The Space Madness Podcast

Space Madness Episode 11: The Je ne sais quoi of Jupiter

Today we talk with a JPL colleague of mine, Olivia Dawson. Inspired by Voyager as a child (as was I) she began a long journey to JPL that took some unexpected turns. Now she moves on to an international opportunity for herself and her family. 

Space Madness Episode 10: Sheila Xu, the First Deaf Asian Female Pilot

Today we chat with Sheila Xu, the first deaf asian female pilot. We discuss her hearing challenges as a child, the range of availability of accomodations throughout her education, and the events that led to her goal of becoming a pilot. We also talk about technologies and products available to help people hear, backpacking through Europe while deaf, and charting her path to advocacy. 

Space Madness Episode 8: From Romania to the Stars

In this episode of the Space Madness Podcast, we host Andreea Mosila, who shares her remarkable journey from growing up in communist Romania to working at NASA and JPL. Andreea discusses her passion for space exploration, her experiences at various NASA centers, and her current research on climate security in the Danube Delta. The conversation highlights the importance of bridging science and governance, the challenges of communicating research findings, and the impact of personal passion on career choices.

Space Madness Episode 7: Space Weather and Growing up with Modern Taiwan

In this episode we have a college buddy of mine, now Dr. Loren Chang, Professor and Chair of the Department of Space Science and Engineering at the National Central University in Taiwan. We discuss his fascinating journey growing up traveling back and forth to Taiwan throughout his education. That period happened to overlap with Taiwan's growth from post-martial law scenario to global dominance in technology - specifically semiconductors - and it's recent embrace of space and drone technologies.
 
* this episode has been edited much more extensively than previous ones, due to slight lags and delays when recording between my studio in Atlanta and our guest's location in Taiwan.

Space Madness Episode 6: Science Fiction, Faction, and Communication with Advanced Chemistry's Director Etana Jacobson

In today's episode we have director of the film Advanced Chemistry Etana Jacobson. Etana has an extensive career in film, television and video games bringing science to audiences in an engaging and personal way. Today we discuss those efforts and new ones in the modern digital environment. 

Space Madness Episode 5: Deafness in Space? The first deaf human in Microgravity since the 1960s

Today we "talk" with Eric Shear, a remarkable Ph.D. student with the unique distinction of being the first deaf person to experience microgravity since the Galludet 11, a group of deaf men who were instrumental in developing the Apollo program. View his writing here.
Note: this episode has periods of silence as Eric signs to Justin. I have left them in to maintain the integrity of the experience of interviewing a deaf person.

Space Madness Episode 4: a War Reporter, the Book of Genesis, and Apollo 8

Today we have a special guest with a deep connection to history. Peter Laitin joins me to talk about his father, Joe Laitin, a war correspondent turned trusted member of several administrations in the 1960s and 1970s. Notably, he and his wife Christine Laitin wrote the speech read by Apollo 8 astronauts on Christmas Eve, 1968 from Earth orbit after being the first human beings to see the whole Earth at once from space. See this short CNN clip from the 90s. https://youtu.be/VFzZ2yHHq9c?si=GLszGyvrsn7kAu9h

Space Madness Episode 3: Justin Kugler of Intuitive Machines

Justin Kugler shares his story of finding a pathway from a Texas neighborhood to the surface of the moon. Coincidentally also with the CIA in his background like Tim Chrisman of episode 2, Justin followed a winding path from a chance high school opportunity. He and I also share the challenge of building personally meaningful space careers while our wives built their own medical careers. We end the episode with a fascinating new perspective on human space exploration that I had not previously considered. 

Space Madness Episode 2: Tim Chrisman and WW2, the CIA, and the Rise of Overwhelming Private Capital

In episode 2, Investor and former CIA laser expert Tim Chrisman and I discuss the changes in capital markets since WW2 and the resulting impact on everything from war to planetary exploration. 

Space Madness Episode 1: Daniel Leeb and the Icelandic Space Agency

In our inaugural episode I talk with Daniel Leeb of the Icelandic Space Agency. We explore the lesser known relationship between Iceland and every human and nearly planetary surface space mission and think about what the near future of global space leadership looks like in a dynamic era.