Casual Space

Starting a non-profit, serving on a board of directors, conducting medical research, and speaking at space exploration conference has been some of the activities for Gitika Gorthi. Oh, and recently graduating from HIGH SCHOOL! Gitika is busy working toward a career in aerospace medicine, and she knows exactly where she wants to be, what she wants to study and what problems she wants to solve in the aerospace industry. Whew! So, get ready to meet the incredibly impressive Gitika Gorthi in this episode of Casual Space! Gitika Gorthi is the Founder and CEO of Ignited Thinkers, a non-profit organization she founded in the 8th-grade to spread space education and her love for aerospace to students across the world. She is an incoming freshman at Columbia University in their College of Engineering and Applied Science as a Davis Scholar. Gitika is an aspiring aerospace physician, medical researcher, and astronaut. Conducting medical research at the Baylor College of Medicine Space Medicine Center, researching wind turbines at the University of Central Florida at Raghavan Research Group, working with professor Dr. Prasanta Pal from Brown University to develop telemedicine technology, student researcher at Columbia Medical School Center for Radiological Research, and interning last summer at NASA Ames Research Center at GeneLab, Gitika is diligently working on her interest in aerospace medicine research. Gitika is extremely excited about the new understanding studying humans in space will bring to treat diseases here on Earth and the medical technological advancements with the utilization of telemedicine for deep-space exploration missions. Most recently, Gitika was named one of the Top 100 Women in Aerospace and Aviation Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn in 2022. The future of aerospace is exciting, and Gitika is working to make it a more diverse and equitable environment for everyone! Gitika is a 2021-2022 Teen Board of Director of the Girl Scout Nation's Capital and 2020-2022 Girls Advisory Board Member for Girl Scouts USA. She provides strategic advice to help make the scouting program more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all girls. Learn More about Ignited Thinkers here: www.ignitedthinkers.org Through IgnitedThinkers, Gitika is working towards breaking the glass ceiling for minorities in the aerospace industry, incorporating more hands-on research space science-based activities into elementary education curriculums, and igniting the passions of all students by providing them the opportunity to explore and create. IgnitedThinkers' mission and vision statement are simple: to ignite, inform, and inspire students across the world. Connect with and follow Gitika on her journey! Twitter: @IgnitedThinkers and @GitikaGorthi Instagram: @IgnitedThinkers and @Gitika Gorthi LinkedIn: @IgnitedThinkers and @Gitika Gorthi

This weekend, Beth's heading down to Huntsville, Alabama to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Space Camp! Space Camp has been inspiring trainees since 1982, and has been a gateway for the future's astronauts, scientists, and engineers. On this episode, Beth shares her personal story of her very first time attending Space Camp (there would be several more throughout the years) and shares a chapter from her new book highlighting the experience that would forever change her path towards her work and success in the space exploration industry...with just one small obstacle that almost kept her from going… So, like, totally chill and let's go back to the late 80's and enjoy this episode to the max!! About Space Camp: Space Camp opened on June 13, 1982, launching what is now an internationally recognized STEM camp with more than one million alumni from all 50 states and 150 international locations. While in Huntsville, Beth and hundreds of alumni and Space Camp supporters will gather to celebrate AND witness the induction of the next class of Space Camp Hall of Fame members. These alumni have made significant contributions in their fields and we look forward to honoring them, featuring outstanding alumni and a fireside chat with members of the Inspiration4 team, the first all-civilian space flight, led by Jared Isaacman, a 1995 Aviation Challenge graduate. Jeffrey Kluger, Editor at Large for TIME magazine, moderating the discussion. Learn more at: https://rocketcenterfoundation.org/about/ About the 2022 Space Camp Hall of Fame Inductees: Camp programs continue to be a gateway for explorers on the frontiers of STEM, and as part of the anniversary celebration, a Space Camp Hall of Fame ceremony will feature these outstanding alumni, former camp staff and friends of Space Camp: Brian Dudas - Boeing 767-400 First Officer, Delta Airlines (Aviation Challenge counselor, 1992) Derek Hodgins - Strategy & Business Development, Lunar Exploration, Lockheed Martin Space (Space Academy Level I, 1994; Space Academy Level II, 1995; Space Academy Level II, 1996) Peter Marquez - Head of Space Policy at Amazon Web Services (Space Camp 1990) Mandy Vaughn - CEO & Founder at GXO, Inc. - (Space Academy Level I,1990; Space Academy Level II, 1991 and 1992) Inspiration4 Team: https://inspiration4.com/crew Jared Isaacman (Aviation Challenge Mach I, 1995) Chris Sembroski (Space Camp counselor 2001) Hayley Arceneaux (Friend of Space Camp) Dr. Sian Proctor (Friend of Space Camp) About the Auston Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer: https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/ About the Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship: https://www.hatcherfoundation.org/spacecamp Stay tuned for another Space Camp story next week, as we continue to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Space Camp on the Casual Space Podcast!

On Tuesday, May 17, A House Intelligence subcommittee held the first congressional hearing in more than 50 years to focus on military reports of unexplained aerial phenomena (UFOs and UAPs)! This rare event included documents, discussions, videos and testimonies from Pentagon officials, pilots and others- along with the formation of a new organization called, AOIMSG….and YOU KNOW wherever there's a long space acronym, an episode of Casual Space is sure to follow!!! Join Beth, Chad and special guest Author, podcast host and UFO researcher AND friend of the show Mark O'Connell! From the official congressional transcripts, this is how the hearing opened: "In 2017, we learned for the first time that the Department of defense had quietly restarted a similar organization tracking what we now call Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAPs. Last year, Congress rewrote the charter for that organization now called the Airborne Object Identification and Management. Synchronization Group or AOIMSG for short. Today, we will bring that organization out of the shadows. This hearing and oversight work has a simple idea at its core. Unidentified aerial phenomena are a potential national security threat, and they need to be treated that way. For too long the stigma associated with UAPs has gotten in the way of good intelligence analysis, pilots avoided reporting or were laughed at when they did. It's true, but they are real. They need to be investigated. And many threats they pose need to be mitigated." Here's a great article by Axios to get you all caught-up: https://www.axios.com/2022/05/17/congress-pentagon-ufo-uap-hearing and here are the actual transcripts of the congressional hearing if you really want to dig in: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/congress-holds-historic-open-hearing-on-ufos-5-17-22-transcript About Mark: Mark O'Connell bio: Mark O'Connell got his start in television writing for Trek: The Next Generation" ("Timescape") and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" ("Second Sight," "Meridian," "For the Cause" and fan favorite "Who Mourns for Morn?"). Since then, he has had feature screenplays optioned and placed in development at Ruddy-Morgan Productions, DreamWorks Animation, and Disney. His comedy screenplay Doug and Dave was in development at Disney with the late Bill Paxton attached to direct. Mark's first book is The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOS, a biography of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, famed UFO researcher and inspiration behind Steven Spielberg's epic film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Close Encounters Man was published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Mark is currently Co-Executive Producer and on-camera expert on UFO Witness, a reality show now streaming on the Discoveryplus streaming service. The second season of UFO Witness is currently in production. Mark is also on the screenwriting faculty of the College of Computing & Digital Media at DePaul University. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markoconnell_1 And be sure to listen to him on his Far-Fetched podcast: https://ococonnell.podbean.com/ GET THE BOOK: Get your copy of The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOS, a biography of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, https://www.amazon.com/Close-Encounters-Man-World-Believe/dp/0062484176/ref=asc_df_0062484176/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312090128349&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15632495319288089556&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=

Nicole is an astronaut, aquanaut, artist, mom, and now author of her first book Back to Earth ~ What Life In Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet - And Our Mission To Protect It. She creatively combines the awe and wonder of her spaceflight experience with her artwork to inspire everyone's appreciation of our role as crewmates here on Spaceship Earth. Today on the Casual Space Podcast is Beth's conversation with Nicole recorded earlier this month, in preparation for the Analog Astronaut Conference in Tucson, Arizona, where Nicole shares a variety of thoughts about analogs, what it was like to live under the sea, and seeing our beautiful Earth from Space. More about Nicole Stott: She is a veteran NASA Astronaut with two spaceflights and 104 days as a crewmember on both the International Space Station (ISS) and the Space Shuttle. Personal highlights of her time in space include performing a spacewalk (10th woman to do so), flying the robotic arm to capture the first free-flying HTV, painting a watercolor (now on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum), working with her international crew on science that is all about improving life on Earth, and of course the life changing view of our home planet. She is also a NASA Aquanaut. In preparation for spaceflight she was a crew member on an 18-day saturation dive mission at the Aquarius undersea laboratory. Nicole believes that the international model of peaceful and successful cooperation we have experienced in the extreme environments of space and sea holds the key to the same kind of peaceful and successful cooperation for all of humanity here on Earth. On her post-NASA mission, Nicole is a co-founder of the Space for Art Foundation --- uniting a planetary community of children through the awe and wonder of space exploration and the healing power of art. Follow Nicole and her art here: https://www.npsdiscovery.com Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet―And Our Mission to Protect It In her book, Back to Earth, Stott imparts essential lessons in problem-solving, survival, and crisis response that each of us can practice to make change. She knows we can overcome differences to address global issues, because she saw this every day on the International Space Station. Stott shares stories from her spaceflight and insights from scientists, activists, and changemakers working to solve our greatest environmental challenges. She learns about the complexities of Earth's biodiversity from NASA engineers working to enable life in space and from scientists protecting life on Earth for future generations. Ultimately, Stott reveals how we each have the power to respect our planetary home and one another by living our lives like crewmates, not passengers, on an inspiring shared mission GET THE BOOK: Get your copy of Back to Earth here: Back to Earth: https://www.amazon.com/Back-Earth-Planet_And-Mission-Protect/dp/1541675045 And, you can learn more about Analog Astronauts and our missions at: https://www.analog-astronaut.com/

Chad and Chris are back and reminisce about their journey into the universe (Chicago) for the official Star Trek convention! Together, Chris and Chad share the highlights from this fan experience that includes everything from the big celebrity stars to the panel discussions, memorabilia, and the tattoos? Beth jumps in at the end for the lightning round questions (is Q a bad guy, or a good guy?) and shares a few thoughts on what's going to happen next year (we will all be going back). Don't miss this fun conversation that is all Star Trek! Discover a new frontier of immersive experiences and unique encounters with fellow fans unlike anything you've seen before. Explore the past, present and future of Star Trek while embracing the ideals of a diverse and inclusive future that remains at the center of Gene Roddenberry's beloved universe. Join us as we go beyond expectation with a fan experience loaded with celebrity guests, exclusive merchandise and exciting announcements that can only be offered at Star Trek: Missions, the official fan convention brought to you by ViacomCBS and ReedPop There are still a few convention dates left to get tickets! From the Star Trek website: https://www.startrekmissions.com/

Beth sits down with three members of Vaya Space, a hybrid rocket engine and small satellite launcher company! Mickael Buswell, Brian Ha, and Grant Begley explain how they're working to offer frequent, reliable, economical, and environmentally-friendly small satellite launch opportunities in precise orbital placement…by using hybrid rockets that are redefining the cost, performance, and safety of space access! Using their proprietary technology, STAR-3D™ hybrid rocket engines are produced by 3D printing fuel grains using thermoplastic material. It's pretty incredible, and it's all in this episode of Casual Space! Learn more about Grant Begley: Grant is the Chief Executive Officer at Vaya Space. In addition, Mr. Begley is CAPT. USN (RET, a Former Pentagon Senior Advisor for Unmanned Systems, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. He served as the former Director of Stealth, Counter Stealth-Technology, Policy & Advance Programs for the U.S. Dept. of Defense, and a Team leader for the White House "Roadmap for U. S. Robotics 2013" project. Grant Begley also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Unmanned Vehicles International. Learn more about Vaya Space, their unique rockets and innovative production methods and hybrid rocket propulsion technology here: https://www.vayaspace.com/ Check out Brian Ha: Brian got his start in aerospace engineering at San Jose State University in Silicon Valley. He discovered a passion for building aerospace startups are after joining a satellite-imaging company called Skybox Imaging in 2014. There he was introduced to the relatively niche, but endlessly interesting, engineering specialty known as "Guidance, Navigation, and Control". After realizing he lacked the necessary technical depth to be a GNC engineer, he decided to leave sunny California in 2017 to pursue a Master's degree at the University of Michigan. Two brutal mid-western winters later, he earned his GNC degree and joined Northrop Grumman out in Phoenix, Arizona to build launch vehicles and missiles. After realizing that he does not like the "dry heat", he joined small-sat launch provider Vaya Space out in Cocoa, Florida. These days, Brian deals with torrential rainfall and summer thunderstorms as he leads the GNC design of Vaya's first orbital launch vehicle. Perhaps one day he'll find a climate that suits him. Mickael Buswell: Is a structural designer who's interested in applying organic design and mass optimization principles to revolutionize space structures and mechanisms, ranging from launch vehicles, to satellites, and ultimately space stations/habitats.

Happy Earth Day! Satellites improve our life on Earth by providing valuable data about our incredible planet. How exactly do satellites work? What kind of data do we need to improve, save, and protect our Earth? Here's your 1-0-1 on satellites! From how they work, how they acquire power, how they navigate in orbit, and how they help us all benefit from the data they provide back to us on Earth! Mark Lorden is our expert guide as the co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer of Exo-Space, where he and his team are working to leverage their expertise in A.I., machine vision, and satellite design to offer software and hardware packages that can withstand the harsh environment of space. Together, Beth and Mark discuss roller coasters, satellite hardware, CubeSats, how satellites can help us fight fires, space startups and how the public can actively participate in space innovation! "To us, space presents the opportunity for the betterment of human society -- both on the Earth's surface, by gaining holistic awareness of activities and conditions to better inform policy and action, and in the depths of the universe, by expanding the frontiers of humankind. The development of the commercial space industry that's happening right now represents massive steps toward a better tomorrow." Learn More about Mark Lorden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-lorden-799a9967/ Learn more about Exo-Space at: https://www.exo-space.com/ Support/ Invest in Exo-Space at Spaced Ventures here: https://www.spacedventures.com/

How will Humanity Return to the Moon by the Mid-2020s and Go to Mars by the Mid-2030s? How Can Innovations that Enable Human Missions to the Moon and Mars Benefit Humanity? If we find life on Mars, what happens next? These are just a few of the fascinating topics that will be explored at the 2022 Humans to Mars Summit (H2M) that is taking place on May 17-19, 2022, at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C. https://www.exploremars.org/summit/ The Human to Mars Summit is the annual conference of Explore Mars, Inc., and is the largest annual conference in the world dedicated to the goal of a sustainable human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s. "We are entering the golden age of space exploration," stated Explore Mars CEO, Chris Carberry. "H2M 2022 will not only examine how humans will return to the surface of the Moon by the mid-2020s and then travel to Mars by the mid-2030s but will also consider the extraordinary opportunities and innovations expected to materialize over the next decade." JOIN US! REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2022-humans-to-mars-summit-registration-170778130987 Learn more about Explore Mars here: https://www.exploremars.org/

Try to keep up with Laura Forczyk! At the time of this conversation, Laura has a new NEW baby, a new business and just a few new multiple things that she's working on. All at the same time. You may want to sit down and buckle in- because Laura and Beth have a LOT to discuss together in this episode, including space camp, working for NASA, writing books, getting women to the Moon, hiring talented people for jobs in the space industry, *whew* (let's pause for a baby snuggle) work-life balance and more… About Laura: Laura Forczyk is the owner of space consulting firm Astralytical specializing in space science, industry, and policy, offering space career coaching services, and publishing industry reports. Learn more about Astralytical here: https://www.astralytical.com/about She is the author of Rise of the Space Age Millennials (2020) and Becoming Off-Worldly (2022). She runs the private online community Becoming Off-Worldly Together. She serves as an advisor for Cislunar Space Development Company and For All Moonkind. She is the VP of Research and Analytics for the Beyond Earth Institute. She serves as a mentor for the Brooke Owens Fellowship program. She is a NASA Subject Matter Expert for astrophysics and planetary science missions. Prior to forming her own company, she ran the Florida office of international startup working to establish parabolic and suborbital flight at Kennedy Space Center and globally. She has also worked as a scientific analyst for a nonprofit facilitating over 50 experiments on the International Space Station for the benefit of life on Earth. She has researched astrophysics and planetary science at three NASA centers, flown two parabolic "Zero G" campaigns, conducted geological research in a meteor crater, and earned National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) suborbital astronaut wings in ground training. She is a six-time U.S. Space Camp alumna, a NASA Academy alumna, a former NASA Student Ambassador, and a previous NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program fellow. She earned a bachelor of science degree in astrophysics from Florida Institute of Technology. She earned a master of science degree in astrophysics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville researching high-energy emission from gamma-ray bursts. She conducted doctoral studies in planetary science at the University of Central Florida researching low-energy impacts and regolith (dust) dynamics on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. Find Laura's Books here: Becoming Off-Worldly: Learning from Astronauts to Prepare for Your Spaceflight Journey And Rise of the Space Age Millennials: The Space Aspirations of a Rising Generation https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Forczyk/e/B083XQS24C%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Last March, family and friends learned of Dr. Sian Proctor's selection for the SpaceX Inspiration 4 mission and were able to join her along many parts of her incredible journey to space. On this episode, Chris and Brian join Beth to reminisce-and share wonderful moments from this recent adventure- from hearing the exciting news to watching the launch and landing. Here are the personal stories and sincere impressions from Sian's support team! About Chris: Chris Proctor and his wife Pattie and live outside of Phoenix, AZ. Chris has worked for Progressive Insurance for 28 years! Chris has two sons (Chase 21, & Maverick 18) and 2 stepdaughters (Alex 32, & Nicole 27). Chris loves spending time with his family, hiking, golfing, and traveling. Chris and his entire family enjoyed Sian's extraordinary adventure to space and the opportunity to reunite with old friends and to meet many new friends, too! About Brian: Mr. Riehle has 35 years' experience in computer systems, including 21 years in Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation systems with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of which 13 years were in a management position. Prior to entering the Federal Civil Service, he was a field engineer with Sperry Univac, and worked on the ARTS 3 Terminal Automation program. While employed with Sperry Univac, he worked in the ARTS 3 development labs in St. Paul, MN, and installed the ARTS 3 systems at Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and the FAA Technical Center (FAATC). Before going to Sperry Univac, he worked for the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation on the NASA Manned Space Flight Network, and supported 5 Apollo lunar missions as the computer supervisor and data systems supervisor at the Guam and Corpus Christi, TX, Apollo tracking stations. Before that, he was employed by North American Rockwell and worked on the development of the Navy Tactical Data Systems (NTDS). He has held numerous FAA technical management positions in Airway Facilities including the positions of Branch Manager, Assistant Division Manager, Division Manager, and Deputy Director of the Operational Support Program. Don't forget to listen to previous episodes featuring Sian and Brian! Sian Episode #108 https://www.bethmund.com/casual-space-podcast/2021/2/11/108-mund-on-mars-6 Brian Episode #144 https://www.bethmund.com/casual-space-podcast/20211111/144-brian-riehle