program at NASA and receiving letters from people wanting to fly to space (from the Casual Space Podcast ).

Where to find Alan Ladwig:

https://toorbitproductions.com/about-me

On Twitter @SpaceArtAl

Here's more about Alan:

Alan has been recognized for his leadership and contributions in the field of policy, communications, and STEAM education in the aerospace sector. He is especially known for playing a leading role in developing and managing programs to directly engage the general public in space research and space-related outreach opportunities.

He is Chief of To Orbit Productions, an independent company that provides consulting services and lectures on space policy as well the creation of art projects based on space themes. Ladwig is also serving as the Chief of Communications and a member of the Board of Directors of the Star Harbor Space Training Academy, a startup company with plans to offer astronaut training for the general public.

During his career Ladwig received NASA's Distinguished Service Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, two Exceptional Service Medals, the Outstanding Leadership Medal, and was a member of six Group Achievement Awards. He is a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society. In 2014 Ladwig received the Distinguish Alumni Award for both Elgin Community College and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

He served in U.S. Army with the 558th Artillery Group, stationed in Athens, Greece from 1972-1974.

Ladwig received a Masters in Higher Education (1976) and Bachelors in Speech (1970) from Southern Illinois University. He received an Associates degree in Business from Elgin Community College (1968).

The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space (Wikipedia reference) The term and concept were coined in 1987 by Frank White, who explored the theme in his book The Overview Effect — Space Exploration and Human Evolution.

Since 1987, there's been a recently series of interviews done at the Johnson Space Center with a new group of Astronauts in a series that's been produced called, "Down to Earth" (you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L6eqgnmlPo)

It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative.[5]

The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility. And why, I don't know. I don't know to this day. I had a feeling it's tiny, it's shiny, it's beautiful, it's home, and it's fragile. — Michael Collins, Apollo 11[7]

Astronauts Michael Collins, Ron Garan,[8] Rusty Schweikart,[5] Edgar Mitchell,[5] Tom Jones,[5] Scott Kelly,[9] James Irwin,[10] Mike Massimino,[11] Chris Hadfield,[13] Sally Ride, and Anne McClain[14] are all reported to have experienced the effect.[5]

Frank White has authored or coauthored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration to climate change to artificial intelligence. His best-known work, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space exploration. A film called "Overview," based largely on his work, has had nearly 8 million plays on Vimeo.

Since the first edition of his book on the subject was published in 1987, "the Overview Effect" has become a standard term for describing the spaceflight experience. The fourth edition of The Overview Effect, including original interviews with 31 astronauts, is scheduled for publication in 2019.

White considers himself to be a "space philosopher," and has long advocated developing a new philosophy of space exploration. His book on this topic, The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, has just been published. In it, he asks the fundamental question, "What is the purpose of human space exploration? Why has the evolutionary process brought humanity to the brink of becoming a spacefaring species?"

In the book, he shares the idea of "the Human Space Program" as a "central project" that will engage all of us in the process of becoming "Citizens of the Universe."

Once you are done enjoying this episode, the hope is that you find yourself asking, "How can we bring the overview effect down to Earth? How can I use the Overview Effect to address inequality? Conflict resolution? How can we apply it to Psychotherapy? Basically, I hope this conversation inspires you to look at how we can be better humans, and look at things with a different perspective.

What the Overview Effect is from Frank's own words: "It's a message from the universe via the astronauts and then through me. And it's not a one-time message, it's a continuing message."

What is the Overview Effect? "I was searching for a way into space exploration without a technical bio. The moment the Overview Effect came to me was when I was flying across the country and looking out the window. I was obsessing about living off the planet, and I was looking down and I just had this idea that, gosh- if I lived in a place like this, I would see the Earth as a whole system and the connectedness and the unity of our planet and of ourselves would not be a discussion, it would just be obvious. When we landed, I was thinking, how can we pursue this? It didn't start out with astronauts, it was about space settlements and space communities, and there were not any people I could interview [to speak about these things] so I interviewed astronauts as a proxy. I was thinking about it as something ordinary- there's the Earth, from the sky. When I started talking to astronauts, they saw the Earth from a distance was extraordinary. So that shifted the dialogue for a bit and it's been shifted for a while where people are far more focused on 'how do we apply this to create a better life on Earth. How do we bring the overview effect down to Earth. And I'm glad. The overview effect is a theory yet to be proven in it's original form." -Frank White

Where to get your copy of the book, Overview Effect and more books by Frank White: https://www.amazon.com/Overview-Effect-Exploration-Evolution-Library/dp/162410262X

The Overview Effect Movie: https://www.google.com/search?q=the+overview+effect+vinmo&rlz=1C1DVJR_enUS852US863&oq=the+overview+effect+vinmo&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.7670j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Where to find Frank White: www.FrankWhiteAuthor.com

"What I really want to do is to create a movement or support a movement that has the overview effect as it's core philosophy…as it's basic understanding of who we are, where we are in the universe, and that means supporting other people." -Frank White on the Casual Space Podcast

Other podcasts with more Frank White and the Overview Effect:

NASA's Houston, We Have a Podcast: Episode 107 https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/the-overview-effect

On this inspirational episode, Beth talks with former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver about the Brooke Owens Fellowship.

Created to honor the legacy of a beloved space industry pioneer and accomplished pilot, Dawn Brooke Owens (1980 – 2016), the Brooke Owens Fellowship is designed to serve both as an inspiration and as a career boost to capable young women and other gender minorities who, like Brooke, aspire to explore our sky and stars, to shake up the aerospace industry, and to help their fellow people here on planet Earth. This incredible organization matches up to forty students per year with purpose-driven, paid internships at leading aerospace companies and organizations and with senior and executive level mentors. Join Beth and Lori as they share this sincere conversation about a friend, a desire, and a mission to turn promising students into thriving leaders.

What is the Brooke Owens Fellowship? PAID INTERNSHIPS & EXECUTIVE MENTORSHIP FOR EXCEPTIONAL UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN AND GENDER-MINORITY STUDENTS IN AEROSPACE

Learn More about Brooke Owens and the Brooke Owens Fellowship at : http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org/

About Dawn Brooke Owens: Brooke was a beloved friend and colleague to many in the aerospace industry. Coming from humble beginnings in a small mining company town (population: ~2,750) just outside of Death Valley National Park, Brooke managed to make a lasting impact on the industry through talent, character, and sheer determination.

Always an excellent student – she was valedictorian of her high school class… though she was always quick to point out that there were only two students in her class! – Brooke was an alumna of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the International Space University. Professionally, she worked at the NASA's Johnson Space Center, the non-profit XPRIZE Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, and the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Brooke also committed herself to whole-hearted service. Supporting organizations such as AidChild and Mercy's Village International, Brooke was passionate about making her world a better place by supporting children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis, ending human trafficking, fighting poverty, and empowering girls and women.

Outside of work and her philanthropic efforts, Brooke was a caring, warm, and adventurous spirit. She was an accomplished pilot, and spent many of her happiest moments flying. She found time to go kayaking, run triathlons, become a party DJ, perform at spoken word events, and a million other things.

Brooke was the sort of person for whom no amount of time on this Earth would have been enough to do all that she wanted to do. Thankfully, she was also the sort of person who lived life to its fullest, and found joy in every moment.

About Lori Garver: Lori Garver is the former Deputy Administrator of NASA. Prior to her Senate confirmation, she headed the NASA transition team and was the lead space policy advisor to Senator Clinton and Senator Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Lori is currently the CEO of Earthrise Alliance - a philanthropic initiative established to fully utilize Earth science data to combat climate change. Earthrise Alliance funds fellowships and awards grants to partner organizations that engage and activate educators, journalists, voters and decision makers.

Rachel Lyons is a key advocate in the advancement of space technology and exploration. Rachel is the former Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space – USA, a non-profit that empowers young people to make an impact in space exploration. She is a former public radio host. She holds a BSc. in Aerospace Engineering and Economics from the University of Miami.

Astronauts return from space with a new understanding of life on earth — from the environment to politics, resources to energy, to humanitarian issues. Rachel believes this perspective is essential in addressing the challenges we face globally, as well as creating a connection to each other and our home planet earth.

She is committed to providing opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds to expand their perspective – both for the futuristic vision of humanity, and for our world today.

About Space For Humanity: https://www.spaceforhumanity.org/

Joe Cassady is Executive Director of Space Programs in the Washington DC Operations for Aerojet Rocketdyne. Joe and the AR team help to plan human missions to the Moon and Mars, helping to develop the strategy and architectures for future space and launch systems.

Joe and Beth met at the NASA Stennis Space Center and the NASA Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans for the NASA Artemis Day celebration. Together, Beth and Joe geek out about rocket engines and what it takes to get us to the Moon and Mars and beyond. They discuss the different types of rockets, types of propulsion systems, how building rocket engines is a kind of architecture, and working to shorten the transit time of getting to the places we want to go in space. Learn what the GREEN RUN test is coming up, and why it's another HUGE milestone in our journey toward our return to the moon. What surprises people most when it comes to rocket engines? Find out all this and more on this episode with Joe!

Beth's favorite quote from Joe on the podcast: "Literally, tens of thousands of people and hundreds of companies are involved- many are small companies that are our suppliers…they're the real lifeblood of things like this and they are very proud of it. Being able to go out, and go across the country and say to people, 'The road to Mars and the road back to the Moon starts here, in your town. You're part of this'. It's really exciting.

More great stuff from Joe:

"We're able to use what we learned on the Space Shuttle Program- some of the very engines themselves on a fleet of orbiters that flew three of the RS-25s that gave us an inventory of engines! Rather than keeping them on the orbiters that went to museums, they removed the flight engines and we'll be using them for the first few Artemis missions! We went back an equipped them with a new brain, and electronic controller…it's really neat to see them be available to the nation to get us on this path in an accelerated way.

"I'm looking forward to the day we put those boots back on the Moon, and I'm really really looking forward to seeing the first steps taken on the surface of Mars."

About Joe Cassady is Aerojet Rocketdyne's Executive Director for Space in the company's Washington Operations. He is responsible for strategy and capture activities related to many of the company's NASA programs, including: the Space Launch System (SLS);the propulsion system for the Orion deep space capsule; Commercial Crew propulsion and power systems; advanced electric propulsion; International Space System (ISS) power system, as well as AFRL and DARPA programs. He also is involved with research activities for next-generation space technology, including additive manufacturing, advanced materials, non-toxic propellants, modular propulsion for small satellites, and nuclear propulsion and power technology efforts.

Joseph Cassady joined Aerojet in 1985 and was appointed to his present position in June 2013. Previously, he served in various Engineering and Business Development positions related to advanced propulsion for missiles and spacecraft. He began his career at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards AFB, where he performed research into the acceleration mechanisms of Magneto Plasma Dynamic (MPD) thrusters as part of an AFOSR graduate program. After graduation, Joseph Cassady continued his research at the AFRPL, where he helped to create the in-house Electric Propulsion Laboratory (EPL). He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the Purdue University. He is the recipient of several technical awards from Aerojet Rocketdyne and outside organizations. Joseph Cassady has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers dealing with mission design, space architectures, and propulsion technology and its applications and holds four patents for electric propulsion technologies. His professional affiliations included the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he is an Associate Fellow; the American Astronautical Society; and the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society, where he serves as Vice President. He also serves on the board of ExploreMars, Inc., an organization dedicated to education, STEM activities and outreach related to the exploration of Mars.

Videos and more from this rocket engine conversation:

State of NASA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRvLuM8ZzGc

What is the Green Run test mentioned? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebzxYAIOb-w

What is Artemis Core Stage? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWkBeOqvtWA

What is a rocket and how does it work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI-HeXhsUIg

About AeroJet Rocketdyne: https://www.rocket.com/

"Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to its space, missile defense, strategic, tactical missile and armaments customers throughout the world. Aerojet Rocketdyne's strategic and tactical missile programs defend America, our troops and our allies."

More about Joe and where to find him:

Twitter: @MarsJoe

Joe obtained his BS and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University as well as a Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University. He has nearly 40 years of experience in various forms of rocket propulsion and mission and systems analysis and has authored more than 60 technical papers dealing with electric propulsion, power and attitude control systems, space architectures and mission analysis. Recently, Mr Cassady collaborated with three Purdue University professors to co-author a new textbook for university level studies entitled Rocket Propulsion. He also serves on the Board of the non-profit Explore Mars, Inc.

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides is a public speaker, co-creator of Yuri's Night, and an author on space exploration. Whitesides received a bachelor's degree in biology from Stanford and a master's from Caltech, with a particular interest in astrobiology. She accumulated over five hours of weightless time as a Flight Director for Zero-G Corporation, and plans to travel to space as a "Founder Astronaut" on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo with her husband George T. Whitesides.[1]

Beth's favorite quote from Loretta on the podcast: "I've been to a Hollywood movie premier! I've been to the bottom of the ocean! I've partied with Buzz Aldrin! I've done all of these fancy, glitzy, amazing, check-the-box-I'm-a-successful-person-things, and I can assure you, IT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING. At the end of the day and on my deathbed, what's going to matter most is, Do I love myself? Am I proud of myself? Am I proud of who I am? Am I proud of the relationships that I've maintained? Have I restored integrity? Have I forgiven people? Have I let go of resentment? That's what important and that's what life is really made of, and what I hope people attend to."

"My religion is Jedi."

About wanting to be princess Leia: "She was so courageous, and she was so powerful. I was like, yeah, that's obviously like what women are! That's obviously what women should do in the universe, and that's obviously like what I'm going to be when I grow up."

"We talk about being "successful and miserable" and the transformational journey of being honest. We discuss the many Star Wars references and the influences books and movies and art had on Loretta from a very young age. I ask Loretta if we're really meant to leave this planet, and if we can afford to make mistakes in space.

"When we go to space, we will have to learn how to live sustainably in a closed ecosystem, and how and take care of everyone in our community and to care for ourselves so we are all honored, nurtured, and will help us back on our home world. Space is not s silver bullet. It does not fix us, but it IS an opportunity. I'm saying the most precious resource is the opportunity we have in space is to hit that restart. We can either squander that resource, and we can just do things the way we've always done them, or we can take advantage of that opportunity. We have one chance to restart fresh when we go to space. And I want to make sure we've done the thinking before we go, and that we make the most of it.

About Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides

Having dreamed of space since she was a little girl, Loretta wants to use the power of space to shift our perspectives, connect us with each other and our home planet and become the kind of species we would be proud to send to the nearest star.

About The New Right Stuff book: (Taken from the website)This book was written for you. It was created to support you in fulfilling what you came to Earth to do. It will take you on a hero's journey, to find your calling, to face your dark side, to be the person you have always wanted to be, to capture your dream and to return home to share the wisdom you have gained from your journey with others. We use space as a backdrop for the whole adventure. Why? Because I love space, many of you love space, and space is a powerful reminder of what we are capable of as a species. Space is also an inspiration for us each fulfilling our piece in creating what Buckminster Fuller called, "a world that works for everyone." I invite you to continue your training here. We each have a unique mission. If you don't fulfill your mission, no one else can.

More about Loretta: Having studied astrobiology at Stanford and Caltech, Loretta has worked in the Astronaut Office in Houston Texas, done research on plant life in the Canadian Arctic with NASA, dove to the bottom of the ocean with Titanic Director James Cameron to film the IMAX "Aliens of the Deep," floated weightless hundreds of times as a Flight Director for Zero Gravity Corporation, studied terraforming Mars with Dr. Chris McKay of NASA Ames, worked for the X Prize Foundation during the $10M winning Ansari X Prize flights in 2004, helped launch the Space Generation Advisory Council in 1999, and Co-Created Yuri's Night, The World Space Party in 2001. Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides has been a Future Astronaut with Virgin Galactic since 2005.

She currently lives in the desert outside Los Angeles with her husband George and their two kids and leads leadership development training for Virgin Galactic staff as well as continuing to give talks and write to help people fulfill on what they came to Earth to do!

MORE with Loretta:

Space Kind: http://www.spacekind.org/?fbclid=IwAR3EBZt3CpQSqONtOjiEd8tBPVyzkJeSlYgLXkTg5mZIsL4uNkZiJrKUze0

Yuri's Night: https://yurisnight.net/

• "The New Right Stuff"
• "The World Space Party: TMRO Interviews Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides - March 25, 2017"
• "It's Up To Us: GeekDad Interviews Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides"
• "Cuppa and chat with Loretta Whitesides from Galactic Unite"
• Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides on LinkedIn
• Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides on IMDb
• "10% Happier Podcast with Dan Harris - February 13, 2019"

TED Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdJlJ0V-UaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8p6QuNf0DE

Dr. Andrew Aldrin is Director of the Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Institute of Technology. ASI is a multidisciplinary institute created to advance commercial space development.

On the podcast, Andy tells Beth and the Casual Space listeners about the Graduate Certificate in Commercial Space Studies. It's a partnership between the International Space University and Florida Tech. Beth and Andy also discuss seeing the Falcon Heavy Launch in person last summer, why communicating what's happening in the space industry effectively is so important, and Andy tells Beth where he would like to go in space, and what he would pay a significant amount of money to do in space!

About the Graduate Certificate in Commercial Space Studies: This space-focused, multidisciplinary program is only graduate-level certificate of its kind in the U.S., and provides rigorous, practical training in the nuances of space finance, policy, management, technology and entrepreneurship. Master's students and young professionals from around the world will gain valuable academic and real-world insight to spark economic innovation in the fast-emerging commercial space industry.

ISU (International Space University) Center for Space Entrepreneurship: https://www.fit.edu/isucse/

About International Space University: https://www.isunet.edu/

About Andy Aldrin:

Prior to FIT, Dr. Aldrin was President of Moon Express, responsible for day to day operations for the company. Dr. Aldrin also held executive positions in more traditional aerospace industry, serving as Director of Business Development and Advanced Programs at United Launch Alliance where he oversaw development of corporate strategies, business capture, senior customer relations and advanced program development for civil space markets.

Before ULA, Dr. Aldrin headed Business Development and Advanced Programs for Boeing's NASA Systems, and Launch Services business units. He has also served on the professional research staff of the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Defense Analyses.

Elizabeth Howell is a space writer, science consultant and writing teacher based in Ottawa, Canada. She writes about space, science and astronauts, and has even BEEN an astronaut in a simulation on Mars!**

Elizabeth writes hundreds a stories a year on the space business, from conferences, from live events and from my own home. You can see her work daily in places like Space.com, Forbes and SpaceQ. Elizabeth's notable projects include:

• Elizabeth journeyed to Kazakhstan twice to report on two International Space Station launches: Expedition 56 and Expedition 58.
• She documented living on a "Mars" base for two weeks.
• And, Elizabeth attended three space shuttle launches (like this one), and talked to numerous astronauts about how to prepare for spaceflight.

*She participated in the Mars Desert Research Station. Run by the Mars Society- researchers go there for 2 weeks with isolated conditions to work and learn and adapt to the environment. She rocked the research. Not so much the cooking…

About writing her latest book: "Canada Arm and Collaboration" about the Canadian space program, and it will be published in October. It will be my 3rd book about science that will be out earlier this year… What really made the book easy to write form me- because book writing is terrible- it's a lot of work and a lot of research- it was the result of 25 years of passion from the Apollo 13 movie just pouring out. what I really wanted to highlight was the behind the scenes work the astronauts do." – Elizabeth Howell from Casual Space

About the story behind the story: "The challenge is that there's not very much coverage because there's only about 6 of us (covering space) across the country (in Canada), so I've trying to attend as much as possible trying to tell the stories of both the astronauts from the launch, but they do all of these cool things on the ground that nobody talks about! They do underwater missions! They do geological field work! They do inspirational events for children! They have conversations with our Prime Minister! I like to be there and report when they are doing things in between (missions).

About being a writer: "I was quite good at writing, it just seemed to come naturally to me. I had this ability to sit down and translate complex ideas into really cool stuff!"

About inspiring her students: "There are many ways to do something. If you want to be an astronaut, I tell students that I've gone and simulated being an astronaut, I've gotten a degree where I was studying astronaut behavior. I've written and talked to so many astronauts over the years, so I basically have come as close as I can!"

Where to find Elizabeth and her work: https://elizabethhowell.ca/

On Twitter: @Howellspace

Books: https://elizabethhowell.ca/books/

The Science of Time Travel: The Secrets Behind Time Machines, Time Loops, Alternate Realities, and More!

The Search of Life On Mars: The Greatest Scientific Detective Story of All Time by Elizabeth Howell and Nicholas Booth

And

Canadarm and Collaboration: How Canada's Astronauts and Space Robots Explore New Worlds