Red Planet Live

🚀 Episode: Matt Gjertsen – From the Flightline to SpaceX to Startups

Matt Gjertsen has lived a life that blends military discipline, startup hustle, and a love for space. From early dreams of going to Mars, to serving as an Air Force instructor pilot, to shaping HR and training during SpaceX’s Crew Dragon era — his path has been anything but ordinary.

Now, through his own leadership courses and podcast, Matt explores what makes great teams tick — from the grind of late nights at startups to mission-focused endeavors. In this conversation, he shares how his military background gave him unique insights into building high-performing teams, why space still pulls at his heart, and how we can intrigue the world beyond the space bubble.

🌌 Expect talk of leadership, resilience, space stations, and the culture that pushes humanity further.

🎧 Tune in if you want to know what it takes to lead where it matters most — whether in the cockpit, the boardroom, or orbit.

Matt's Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen

https://bettereverydaystudios.com/

Host / Producer of Leadership Launchpad Podcast

https://leadershiplaunchpad.captivate.fm/listen

In this episode, space expert Leonard David dives into the evolving landscape of space law on the Moon, highlighting growing conflicts—especially with China—and framing it as the new space race. He shares insights from his unique background working near the historic Atlas rocket and discusses the impact of funding cuts during the Trump administration on space exploration. Leonard also breaks down the latest news about plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon and what this means for future lunar missions.

Don’t miss this timely conversation on the challenges and ambitions shaping humanity’s next giant leap.

A Stellar Chat with Ad Astra Su, Galactic Gal, and Astro Alexandra

Join us for a captivating journey back to our July 15th episode, featuring an incredible trio of space communicators: Ad Astra Su, Galactic Gal, and Astro Alexandra! This special conversation offered a unique glimpse into the world of an engineer working on lunar payloads at a top aerospace company, exploring the delicate balance of privacy while maintaining a prominent social media presence. Our guests also shared exciting insights into their next big adventures, both on Earth and beyond.

Tune in for an inspiring and educational discussion that truly explored the vastness of the universe and the personal journeys within it.

Find them on Social Media & the web:

https://www.thegalacticgal.com

https://www.astroalexandra.com

https://www.instagram.com/adastrasu/?hl=en

Join us for this fascinating episode recorded July 1st, where we sit down with Crew 315 from the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). Our guests —
🌟 Dave Laude (Commander)
🔧 Michael Andrews (Crew Engineer)
🩺 Urban Koi (Health & Safety Officer)
🎨 Tim Gagnon (Crew Artist; also a KSC Artist — kscartist.com)

— share their personal inspirations and reflections from their two-week analog Mars mission.

👨‍🚀 What you'll hear in this episode:
🚀 The story behind the 100cameras experiment — a unique photography initiative fostering connection, reflection, and community through images captured during isolation and confinement.
👨‍🍳 How the crew bonded over taking turns cooking meals and navigating life in close quarters under Martian simulation.
📸 Tim Gagnon’s insights on blending art, science, and space exploration as part of NASA’s creative community.
🤝 Tales of teamwork: Helping a stranded van in the Utah desert while maintaining sim integrity.
🌱 Urban Koi tells us about receiving NASA funding for her MUSHROOM FORGE initiative.

👉 Learn more about Crew 315’s mission:
🔗 Final Mission Summary – MDRS Crew 315
🔗 Tim Gagnon’s KSC Artist Site
🔗 Urban Koi's Instagram

From Pathfinder to Perseverance: A Planetary Scientist’s Journey 🔍

Origin Story: A Spark from the Museum

• Once a lake with rivers, Jezero Crater offers strong evidence for past water.

• Home to sedimentary rocks, excellent for preserving signs of ancient environments.

• Special focus on carbonates—formed from surface water + CO₂:

  • Preserve unique environmental signals.

  • Key to understanding Mars’ paleoclimate.

• Sample with "leopard spots"—dark rims, light interiors.

  • Possible signs of oxidation-reduction reactions.

  • These could hint at the presence of microbial life.

    
    

🎙️ New Episode: CEO CJ Jannette of BlackStar Orbital – Building the Future of Personal Space Access

In this electrifying episode, we sit down with CJ Jannette, CEO of ⁠BlackStar Orbital⁠, live from Los Angeles and fresh off Space Tech Expo in Long Beach. With deep roots in SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and NASA’s hydraulics systems, CJ is now pioneering a new frontier: making space accessible for everyone.

We cover:

🚀 His Direct-to-Phase II SBIR win and $1.8M contract 🛰️ A classified payload launching on Axiom-4

📦 The buzz around SpaceBox – a consumer space payload service for wedding rings, business cards, and more

🔬 BlackStar’s focus on microgravity research, thermal protection breakthroughs, and aerogel-carbon fiber structures 🛫 Spaceplanes, subscale X-37s, and why Dream Chasers are the “yachts of space”

⚠️ EpiPens and the danger of toxicity in orbit, and how space certification is becoming essential

📍 Updates from Titusville, FL – home of their latest operations near pads 39A and 39B 🌌 Why he’s excited about Space Force, CLPS 2 (CMPS), and the role of small payloads in making space personal and repeatable

If you're interested in space entrepreneurship, payload innovation, or simply want to know how to send a piece of yourself to space, don’t miss this one.

🛰️ Reach out to BlackStar Orbital about SpaceBox missions — new flights are launching soon!

BlackStar Orbital

https://www.spacedrone.io/

Connect with CJ Jannette:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-jannette-b2304539/

Join us for a powerful 60-minute episode of Red Planet Live featuring trailblazing women in STEM—Janet Ivey, Janeya Griffin, and Amy Imhoff—as we dive into the complex realities of building careers in science, space, and technology.

In this episode, we’ll unpack the recent public reaction to Blue Origin’s announcement of an all-women spaceflight crew, and what it reveals about gender dynamics in the space industry. From media backlash to public perception, we’ll explore how this moment fits into the broader narrative of women pushing boundaries in aerospace.

Each of our guests brings a unique and inspiring background:
🚀 Janet Ivey – celebrated science communicator and founder of Janet’s Planet, inspiring youth through space education.
🔬 Janeya Griffin – innovation strategist and founder of The Commercializer, helping bridge the gap between government technology and commercial application and co-founder/CEO of Equity Space Alliance.
🌌 Amy Imhoff – STEM advocate, author, and space futurist, known for her work in science fiction and space policy intersections.

Together, they’ll share their journeys, accomplishments, and the hard-won lessons learned navigating the male-dominated sectors of STEM and space exploration. We’ll discuss mentorship, representation, systemic barriers, and how each of these women is shaping the future of humanity beyond Earth.

https://www.equityspacealliance.com/

https://www.amyimhoff.com/

https://www.janetsplanet.com/about

In this episode of Red Planet Live, Ashton Zeth interviews Dr. Oleg Demidov of Beyond Earth Ventures, a space-focused VC firm backing cutting-edge startups like Lunar Outpost and Xeno Power. Dr. Demidov shares insights from his own entrepreneurial journey, the growing role of robotics in the space economy, and what it takes to launch and lead a venture capital firm investing in the next generation of off-world innovation. Whether you're a founder, investor, or space enthusiast, this episode offers a front-row seat to the business of space exploration.

Contact Dr. Oleg Demidov:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-oleg-demidov-02193414/

https://beyondearth.tech/

Life on the ISS with Astronaut Tracy Dyson 🚀 | Red Planet Live
What’s it really like to live and work aboard the International Space Station? In this special episode, host Ashton Zeth sits down with veteran astronaut Dr. Tracy Dyson, who shares unforgettable stories from her three space missions—including helping build the ISS and her recent journey alongside Butch and Sunni.

We explore the rhythms of daily life in orbit: from drinking coffee in microgravity and squeezing in vital exercise, to performing constant experiments and winding down during “PreSleep.” Tracy also offers meaningful advice on staying curious and persevering through tough times—on or off the planet.

We even watch a clip of her floating aboard the ISS during the show and answer thoughtful audience questions. Whether you're a space enthusiast or just ISS-curious, this episode brings humanity and humor to life in orbit.

🎧 Hosted by Ashton Zeth. Tune in and get inspired—Tracy brings space down to Earth.

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NASA - Tracy Dyson

In this compelling episode of Red Planet Live, we sat down with Dr. Luther Beegle, Principal Investigator of the SHERLOC instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. While we originally set out to explore SHERLOC’s role in detecting organic compounds and signs of past habitability on Mars, our conversation took us even further.

We discussed the Allan Hills 84001 (ALH84001) Martian meteorite discovered in Antarctica as an inspiration to Luther's career, discussed key missions across the solar system, and explored why a Mars Sample Return mission is critical before sending humans to the Red Planet. Dr. Beegle also offered behind-the-scenes insights into the challenges of planetary exploration and the innovative technology propelling Mars science into the future.

🔴 Tune in for an eye-opening journey into the science, strategy, and wonder of Mars exploration and beyond!