Celestial Citizen

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Michal Ziso to talk about space architecture, gender equality in the built environment, and how space innovations can inform better design here on Earth as well.

Michal is a futurist, equality activist and space architect, creating the future of the built environment on earth through space innovation.  Michal is the founder and CEO of ZISO Architecture + Innovation Lab and The Sleep Space, an early stage SpaceTech startup.  With over a decade of experience designing skyscrapers and innovative large scale projects, Michal is also an Advisory Board Member of Moon2Mars Ventures and Earth & Beyond Incubator.  Michal promotes democratization of access to space and is a global scale trailblazer for human centered design of space environments via collaborations with NASA, ISA (Israel Space Agency), UNOOSA  (United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs) group Space4Women, and more.

A special shout-out and thank you to our lead sponsor this season, Multiverse Media Group!  For more information about Multiverse Media Group and their recent documentary, The High Frontier, check out https://thehighfrontiermovie.com/.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Kim Macharia to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the space industry, as well as space communication and educational opportunities for young people.  We'll also cover the latest from Space Prize and Space Frontier Foundation.

Kim serves as Executive Director of the Space Prize Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting STEM education and increasing the representation of women in aerospace careers.  She began her career managing community relations for startups in working on a range of projects including space situational awareness and private spaceflight.  She has had the privilege of representing these companies at international events including the UN World Space Forum.  Throughout her career she has made a concerted effort to advocate for marginalized communities and create pathways for nontraditional actors to engage in the growing space economy.

She is also passionate about diversifying and democratizing the space industry.  She advocates for the development of the space economy through her role as the Chair of the Space Frontier Foundation.  Since taking on the position she launched ambitious initiatives centered around Climate Change, Diversity & Inclusion, and STEM.

A special shout-out and thank you to our lead sponsor this season, Multiverse Media Group! For more information about Multiverse Media Group and their recent documentary, The High Frontier, check out https://thehighfrontiermovie.com/.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we're joined by Zac Wager to discuss the scarcity of lunar resources and what we can do to work toward a better system of oversight and management to avoid depletion and other environmental issues in space.  Our conversation is a deep-dive into Zac's recent paper, Scarcity of Lunar Resources - Scorecard & Case Study, for the Open Lunar Foundation

Zac is a relatively recent newcomer to the space world but has made a considerable impact in a short amount of time.  He has published multiple research pieces, won national competitions for his policy writing on the outer space treaty, and has participated in multiple international working groups reporting to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).  Zac currently occupies a policy advisor role with Global Affairs Canada where he analyzes, disseminates and coordinates various outer space policy and regulation initiatives at both the international and domestic level on behalf of the Canadian Government.  He is part of the Canadian delegation to the UNCOPUOS and its subcommittees, where he has acquired valuable experience in the multilateral processes of developing international space law and policy.  In addition to his current position, Zac also holds a research fellowship with the Open Lunar Foundation.  In this capacity, he did advanced collaborative research and writing on the notions of mining and stewardship of lunar resources, contributed to Open Lunar's "Breaking Ground" lunar resources trust, and conducted significant investigations into the scarcity of lunar resources, with an emphasis on sustainable resource management.

Zac has an eclectic academic background having received a master's degree in international public policy from the Balsillie School of International Affairs and an undergraduate degree in peace and disarmament studies from Wilfrid Laurier University.  Zac is deeply passionate about issues of sustainability, social justice and the preservation of nature both on this planet and beyond it.  He hopes to positively support the emerging field of space environmentalism where he can work on issues like space debris, space resource utilization, and the weaponization of outer space.

A special shout-out and thank you to our lead sponsor this season, Multiverse Media Group! For more information about Multiverse Media Group and their recent documentary, The High Frontier, check out https://thehighfrontiermovie.com/.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Allen Herbert to discuss space agriculture, how StarLab Oasis is solving food scarcity both here on Earth and in space, as well as, the emerging space economy in Abu Dhabi.

Allen is the General Manager of StarLab Oasis, a Space AgTech company based in Abu Dhabi.  In this role, he directs and manages the organization’s overall business activities, and develops and implements effective business strategies for growth.

Allen has an entrepreneurial spirit and a vision for directing business functions and assisting the organization in maintaining key relationships with varied clients.  He also has over 30 years of experience in technology industries and government relations.

Allen’s vision of future space exploration includes developing and working on initiatives that will provide a means for everyday citizens to venture into space, as a place to do business, live and work.

He is always looking for business opportunities and space projects in emerging space nations.  And one of his passions is that he believes that research in space agriculture can impact food security here on Earth.  He envisions a future where food scarcity on Earth and in space no longer exists.

Allen received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California.

A special shout-out and thank you to our lead sponsor this season, Multiverse Media Group!  For more information about Multiverse Media Group and their recent documentary, The High Frontier, check out https://thehighfrontiermovie.com/.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Laura Forczyk - author and owner of space consulting firm, Astralytical - to discuss the future of human spaceflight and how we can all "become off-worldly." 

Laura is the owner of space consulting firm, Astralytical, specializing in space science, policy, space career coaching services, and publishing industry reports.

She is the author of Rise of the Space Age Millennials (2020) and Becoming Off-Worldly (2022). She runs the private online community Becoming Off-Worldly Together.

Laura also serves as an advisor for the Cislunar Space Development Company and For All Moonkind. She is the VP of Research and Analytics for the Beyond Earth Institute. She also serves as a mentor for the Brooke Owens Fellowship program. She is a NASA Subject Matter Expert for astrophysics and planetary science missions.

Prior to forming her own company, she ran the Florida office of an international startup working to establish parabolic and suborbital flight at Kennedy Space Center and globally. She has also worked as a scientific analyst for a nonprofit facilitating over 50 experiments on the International Space Station for the benefit of life on Earth. 

She has researched astrophysics and planetary science at three NASA centers, flown two parabolic “Zero G” campaigns, conducted geological research in a meteor crater, and earned National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) suborbital astronaut wings in ground training.  And Laura also has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in astrophysics.

A special shout-out and thank you to our sponsors for this episode!

For more information about our lead sponsor this season, Multiverse Media Group, and their recent documentary The High Frontier: https://thehighfrontiermovie.com/.

To learn more about Zeno Power and view available job postings, check out: https://www.zenopower.com/.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’re joined by Dan Hawk to discuss lunar dust mitigation, planetary defense, and hemp rocket fuel.  We’ll also chat about the important work that Dan is doing to make Indigenous peoples the “new face of space.”

Dan was raised and lived on the Oneida Indian Reservation in Wisconsin.  While in the Army National Guard and the U.S. Navy, he developed extensive experience in electronics (both in repair and testing) as well as propulsion.  While working with Space Grants, Dan worked with high powered rockets, high-altitude balloons, tethered aerostats, and CubeSat satellites.  He operated both First Nations Launch and Tethered Aerostat Programs.  Dan has extensive carbon-based research experience and is an Amazon Black Earth expert.  He is currently working with the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to ensure Native Americans have a seat at the space table.  Dan is also working with NASA to create an Office of Tribal Affairs.  He also started the United First Nations Planetary Defense, a Jay 1794 Treaty Company, to slow and or deflect asteroids of less than 300 meters in diameter. 

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’ll discuss lunar surface waste management, the important role this will play as humanity scales to a presence in space, and attempt to answer the very important question, “who takes out the trash on the moon?”

My guest on the show, Nadia Khan, is a first year graduate student at MIT pursuing an M.S. in Technology and Policy at the Institute for Data Systems and Society.  Nadia has a dual research assistantship position at the Engineering Systems Lab in the AeroAstro department as well as being a project leader at the MIT Media Lab's Space Exploration Initiative, where she is leading the development of MIT's Lunar Open Architecture platform.  Nadia has an eclectic background, in international relations, disaster risk reduction, space weather and space exploration.  She's also the operations lead for MIT's Global Start Up Workshop, a member of the MIT Grad Arts Forum's Executive Committee, professional development lead and executive committee member at the Graduate Women of Aerospace at MIT's AeroAstro lab.  Prior to starting her second M.S. at MIT, Nadia was an Aziz Foundation Scholar at University College London where she completed a MSc in Space, Risk and Disaster Reduction.  She also completed a BA in International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London.  In 2019, Nadia was recognised by HM Queen Elizabeth II for her services to mental health in the UK, in setting up her award winning Not for Profit - The Delicate Mind C.I.C.  Nadia is a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and a Local Leader as part of the Franco British Programme.

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’ll be talking about the world’s biggest space party – Yuri’s Night, of course – the New Right Stuff for space, the launch of another Spacekind cohort, and the personal journey of Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides.

This episode's guest, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, studied astrobiology at Stanford and Caltech.  She has also 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 has also been a Founder Astronaut with Virgin Galactic since 2005.  Loretta is the author of the New Right Stuff, and leads SpaceKind training for space advocates and leaders – which will be starting a new cohort on May 4th, 2022.  Loretta is also an investor and advisor for Celestial Citizen!

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

This week, we have a special bonus episode to share!  A few weeks ago, Celestial Citizen was the lead media partner for Yuri’s Night LA.  Experience the world's biggest space party by tuning in for our audio coverage of the night, and getting to hear from many of the 2022 Yuri's Night Ambassadors, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, Dr. Sian Proctor, and much more!

Yuri’s Night is a non profit organization that celebrates Yuri Gagarin, the first human to venture into space on April 12th 1961, and the inaugural launch of the first Space Shuttle on April 12th 1981.  Yuri’s Night LA at the California Science Center is one of the organization’s flagship events and we were super excited to document the night through video, and now, audio!

Now, on to Yuri’s Night!

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On this week's episode, we’ll be talking all things Mars with two leaders from the Explore Mars organization.  We’ll also be discussing the upcoming Humans to Mars Summit, which is taking place in-person May 17-19th in Washington D.C. this year, and hoping to further conversations about how we get humans to Mars by the 2030s – the primary goal of this event.

On today’s show we have two guests joining from Explore Mars, Janet Ivey and Chris Carberry.

Janet is the President of Explore Mars, and Creator and CEO of the award winning Janet’s Planet, which is committed to enriching the lives of children via education and live performances, TV, and online programming.  With over 27 years in the children’s edutainment and space science outreach sector, Janet has captivated Nashville and beyond with her work.  Her first TEDx Talk was in 2014 entitled, "AWE,(Art, Wonder and Experiential) Inspired Science," her second TEDx Talk will happen May 3rd, at the Weiss School, entitled, “How To Inhabit Your Very Own Planet, #PlanetYou.”   She has received 12 Regional Emmys, five Gracie Allen Awards, for her children’s series Janet’s Planet that airs on 140+ public television stations nationwide.  Most recently Janet joined the Board of Directors for Explore Mars, she is also an active NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, on the Board of Governors for the National Space Society, the Educational Director of the Midsouth Chapter of NATAS, (National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) recipient of the New World’s Institute’s inaugural Permission to Dream Award in 2016 and has won a STEM-FLORIDA Award for “Exploring Microgravity,” an educational video that she wrote and produced for Space Florida.  Her mission is simple, amplify the love of space, science and exploration and to encourage this generation that MARS is theirs.

Also joining today, is Chris Carberry.

Chris is the CEO and co-founder of Explore Mars and a well-respected expert and influential director of strategic alliances in the space community as well as with non-traditional organizations.  Chris has presented oral (and written) testimony to both the United States Senate as well as the United States House of Representatives and has been active in all levels of policy engagement with both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.  In recent years, he has overseen Explore Mars’ annual Humans to Mars Summit, and has also spearheaded dozens of programs including the Mars Innovation Forum, the annual Community Workshops for the Achievability and Sustainability of Human Exploration of Mars series, the AR/VR and Space workshop series, the ISS and Mars Conference in Washington, D.C. and in Strasbourg, France, and the Women and Mars Conference in Washington, D.C.  He has also conducted programs overseas, in such countries as the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and the United Kingdom.  Chris is also the creator, and one of the senior editors, of the annual publication known as the Humans to Mars Report that was highlighted in the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017.  In 2013, Chris was awarded a NASA Group Achievement award.  

Support the show

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen