Space to Grow

To dive into diversity in space, hosts Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden of Astroscale welcomed former NASA administrator, retired Marine Corps Major General, and astronaut Charlie Bolden to the show.

In speaking about role diversity in industry, Bolden said, “NASA has a need for every profession imaginable.”

With a mix of people that have different opinions and viewpoints, diversity of ideas can blossom. “It behooves you to hear as many disparate voices as you can. They may see something you don’t see, leading to a better idea. It’s much better than working only with those that think, act, and look like you,” Bolden shared.

He believes that NASA has become good at accepting diversity of thought, something learned through international relationships. Listening to their partners and making room for their concepts translates to improvements and achievements.

However, Bolden does believe that NASA and all organizations can do better in race and gender diversity. He’s reminded of this pursuit toward inclusion by words from the constitution’s preamble, “in order to become  a more perfect union.” “It admits we aren’t perfect. To work toward that, we need to establish equity practices to afford equal opportunities to everyone,” he added.

Another unique area of space diversity is bringing the private sector into the conversation. “Letting industry take a leading role in planning and design and giving them a seat at the table is important. We told the private sector what we needed. They came back to us with a plan and paid them to do it,” Bolden noted.

With so many different versions of diversity, there’s no doubt the future of space sustainability will need it.

Listen to Previous Episodes Here!

On this new podcast, Astroscale’s Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden bring their compelling experience and expertise to map out the technology, international policy, and scalability that will define the next generation of space exploration.

Astroscale was founded on the principal of wanting to remove debris that is currently in orbit in space, which could become a hazard in the future.

As a point of pride behind this mission, Astroscale's team is affectionately nicknamed, "Space Sweepers." The phrase is used across their organization, from social media to congratulating team members and adding new "Space Sweepers" to their family.

A new film on Netflix is ironically titled "Space Sweepers," and the hosts of Space to Grow immediately knew that they had to watch it. Would the film live up to their idea? Is the film even really about space?

On this fun bonus segment, Chris Blackerby and Charity Weeden break down the newly released film and judge how accurate the science is behind the fiction.

Looking up to the skies once presented a world completely unknown, but we now know what lies beyond this planet. Space is both mysterious and essential to life on Earth, but what does space sustainability really mean? Diving deep into this topic and more are Chris Blackerby, COO at Astroscale, and Charity Weeden, VP, Space Policy, Astroscale U.S.

Why a podcast on space? Well, this one’s quite different.

“It’s a really important time in history, and we need to be talking about the infrastructure of space, sustainability, and the future,” Weeden said.

Aerospace is in its infancy, but there needs to be a clear path for exponential growth without exponential debris. Astroscale’s dedicated mission is developing technology and policy to protect orbital highways and remove space pollution.

Diving deep into this topic and more are Chris Blackery, COO at Astroscale, and Charity Weeden, VP of Space Policy.

Why a podcast on space? Well, this one’s quite different.

“It’s a really important time in history, and we need to be talking about the infrastructure of space, sustainability, and the future,” Weeden said.

Aerospace is in its infancy, but there needs to be a clear path for exponential growth without exponential debris. Astroscale’s dedicated mission is developing technology and policy to protect orbital highways and remove space pollution.

Blackery and Weeden both have long careers in aerospace. Weeden was fascinated by the idea and space at a young age and knew that was her path. Her career includes military service, working for NORAD, and serving as a space diplomat before joining Astroscale. Blackery worked for NASA on the policy side and as a diplomat in Japan prior to working for Astroscale.

With their compelling experience and expertise, they’re charting out an exciting season that will focus on five pillars: technology, policy and international cooperation, business and customer development, fundraising and scaling, and the influence and impact on society.

“We have a unique perspective on these topics for a few reasons. We’re a start-up, have an international perspective, and have co-hosts with different experiences,” Blackery commented. “It’s going to be fun conversations as we discuss the sustainability aspects of space and the possibilities and opportunities.”