Cold Star Project

Cold Star Project

By Jason KaniganBusiness
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Cold Star Project episodes

  • Pete Worden - 40 Year War Against The Machine - Cold Star Project S02E19

    Dr. Pete Worden, NASA Ames Research Center Director from 2006 - 2015, is the guest on this special episode of the Cold Star Project. Dr. Rick Fleeter hosts at the Space Horizons 2020 conference at Brown University on February 8, 2020. 


    Dr. Worden shares his views on his long career in the Space field, and because he is answerable to no one we get to hear some powerful opinions.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Worden


    Dr. Fleeter is a Professor at Brown, host of the annual Space Horizons conference and Cold Star's Technical Engineering Advisor.


    Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

    39 min
  • Temidayo Oniosun - State of the Space Industry In Africa Today - Cold Star Project S02E18

    Managing Director of Space In Africa, Temidayo Oniosun, is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan. Voted in 2018 as one of the World 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in SPACE and STEAM by The Mars Generation, as well as one of the recipients of 35 Under 35 space industry recognition award by the International Institute of Space Commerce, Temidayo is an important voice in the Space field.  


    Hearing what is going on from outside the traditional North American and European centers of space industry is valuable and so we strive to bring you such interviews. Here, we discuss:  

    • what brought Temidayo to the love of space?
    • what he believes is the most exciting development in the African space industry right now
    • what he wants people living outside Africa to know about space investment on the continent...unexpected capabilities, rising stars
    • the state of the African space economy, and how much or little cooperation is happening between nation states 
    • how he gathers the data for his Space In Africa industry reports, which are typically bought by executives and analysts outside the continent...and who makes for the best consumers of this information.   


      • Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

      25 min
    • Judi Sandrock - Modular Smallsat Teaching Tools with Xinabox - Cold Star Project S02E17

      Xinabox co-founder Judi Sandrock from South Africa is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan, and we're talking about their modular smallsat teaching tools.  


      XinaBox designs, develops, and sells modular electronics for the IoT and STEM education markets, in senior schools as well as universities. The technology allows for rapid IoT, embedded and electronics prototyping and development, without soldering, wiring or other hardware knowledge … just coding.  


      We discuss:  

      • successes and challenges of working on the MEDO Space (Meta Economic Development Organisation) and the Space STEM program in Africa  
      • what's missing in STEM education, both in Africa and abroad  
      • what Industry 4.0 is and why it's important  
      • How Xinabox is creating a huge opportunity for impact in STEM education worldwide  
      • How the Xinabox team was involved in the ThinSat and xSat STEM satellite constellations.   


        • For those listening on the audio version, a still of an Xinabox kit is at https://coldstarproject.com/xinabox   


        Further info about Xinabox products including shop: https://www.xinabox.cc  (not an affiliate link)   


        Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

        45 min
      • Pauline Faure - Inside the CubeSat Lab at Cal Poly - Cold Star Project S02E16

        Dr. Pauline Faure, Assistant Professor at California Polytechnic State University's Aerospace Engineering Department, is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan. We're talking about what it's like to be a student in Cal Poly's CubeSat Lab.  


        Dr. Faure has international experience in Europe, Japan and the USA. The lab has completed eight missions in the past year including the bus for Lightsail 2. This is a great interview for space students.  


        Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

        28 min
      • Laura Forczyk - Rise of the Space Age Millennials - Cold Star Project S02E15

        Astralytical founder Dr. Laura Forczyk is on the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan to talk about her new book, Rise of the Space Age Millennials. We also cover a number of other space topics, such as commentary on policy questions like: 

        • reduced ISS crew size
        • NASA's Commercial Crew Program
        • Space Tourism
        • US Space Policy
        • Megaconstellations and astronomer rights  


          • Rise of the Space Age Millennials book page (not an affiliate link): https://www.astralytical.com/rise-of-the-space-age-millennials


          Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

          32 min
        • Laura Montgomery - US Space Law Regulations - Cold Star Project S02E14

          Space lawyer and scifi writer Laura Montgomery is on the Cold Star Project, and we're digging into how Congress, US agencies and operators work to create and enforce space regulations.  


          With host Jason Kanigan, we discuss: 

          • the basics of how space law works in the US and for US citizens abroad  
          • how Laura's FAA experience built and impacted her approach to space law 
          • the question of sovereignty in space law ("They didn't say I couldn't so I can"; OST Article 1 vs Article 2)  
          • the way regulatory and treaty issues can impact space law  
          • how human space flight is regulated in the United States of America  
          • how Laura's space law practice has influenced her science fiction writing.  


            • Laura Montgomery is Proprietor of Ground Based Space Matters, Adjunct Professor of space law at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, a former manager FAA space law branch (3 years) and senior attorney for commercial space transportation (18 years).   


            Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

            27 min
          • Michael Lyon - Space Tourism and Space Startups - Cold Star Project S02E13

            Michael Lyon, founder of Xtronaut Enterprises, is a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab tech accelerator, with a history of work in the space tourism and education fields. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the George Mason University School of Management, and was general counsel with James Cameron on Deep Ocean Expeditions (Titanic, Bismark).  


            • On the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan we discuss:  
            • the experience of traveling in a submersible to hydrothermal vents 8600 feet beneath the ocean surface  
            • what Michael has learned as a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab  
            • what space and AI company founders need to do before they start looking for seed round funding  
            • the deadly things startups consistently miss to protect themselves legally as they begin operation  
            • how Michael's company, Xtronaut Enterprises, is involved in the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission  
            • the hurdles to commercial space tourism and how the field may develop.   


              • Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

              29 min
            • Jim Cantrell - Funding and Building Space Companies - CSP S02E12

              Jim Cantrell, founder of StratSpace, was SpaceX's first senior business development executive. StratSpace has been involved in 46 satellite and deep space missions, with clients ranging from NASA, USAF, NRO, major aerospace companies and many space startups including ICEYE, Moon Express and York Space Systems.  


              In this episode of the Cold Star Project, host Jason Kanigan asks Jim Cantrell about funding and building space companies. We dig into:  

              • what investors at different levels are most looking for in space ventures, beyond making a profit
              • how Jim's hiring practices have changed and what he looks for to bring the right people on board
              • why StatSpace focused on smallsats as a core business, rather than launch vehicles
              • experience with ICEYE, OSIRIS-REx, and other missions
              • Jim's fun projects of restoring vintage racecars.   


                • Playlist: https://coldstartech.com/play 


                Subscribe: https://coldstartech.com/subs 


                Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

                31 min
              • Moriba Jah - Resident Space Objects and Orbital Collision Prevention - CSP S02E11

                On this episode on the Cold Star Project, hosted by Jason Kanigan, our guest is Dr. Moriba Jah. Dr. Jah had an amazing career as navigator of a number of NASA Mars missions, and is now Director, Computational Astronautical Sciences & Technologies, Oden Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.  


                I was referred to Dr. Jah by Fred Kennedy, past director of the US Space Development Agency, as a person "leading the charge" on space traffic management.  


                In our interview, we cover:  

                • the reason current collision detection equations are so lousy, and what we can do to improve them
                • how photoacoustic sensing can be improved and used to develop Resident Space Object (RSO) signatures
                • what we need to learn before machine learning/AI can be used to identify threatening behaviors or as a forensic tool after anomalous events
                • what credibility metrics are for collision prevention, what's missing, and why we need these
                • how Bayesian equations can be used to improve our space tracking data, orbital collision detection models and certainty
                • what curved space is, and what is challenging about modeling RSO travel within it
                • what we can investigate and build so we have a tool to estimate debris fields upon reentry--no models of which exist now.  


                  • Notes: 


                  Dr. Moriba Jah's article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moriba_Jah 


                  Orekit database by CS Group (creator of which will be a guest on an upcoming episode): https://www.orekit.org/  


                  Playlist: https://coldstartech.com/play 


                  Subscribe: https://coldstartech.com/subs 


                  Talk to Cold Star Tech: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall  


                  Jason Kanigan is producing a weekday update series of short videos, called Make Space Boring. These cover who he's meeting and what he's studying in the space field. If you'd like to follow along, sign up here for updates by email: https://www.coldstartech/msb

                  38 min
                • Peter Taylor - The Lazy Project Manager for Space Executives - Cold Star Project S02E10

                  The Lazy Project Manager, Peter Taylor, is on the Cold Star Project to share his experience in what it takes to improve project performance. Space engineers, like other technical executives, are typically excellent at the practical and material side of project tasks; however, as in other industries would greatly benefit from improving their project management skills.  


                  With host Jason Kanigan, Peter discusses:  

                  • the origin of the ‘Lazy Project Manager’ (book: https://www.amazon.com/lazy-project-m... -- NOT an affiliate link)  
                  • whether project managers are learning or becoming ‘productively lazier’
                  • the upcoming new book releasing in January 2020 (Project Management: It's All Bollocks: https://www.amazon.com/Project-Manage... -- NOT an affiliate link)  
                  • Project Sponsorship weakness  
                  • Lack of connection from C-Level execs to on the ground project change delivery  
                  • The rise of ‘projects as usual’ with people delivering change as part of their day to day job  - The future of project management, including the potential impact of artificial intelligence / machine learning / data science.   


                    • Cold Star Tech is on a mission to bring automotive-style continuous manufacturing process improvements to smallsat and cubesat commercial operations. In doing so, costs will be lowered; profits will be increased; and most importantly, smallsat mission success rates will be raised. User adoption of space technology is our goal.  


                    Talk to Cold Star: https://coldstartech.com/bookcall

                    26 min

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                  The Cold Star Project digs into the challenges of scaling fast that tech and Space manufacturing founders encounter. Money does not solve all problems--so what now? Listen in to discover what scaling…