The first week of June went HARD for Space - and for Human Spaceflight it was fully loaded! So many launches, including the success of Boeing's CFT Starliner that brought Astronauts Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore! We break down what happened, why it was a success, and our thoughts on the Crew Test Flight. We really can't stress how important having TWO human-rated spacecraft for the US to launch from our own soil - and we do our best to tell that story with this episode. For those...

Last week was some of the most exciting and jam packed space events I've seen in a while. So many launches, including the success of SpaceX's Starship Test Flight 4! We break down what happened, why it was a success, and our thoughts on Flight Test 4, 5, and beyond. We really can't stress how much progress was made with IFT4 - and we do our best to tell that story with this episode. For those wondering - this is a good review of my thoughts on EVERYTHING test flight 4 - so buckle up. Let us...

On this episode we speak with NASA Astronaut Don Pettit about his Astronaut Origin Story and the 'maker mentality'. Don is preparing for Expedition 71/72 which will launch to the International Space Station aboard a Soyux (MS-26) from Baikonur Cosmodrome later this year. We were grateful for the NASA teams for helping us set up time with Don to chat all-things space. Welcome our first Astronaut to the podcast! Don Pettit's origin story encapsulates that of a Maker - always wondering if...

On this episode, we're recapping last weeks Aurora Extravoganza that the internet was a buzz about! We got pictures from folks like you that whole weekend, which was all we needed to survive a weekend of cloud-filled New England nights. But one thing many curious folks were thinking - what are Auroras? How can we know when the next one is coming? Why do Auroras happen? What impacts do solar weather pose to planets, spacecraft, and humans in space? ALL of these answered on this week's...

On this episode, we dive into the Human Factor - which is all about learning about what it is to be a human and how that can help us grow and succeed in life. Because regardless of what we do, we are all human beings - even scientists and engineers. This week, I talk about one of my earliest passions - trading cards! Pokemon, YuGiOh, Dragon Ball, Magic the Gathering - all a MASSIVE part of my childhood and where I found the passion that is behind this podcast. It's an origin story of what...

In this episode, we prepare for next week's human space launch of Boeing's Starliner, the first Crewed mission for Altas V & the CST-100 spacecraft! This is the culmination of the investment NASA & US taxpayers put into the Commercial Crew Program. Two human-rated spacecraft were given contracts to test & evenutally fly human beings to the ISS. SpaceX Crew Dragon already flies to the ISS regularly with Astronauts & supplies, and Boeing's Starliner is ready to have its first...

On this episode we have some Astronomer friends on to discuss our thoughts from the Total Solar Eclipse! Matt Schricker (@Bostronomy), Andrew Abban (@aa.astro01), and Thorne Ransom (@ransomobservatory) join us to share their Astronomy Origin Stories and their experience during the Total Solar Eclipe. For some it was our first, and others were looking for redemption from 2017. But all of us were close to speechless when it happened, until we had this mega podcast for some Eclipse Talk. Maine...

On this episode we talk about the North American Total Solar Eclipse happening on April 8th, 2024! We break it down into three parts: (1) What to Expect, (2) What to do during the Eclipse, and (3) Our Telescopes Vespera and our newest Vaonis device - Hestia. We close out the episode with an unboxing and first demo with Hestia practicing for the Total Solar Eclipse. There is always lots of excitement around any eclipse, but you want to be as present as possible to soak in this wild phenomena!...

On this episode we speak with Dr. Masha Petrova, the CEO of Nullspace, Inc. a company creating simulation software for electromagnetic applications in the Academic, Commercial, Aerospace, and Defense Industries. Masha shares with us her STEM origin story from a childhood love of Soviet Space SciFi to becoming a PhD Simulation Engineer in the US, which led to her "aha" moment of realizing she was actually an "Extroverted Engineer". Dr. Petrova is an experienced executive with a passion for...

In episode 339, we are talking all about Starship's 3rd Test Flight after a VERY exciting launch on March 14th, 2024 a.k.a. Pi Day. The massive Starship made lightspeed progress from the last two tests but the question is: Was IFT3 a success? Did SpaceX have a successful test flight? Don't worry - if you are new to Starship and need a quick review we got you covered! This is a great episode for anyone who was too busy to watch the flight live on Pi Day, or you want to dive a little bit...

In this week's episode, Alex shares some of his Florida vacation and the 'magic' of branding and storytelling at both Disney and Universal Studio Themeparks. Alex also shares his rotten luck with catching Rocket launches while in Florida...and its not for a lack of launches either! It's also been over a year with our Vespera Telescope so it's time for a recap on what we've learned and what's stuck out so far. This week's Thought from an Engineer is: Why do Nebulas in my telescope appear SO...

This episode was recorded live while watching the Intuitive Machines-1 (IM-1) moon landing on February 22, 2024 around 6PM. Alex shares his live reaction and thoughts while the NOVA Command team in Houston, TX intiates landing sequence and then troubleshoots the signal after the landing attempt. Is the lander ok? Will the signal get better? That's for the future. Right now, we were just excited to be able to watch the first Lunar landing attempt by the US since 1972 for Apollo 17. It's been...

On this episode, Alex shares his thoughts on the latest Lunar Lander attempt by NASA with the IM-1 Mission. Intuitive Machine's is providing the NOVA C lunar lander as part of the CLPS program, where NASA funded commercial contracts to build out the Artemis Infrastructure around the Moon. There's no internet on the moon yet...not even running water. So there's alot to do, and this IM-1 mission aims to help NASA and multiple commercial payloads. But first, we need a successful SpaceX Falcon 9...

On this episode, Alex opens the podcast with a quick run through (~4 min) of some of the Space Launches to look out for in February (SpaceX, Japan, India, NASA, Rocket Lab). We deep dive on NASA's PACE Mission, flying onboard a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket NET 1:33AM ET 2/8/24 (only a few hours after this podcast is released). We discuss what the mission is, what the payloads are, and why that science will be critical for understanding the water cycle on Earth and the climate changes that come from...

On this episode, we remember the 3 year journey of the Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars, which now has a broken rotor and is unable to fly safely anymore. We discuss how influential the Martian Helicopter was by obliterating it's original 30-day life span and providing miles of coverage inside of Jezero Crater. We discuss some facts on the first powered flight on another world, and close up with a discussion around the Wright Brothers and how influential their R&D efforts were to a young,...

On this episode we speak with Madison C. Feehan, the founder of Space Copy and Moon Trades. She has a background in lunar instrument development, global open science programs, and is a member of Women in Aerospace Canada. She’s also been an External Peer Reviewer and Executive Panelist for NASA since she was in high school.  Topics from the episode: space, ai, industry, entrepreneurship, nasa, printing, artemis, science, lunar, moon, 3dprinting, working, process, integrate, create Madison...

In the second episode of 2024, we went hard and produced a list of the 24 things to look out for in Space this year. Is my voice sore from this recording? Yes. Am I still excited for what's to come? OF COURSE! There are 8 groups of what to expect in 2024: Lunar, Space Station, Orbital Human Spaceflight, Deep Space, Payloads/Sats, Space Flyers, Astronomy, and Rocket Technology. We even added updates to this list as we were editing, since NASA released their new Artemis plan and the Vulcan...

For the first episode of 2024 (Happy New Year!) we're diving into the Human Factor to talk about Confidence vs. Ego. A perfect topic as we all look to make improvments in our lives with "new year new you" vibes. What keeps you honest and on goal when things get tough? What keeps you from continuing your goals for the 'new you'? It's Confidence! (or is it Ego?). We share our advice on how to navigate that by "checking your Confidence LVLs". To us, confidence can't be a "yes or no" thing,...

On Part TWO of our two-parter episode with Matt Schricker of @Bostronomy - we dig deeper into Astronomy, Astrophotography, and Telescopes. Matt shares his Astronomy on Instagram and TikTok but also has a creative style that we enjoy very much in his content. We also chat about the human experience of stargazing and how even your position on the planet can change your whole outlook on constellations! If you ever wondered about Astronomy and whether you could get into it OR if you ever thought...

On this FIRST of a TWO PART episode, we have Matt Schricker of @Bostronomy on the show for a 'very Boston podcast' where we chat about Astronomy, Music, and Matt's STEM origin story. Matt shares his Astronomy on Instagram and TikTok but also has a creative style that we enjoy very much in his content. We dive into his origin story, being a Dad, his love of music (his band "Fever Dream" plays in Boston regularly), and the more human side of space and science.  If you ever wondered about...

Space Debris - a problem that continues to exponentially grow as more and more payloads are sent to Earth orbit every day. Old satellites, or ones without fuel or power, essentially become a giant piece of trash that orbits uncontrolled with the “traffic” of low earth orbit. Now, with companies beginning to be hit with government fines over leaving debris in space - what can be done to prevent or reduce the potential and real space debris? This week, we chat with Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent...

On this Thanksgiving week episode, we're breaking down Starship's latest test flight - IFT2 and comparing it to the first integrated test flight (a.k.a. IFT1). We think there are four major WINS for SpaceX, NASA, and humanity after IFT2's successful test launch. There is ALOT of work before humans can launch onboard, but IFT1 and IFT2 were only 6 months apart and they had to rebuild the pad. With a great looking launchpad post-launch, we expect LOTS of progress in 2024 for Starship!  This...

You may be familiar with some recent news about far-flung interstellar locations, like the Psyche Mission, Mars InSight Mission, and the Juno Mission to Jupiter.  Award-winning planetary scientist Dr. Sabine Stanley has been involved in some of these missions and is the author of the new book from Johns Hopkins Press, What’s Hidden Inside Planets?  Thanks to Dr. Sabine and her team, our listeners can use promo code HPLAN for 30% off What’s Hidden Inside Planets? when you order from Hopkins...

On this week's episode, we replicate a pumpkin using 3D scanning and 3D printing in the AG3D lab. While the Replicator in Star Trek is still far away, todays technology has come A LONG WAY since even 10 years ago.  We discuss what we used to bring this pumpkin-stein into life, and I also share some background on how 3D scanning and 3D printing went from an expensive set of tech, to something almost anyone can have in their homes for under $500. Space and 3D printing are also slowly...