Guest | Les Johnson, Chief Technologist NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (retired) [@NASA_Marshall]

On Twitter | https://x.com/LesAuthor

On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesjohnson1/

On Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/les.johnson2

On YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/@interstellarresearchgroup

Website | https://www.lesjohnsonauthor.com/

Host | Matthew S Williams

On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams

______________________

This Episode’s Sponsors

Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?
👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network

______________________

Episode Notes

Les Johnson has spent his life working with NASA to realize advanced propulsion concepts that could one day enable interstellar voyages. In a new volume, the Interstellar Travel Monograph, he and a select group of experts explore all of the challenges such a voyage would present, before, during, and upon arrival.

______________________

Resources

Interstellar Travel Monograph: https://shop.elsevier.com/books/interstellar-travel/johnson/978-0-323-91637-0

______________________

For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host | Matthew S Williams

On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams

______________________

This Episode’s Sponsors

Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?
👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network

______________________

Episode Notes

The decision to name the Next Generation Space Telescope after former administrator James E. Webb has led to significant controversy and demands that it be renamed. This issue has shone a light on a dark period in the history of the U.S. and NASA and has raised questions about the agency's naming conventions.

______________________

Resources

The Lavender Scare - National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/summer/lavender.html#:~:text=Beginning%20in%20the%20late%201940s,the%20power%20of%20congressional%20investigation.

Why NASA should have a do-over on the name of JWST - Jason Wright: https://sites.psu.edu/astrowright/2022/10/25/why-nasa-should-have-a-do-over-on-the-name-of-jwst/

______________________

For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that advanced civilizations, in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, would convert their solar system into a megastructure enclosing their star. This gave rise to the concept of megastructures, many of which have been theorized over the years. These hypothetical structures are one of many technosignatures SETI researchers are on the lookout for as they probe the stars for signs of intelligent life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Neil Blevins' artwork: http://neilblevins.com/

Centauri Dreams (Paul Glister): https://www.centauri-dreams.org/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), scientists need to consider what technologies they should look for, including those used by a more advanced species. This has spawned the idea of Megastructures, which was first proposed in the 1960s by theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson (who proposed the Dyson Sphere). Since then, many variations and other possible Megastructures have been proposed, all of which are fascinating and fun to think about! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is an aeromedical transport physician, a neurosurgery and emergency medic, leader of the

an aquanaut with NASA's NEEMO analog missions, director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences' (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be Canada's first female commercial astronaut. She's also a black belt martial artist in Taekwon-Do, an analog astronaut, and an explorer. During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space, and what the future holds for humans living and working offworld. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

A few months ago, I had the honor of appearing on AADYA Geo Talks, the podcast series launched by Bharti Sharma and the organization she founded – AADYA, whose name means “origin” in Hindi. As a geologist and world-traveller, Sharma launched this organization to promote knowledge about planetary and geoscience and create opportunities for collaborative research to address critical global challenges. During the interview, we talked about how I got into science journalism, my podcast series, and my science fiction writing. The interview lasted for more than an hour because she asked great questions about a range of wonderful topics! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

The White House recently released its budget for FY 2026, which has led to significant concerns at NASA as it recommends significant cuts to international programs, education, and research. In addition, many of these cuts call for the cancellation of key elements of NASA's Artemis Program and its plans for sending crewed missions to Mars. This includes the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, and the Lunar Gateway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.

The Kerbal Space Program is currently used as an educational tool to teach about spacecraft and mission design. But as Dr. Schmitt tells us, it should be used as a method for designing whole mission architectures. For years, Schmitt has relied on KSP and its realism mods to design and simulate missions, including those that will take astronauts back to the Moon! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

for information about our collection and use of personal data for

advertising.