The Space Madness Podcast

Today we have a real treat; the former Chief Scientist of NASA, Jim Green. We talk about his journey from the fields of Iowa to the top floor of NASA HQ. He shares series of fortunate events - gravity assists as he calls them - that introduced him to astronomy and space exploration, then unique educational opportunities, and a wonderful series of leadership opportunities first connecting NASA and then global institutions using the early internet. We also talk about Jim's other interests including history and civil war hot air ballooning.

n our final episode with Lou we talk about different views on the future of space exploration in the USA, options for young people interested in the field, and thoughts about predicting the future.

"I have been working on space as long as there has been a space age, since 1957." With a career spanning the entire space age, Lou shares his journey from the Bronx to the forefront of space exploration. He discusses his pivotal roles at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, co-founding the Planetary Society with Carl Sagan, and his insights into the evolving role of humans in space exploration. Dive into the history of space missions, the challenges of interplanetary navigation, and the future of human space travel.

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.

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.

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.

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.