Today In Space

On September 15th, 2021 the first all-civilian crew of Inspiration4 launched aboard a Falcon9 rocket to take a Crew Dragon spacecraft in orbit around the earth for three days at an altitude of roughly 575km (which after Day 1 has already reached as high as 590km!) A truly historic day and a true first that could open the ability for anyone to go to space. The mission is also a fundraiser for St. Jude's Research with the goal of raising $200 million dollars.

This recording was taken from our Facebook LIVE event as we watched the stream of the launch via SpaceX's website. As I am trained as an engineer and not a sound technician, I do apologize for the overlaying of audio feeds at times. We are working on our setup for the next broadcast so if you have any constructive feedback to help us get better please reach out!

[email protected] @todayinspacepod on Instagram/Twitter @todayinspace on TikTok /TodayInSpacePodcast on Facebook

We're back after an episode-light August and ALOT of 3D printing with AG3D to talk about the double-edged sword of work-stacking. A technique I learned from a toolmaker in my days working in injection molding and by researching how a certain South African human is able to do so much with their companies in rockets, electric cars, AI, satellite internet, tunneling, neural interfaces and more... It's a powerful tool but WOW can you overload yourself.

So we'll be talking about that a little more in depth, as well as covering the latest with Astra, Firefly, Starship and of course the upcoming Inspiration 4 mission. Thanks for joining us - LLAP

Astra's 'Hover' Launch

https://www.space.com/astra-launch-company-public-nasdaq

https://twitter.com/djsnm/status/1431747444258213889?s=21

(https://twitter.com/tgmetsfan98/status/1431880547924537348?s=21

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaeljsheetz_rocket-builder-astras-stock-is-falling-sharply-ugcPost-6838095550617833472-mHoS

Firefly's mostly good test flight of Alpha:

https://firefly.com/fireflys-first-test-flight-lasts-more-than-two-minutes-with-successful-liftoff-and-progression-to-supersonic-speed/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNgJSbWi_B4

https://spacenews.com/firefly-alpha-failure-blamed-on-premature-engine-shutdown/

Just the video of the test flight (from Firefly) https://youtu.be/qFjoPw0CfAU

Inspiration 4

https://inspiration4.com/press/inspiration4-go-for-first-all-civilian-orbital-mission

00:00 Introduction & checking in 06:20 The future of Space in review 07:00 Inspiration4 thoughts 08:30 What mission would I do as an Astronaut? 09:10 Thoughts on Astra "hover" launch 10:25 Firefly's Alpha Test Flight - good data, no more rocket 11:30 Thoughts on Orbital Starship launch 13:04 The future of Space continued 16:30 Work-Stacking - lessons from a toolmaker & a guy with a rocket 21:15 Outro / Subscribe / Email us your questions!

After taking a week off and going North into the woods of Maine, we have returned refreshed and ready to discuss the near future of space! For Week 2 we're discussing humanity's future home on Mars, and we couldn't have asked for a better guest.

This week we had the pleasure of speaking with James Burk, the Director of IT and Webmaster of the Mars Society and the lead for MarsVR. James shares his STEM origin story and how his passion for science and space began. We dive into the history of the Mars Society and how close we are to sending humans to the Red Planet really is. We discuss all things space to the max, from SpaceX & Starship to the crowdfunded success of James' project MarsVR, as well as potential uses for cryptocurrency in space - we went deep.

If you are a fan of space and wondering where all this progress is heading, this is a great podcast for you. Even more so if you are new to space and have lots of questions! Please enjoy our talk with James Burk and reach out to the Mars Society if you want to get involved and be hands-on in making a difference for humanity's future!

The Case for Mars by Dr. Robert Zubrin (founder of the Mars Society): https://amzn.to/37THHpu

Learn more about the Mars Society: https://www.marssociety.org/why-mars/

Learn more about MarsVR: https://marsvr.com/

Welcome to August of 2021! This month we wanted to discuss our near space future for all of us. While Billionaires and other lucky folks head to the edge of space we have to really focus on where this takes us. If going to space is regular, how do we make that a stable thing? What kind of job opportunities open up for all people? How do we secure our space assets, from top secret satellite technology to the data a crew is using to dock successfully to the space station?

This week we welcome Bill Britton to the podcast to share his STEM origin story and discuss the cross-section of cyber and space. There is a need for over 650,000+ jobs right now in cybersecurity, and that isn't including the space industry that is virtually all digital and old - analog and highly susceptible to hacking. Do we need more PhD Rocket Scientists? Or just people who understand the basics of cybersecurity - digital literacy, cloud analytics, and cyber awareness? Can it be taught like any other skill but focused on the needs of the industry? We also learn about the California Cybersecurity Innovation Challenge where college students create an experience that high school students take part in for a challenge. To use these three pillars of Cybersecurity to solve a problem that is Sherlock Holmes-worthy (and I'm very jealous - it's very interactive and sounds like a blast!). It's going international soon - learn more about it in this episode. Thanks again to Bill Britton for coming on the podcast - it was a pleasure! Learn more about the work they are doing here: https://cci.calpoly.edu/events/ccic-2021 Jobs market for Cybersecurity has 500,000+ employee gap https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/28/tech/cybersecurity-labor-shortage/index.html GenCyber Space Camp: https://cci.calpoly.edu/events/gencyber-space-camp

It has been one space-filled July! Today in Space we share our 5 major takeaways from everything human spaceflight this month...because that's a thing now!? But seriously, there's a lot to unpack here. It's not just logical and technological, but emotional and complicated. So let's talk about it We want to know what this billionaire space race means to you. Email us at [email protected] or on social media @todayinspacepod! To stir up the conversation, we discuss: 1. Capsules vs. Spaceships 2. Astronauts vs. Space Tourists 3. Wealth, Inequality, & open-access to space 4. Rage Against the 'Machine' of Humanity 5. The Affect of Human Spaceflight - why are these missions so emotional!!?? We also share a New Concept thanks to Jacob Hoffman for a new inclusive term 'spaceflyer' that acknowledges the magic of being a space tourist, but maintains the unique certification & skill for becoming an Astronaut or Cosmonaut. And the FAA tends to agree, and so would we.

Blue Origin Test Flight Replay: https://youtu.be/tMHhXzpwupU

Virgin Galactic Unity22 Replay: https://youtu.be/ZPrB3WvnZpE

FAA Revises criteria for commercial astronaut wings: https://spacenews.com/faa-revises-criteria-for-commercial-astronaut-wings/

The origin of the term "Spaceflyers" - Jacob Hoffman @wildlingupnorth: https://twitter.com/wildlingupnorth/status/1418205715336892433 Blue Origin: Jeff Beezos and his brother will go to space: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/jeff-bezos-first-human-flight

Auction closes at 28 million for ride with Beezos brothers to Space: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/the-very-first-seat-on-new-shepard-sells-for-28-million https://youtu.be/Ik0XTCv17LY - Some of the broadcast

SpaceX Inspiration4 team training before orbital launch into space Crew Details: https://inspiration4.com/crew The Mission: https://inspiration4.com/mission Training & Progress: https://www.instagram.com/Inspiration4/

Blue Origin is set to launch their New Shepard rocket to the edge of space with four crew members on board! Jeff Bezos and his brother, Legendary Wally Funk, and 18 year old physics student Oliver Daemen get ready to launch to the edge of space and back. I did my best to cover what I know about Blue Origin in one episode while be honest and pointing out where I am biased. Because if you didn't already know, we're pretty big SpaceX fans here. But that can't stop us from talking about what Blue Origin is doing right and what I wish they would do more of!

the best of luck to the crew tomorrow morning! Here's to another first in the new space race, here's to a safe and successful launch of New Shepard!

Space Links:

Blue Origin: Jeff Beezos and his brother will go to space: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/jeff-bezos-first-human-flight

Auction closes at 28 million for ride with Beezos brothers to Space: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/the-very-first-seat-on-new-shepard-sells-for-28-million https://youtu.be/Ik0XTCv17LY - Some of the broadcast

Wally Funk joins crew for first human flight of Blue Origin: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/wally-funk-will-fly-to-space-on-new-shepard

Oliver Daemen joins crew for trip to the edge of space!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9792075/18-year-old-physics-student-takes-place-28M-auction-winner-fly-Jeff-Bezos-space.html

Inspiration4 team training before orbital launch into space Crew Details: https://inspiration4.com/crew The Mission: https://inspiration4.com/mission Training & Progress: https://www.instagram.com/Inspiration4/

On this weeks episode we share the compact and edited version or our Launch Hangout the the Virgin Galactic Fully Crewed SubOrbital flight of Unity22. The successful mission launched Richard Branson and his crew of 6 up to the edge of space and glided safely to the runway at Spaceport America in New Mexico. A powerful human Spaceflight mission that has us thinking the future of open access to space for everyone! We open with some talk about the billionaires space race and share our thoughts about this unique way of sending humans into space commercially - big congrats to Richard Branson and the team for 17 years of hard work to reach this day.

Apologies for any sound issues, I introduced a new microphone and went live on Facebook with a new setup. I did my best to remove the echo and balance the sound.

Wally Funk joins crew for first human flight of Blue Origin: https://www.blueorigin.com/news/wally-funk-will-fly-to-space-on-new-shepard Virgin Galactic First Fully Crewed Spaceflight https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-announces-first-fully-crewed-spaceflight/ What is considered the "edge of space"? The Kaman Line https://astronomy.com/news/2021/03/the-krmn-line-where-does-space-begin about the mission Unity 22 https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-announces-first-fully-crewed-spaceflight/

Unity22 mission Launch Broadcast

https://youtu.be/RTpWYWIfP7Y?t=1857 (Launch Footage - close to takeoff!)

This week we have the honor of having Haley Harrison on the podcast for a segment of People of Science. I met Haley at the CRS-19 NASA Social where we witnessed a Falcon 9 launch supplies to the International Space Station and toured the NASA Facilities like the VAB And Veggie Lab.

Haley shares her path in STEM in pursuing her PhD in Nanoscience (which we can officially congratulate her for achieving recently! Way to go Haley!). She shares her experience finding a great team to support her through Grad school and shares advice on how to make the most of it while you are there.

We also brainstorm about how nanoscience can change the future, and specifically some applications in the space industry on how things like nanotubes (carbon or boron nitride) can help us achieve amazing things!

Want some quick context on Nanoscience if you're new to the topic? Check out these links: https://www.nano.gov/timeline https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsnanoscience

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We're back! After some much needed time for a mental health break and an introspective view at where I'm at in my life at 31, we have returned fired up and ready to talk about the balance.

This is a great episode for anyone who is new to the podcast for some context on who I am, and a deep look at a part of my STEM origin story. No one has an easy time in a STEM career - it's a gauntlet. And I found myself doubting my own self after mentioning my goal of training to become an Astronaut. The same doubt that plagued me as a young 20-something, still full of angst and self-sabotage from a lack of confidence. I get more philosophical than scientific as the episode continues...but still a fun one that I hope helps someone going through a tough time as we transition to the next phase post-pandemic. But thanks to a commencement speech by the President and COO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell - things started to align and make sense again! HIGHLY recommended listen for anyone in a STEM career or studying to become a scientist or engineer. We'd love to hear your STEM origin story if you have one - email us at [email protected]! What sparked your interest and passion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics? (don't forget the Arts too!)

Gwynne Shotwell's Commencement Speech: https://youtu.be/CCClD4oBpCc

Stephen Pressfield's 'The War of Art': https://amzn.to/3zJH7r1

^ This is an affiliate link that helps support the podcast, if you purchase the book/audiobook we get some money from Amazon for sending you there!

On this episode of the podcast I try to answer the question "Did I apply for the Inspiration4 or dearMoon project?" as honestly as possible. Going to space is not easy, and having physical limitations makes that harder. But not impossible. The possibility of going to space and podcast about my experience has me literally dreaming about the stars.

Just like with any problem, solutions can be found even when it seems impossible. It just takes looking at things from a different perspective and then new solutions reveal themselves. I've changed my mind about wanting to be an astronaut over the course of this podcast. Recently, with all the exciting opportunities for everyday people to go to space upon us - I find myself being both brutally honest about my chances now and extremely hopeful and excited about the future possibility.

This was a really stressful episode to record and put out there. I've been thinking about this for a while, and especially now that I'm trying to be healthier and more fit. I've got a long way to go, and dreaming of going to space helps me quantify the work I have left and how far I can push myself to get stronger. My hope is this opens up your mind to the possibility that something you felt was impossible is actually achievable if you set the right goals and have the right perspective. We all have our own unique challenges, but don't let close-loop thinking prevent you from achieving your full potential.