61: Bill Nye and Beth Mund Celebrate Space Exploration

Beth shares a Casual Space conversation with the incredible Bill Nye! Together, they enjoy:

• Sharing the incredible success story of the Planetary Society's Light Sail 2 (a spacecraft that is still sailing on sunbeams), and why it's such a significant and inspiring citizen-science project, and what it could mean for the future for space travel. (Read more about Light Sail 2 right here in the show notes at the link below)
• Discussing the many ways we can travel to space, but the challenge of getting to space still exists. When Bill Nye travels to space, he's sure to experience THE OVERVIEW EFFECT.
• How we are working to answer the mission of The Planetary Society- to know the cosmos and our place within it.
• An optimistic belief that within our lifetimes, we will find evidence of life on Mars!

About Bill Nye:

Along with serving as CEO of the world's largest independent space interest group, The Planetary Society, Nye is also an internationally renowned and award-winning science educator, television presenter, mechanical engineer, science advocate, and author. He is best known as the host of the PBS children's science show Bill Nye the Science Guy, and for his many subsequent appearances in popular media as a science educator and advocate.

After earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University, Nye spent more than 20 years working as an engineer for the Boeing Corporation, Sundstrand Data Control (now Honeywell), and other engineering firms in the Seattle area. Drawing on his strengths in science and comedy, Nye went on to create, write, produce, and host the Emmy award-winning television show Bill Nye the Science Guy between 1993 and 1998. He continued his work in television with The Eyes of Nye in 2005 and Bill Nye Saves The World in 2017 and 2018. A documentary film about his life's work, Bill Nye: Science Guy, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim.

Nye has authored several books, including the New York Times Bestseller Undeniable, Unstoppable, and Everything All at Once. In addition to his many other activities, he travels the world and appears on television on a regular basis, sharing his views on the importance of science and space exploration, and inspiring people of all ages to change the world for the better.

Where to find Bill Nye:

Planetary.org https://www.planetary.org/about/

Science Rules! Podcast: https://www.billnyepodcast.com/

BONUS LINKS AND NOTES FROM THIS CASUAL SPACE CONVERSATION:

About Light Sail 2: https://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/heres-what-we-learned-so-far-ls2.html

Learn more about Light Sail 2 from Planetary Radio's Mat Kaplan on EPISODE 58 of Casual Space! http://bethmund.com/2020/01/23/58-mat-kaplan/