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Space Pirates & Solar Probes: Keith Cowing on NASA’s Past, Present, and Future
Keith Cowing, biologist-turned-space journalist, founder of NASA Watch, and self-proclaimed “space pirate,” joins Ignition Sequence to unpack the wild, weird, and wondrous world of space exploration. From hacking into an old satellite and bringing it back online to dissecting the legacy of Voyager and the blistering speed of the Parker Solar Probe, Keith blends technical insight with unapologetic commentary.
In this conversation, he shares untold stories about resurrecting forgotten spacecraft, NASA’s branding power, and the future of astrobiology. Keith’s passion for space, combined with his rebellious approach to government bureaucracy, makes this episode an exhilarating ride through humanity’s cosmic achievements—and the quirks behind them.
What You’ll Learn:
1. Hacking History: Reviving Old Satellites
How Keith and his team brought a decades-old satellite back online—armed with little more than determination and old tape drives.
2. The Parker Solar Probe: Fastest Human-Made Object
The mind-blowing speed of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and its mission to “touch the sun.”
3. Voyager’s Interstellar Legacy
Why Voyager’s 1970s technology is still outperforming expectations—and what it teaches us about engineering resilience.
4. Astrobiology Beyond Earth
How life on Earth’s most extreme frontiers shapes the search for life on other planets.
5. The Power of NASA’s Brand
Why the iconic NASA logo inspires people worldwide—and how that soft power goes beyond rockets.
Timestamps:
00:00:27 – Introduction: Keith Cowing, NASA Watch founder & space journalist
00:01:10 – The Parker Solar Probe’s record-breaking speed and “celestial billiards”
00:04:42 – Voyager in interstellar space: Reprogramming 1970s tech from Earth
00:06:14 – Hacking a forgotten satellite: The mission to bring IC3 back to life
00:15:18 – How deep-sea hydrothermal vents reshaped astrobiology
00:34:10 – The Parker Solar Probe’s unexpected astrobiology connection
00:45:37 – NASA’s global brand power: Why the NASA logo matters
00:51:08 – China’s space program vs. NASA: A tale of two strategies
00:54:07 – Building habitats on the Moon and Mars using regolith
01:00:15 – Why NASA can’t advertise—and how its brand thrives anyway
Links and Resources:
NASA Watch: www.nasawatch.com
Astrobiology.com: www.astrobiology.com
Parker Solar Probe Mission: www.nasa.gov/solarprobe
Voyager Mission Details: www.nasa.gov/voyager
Follow Accelerator Media
https://x.com/xceleratormedia
https://instagram.com/xcelerator.media/
https://linkedin.com/company/accelerator-media-org
View all episodes
By Accelerator MediaKeith Cowing, biologist-turned-space journalist, founder of NASA Watch, and self-proclaimed “space pirate,” joins Ignition Sequence to unpack the wild, weird, and wondrous world of space exploration. From hacking into an old satellite and bringing it back online to dissecting the legacy of Voyager and the blistering speed of the Parker Solar Probe, Keith blends technical insight with unapologetic commentary.
In this conversation, he shares untold stories about resurrecting forgotten spacecraft, NASA’s branding power, and the future of astrobiology. Keith’s passion for space, combined with his rebellious approach to government bureaucracy, makes this episode an exhilarating ride through humanity’s cosmic achievements—and the quirks behind them.
What You’ll Learn:
1. Hacking History: Reviving Old Satellites
How Keith and his team brought a decades-old satellite back online—armed with little more than determination and old tape drives.
2. The Parker Solar Probe: Fastest Human-Made Object
The mind-blowing speed of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and its mission to “touch the sun.”
3. Voyager’s Interstellar Legacy
Why Voyager’s 1970s technology is still outperforming expectations—and what it teaches us about engineering resilience.
4. Astrobiology Beyond Earth
How life on Earth’s most extreme frontiers shapes the search for life on other planets.
5. The Power of NASA’s Brand
Why the iconic NASA logo inspires people worldwide—and how that soft power goes beyond rockets.
Timestamps:
00:00:27 – Introduction: Keith Cowing, NASA Watch founder & space journalist
00:01:10 – The Parker Solar Probe’s record-breaking speed and “celestial billiards”
00:04:42 – Voyager in interstellar space: Reprogramming 1970s tech from Earth
00:06:14 – Hacking a forgotten satellite: The mission to bring IC3 back to life
00:15:18 – How deep-sea hydrothermal vents reshaped astrobiology
00:34:10 – The Parker Solar Probe’s unexpected astrobiology connection
00:45:37 – NASA’s global brand power: Why the NASA logo matters
00:51:08 – China’s space program vs. NASA: A tale of two strategies
00:54:07 – Building habitats on the Moon and Mars using regolith
01:00:15 – Why NASA can’t advertise—and how its brand thrives anyway
Links and Resources:
NASA Watch: www.nasawatch.com
Astrobiology.com: www.astrobiology.com
Parker Solar Probe Mission: www.nasa.gov/solarprobe
Voyager Mission Details: www.nasa.gov/voyager
Follow Accelerator Media
https://x.com/xceleratormedia
https://instagram.com/xcelerator.media/
https://linkedin.com/company/accelerator-media-org