Kenneth "Taco" Cockrell is a five-time space shuttle astronaut, retired US Navy fighter pilot, and cancer survivor who has confronted mortality more than once — and come out the other side smiling. In this conversation, Taco and I explore what happens to a man's sense of purpose, faith, and priorities when he's spent a career dancing with the edge of human existence.

From earning his callsign in a Navy squadron to clocking five missions aboard the Space Shuttle, Taco's path to NASA was anything but straight — including a first interview he was certain had ended his chances forever. But it's what happened after he retired from the skies that reveals the most about the man: two battles with blood cancer, a year living in Russia, and a growing willingness to talk openly about a faith he once kept close to his chest.

This is one of those conversations that quietly shifts your thinking. We go deep on the weight of mortality, what lasting happiness actually looks like when the things you've always relied on start to slip away, and why — after everything he's seen and survived — Taco's definition of heaven has nothing to do with streets of gold.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

05:28 – Born to Wear That Name

08:29 – Aiming for the Stars

13:00 – Watch Your Words

17:41 – Life in Orbit

22:00 – Beyond the Atmosphere

26:00 – Five Missions, One Year

31:00 – Worth Every Cent

35:00 – A Faith He Won't Hide

40:06 – Confronting Mortality

44:00 – The Downwind Lounge

51:35 -- Last Word

Shot on location at Chelsea Wine Bar

https://chelseawinebartexas.com/

Special Thanks to John Devereux at Chelsea

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About the Show: Last Meal is a deep-dive into life’s biggest questions—wisdom, legacy, regret, and everything in between. Join me, Tom Nash, as I serve up thought-provoking conversations with the world’s foremost thinkers.