The Space Madness Podcast

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.