Casual Space

NASA is testing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's 212-foot tall core stage- the tallest rocket stage the agency has ever built- with a Green Run test on Earth before launch day. The core stage design will be used for all configurations of the SLS rocket, and the series of eight tests will verify the stage is ready for the first and future Artemis lunar missions. On this episode, Beth speaks with Doug Bradley, RS-25 Deputy Program Manager at Aerojet Rocketdyne, Yassaman Liaghati from Boeing, Tyler Nester, SLS Chief of Staff at NASA MSFC, and Maury Vander, from NASA Stennis to discuss this exciting milestone! The last test is a hot fire test with all four of the stage's RS-25 engines firing, just as they will during the Artemis I launch. After the firing test at NASA's Stennis Space Center, the stage will be assembled with the other parts of the rocket and the Orion spacecraft, in preparation for the first integrated flight of SLS and Orion on Artemis I. What IS the Artemis Green Run Test? Start here with this video: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram/greenrun Green Run Overview: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/sls-core-stage-green-run-tests-critical-systems-for-artemis-I.html Most Recent Completed Test (Test 5) https://www.nasa.gov/feature/engineers-complete-5th-green-run-test-of-space-launch-system-core-stage http://www.boeing.com/features/2020/09/engine-eering-artemis-i-sls-core-stage-completes-green-run-test-5.page

Marshall McKellar is an attorney in the aerospace industry, currently serving as an Attorney-Advisor in The Office of the General Counsel at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Marshall is also the co-founder of This Side, LLC, a marketing/web development agency in the bio-materials industry. He received a J.D. from the University of Mississippi and a B.A. in history and religion from William Carey University. On the side, Marshall enjoys surfing, flying, and making records with his band, The Devil Music Co. Where to find Marshall: www.thisside.co www.thedevilmusiccompany.com Instagram: @marshallmckellar // @thedevilmusicco

Dr. Harrison is known widely in the planetary science and research industry as Tanya of Mars. Why? Tanya is the founder of Professional Martian LLC, a company focused on science and sci-fi consulting, communications, and outreach in ways to break space out of the echo chamber to reach broader audiences. Currently, she is the Manager of Science Programs at Planet Federal in Washington DC, the government-focused arm of Planet Labs. In this role, she helps scientists understand the utility of—and how to access, process, and use—Planet's incredible daily imaging of the entire landmass of the Earth and its coral reefs. Tanya was the Director of Research for Arizona State University's Space Technology and Science ("NewSpace") Initiative where she worked on commercial-academic space partnerships and martian geomorphology research. She was the Science Team Collaborator on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity and the upcoming Mars 2020 sample caching rover. Tanya received her Ph.D. in Geology with a specialization in Planetary Science and Exploration from the University of Western Ontario's Centre for Planetary Science and Space Exploration (CPSX). From 2008 until 2012, was on the science operations team for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) and Mars Color Imager (MARCI) at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS). In Tanya's own words: For CTX, I chose what the camera takes pictures of in a given week and then analyze those images from a geologist's standpoint. For MARCI, I wrote weather reports for the general public, as well as a few times for the Spirit and Opportunity rover teams to alert them of any impending storms that could threaten the rovers. I was also a science team collaborator for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Mast Cameras (Mastcam), Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), and Mars Descent Imager (MARDI). While this work was exciting, I made the decision after 4 years to return to graduate school and get my Ph.D. My undergraduate degree is in astronomy and physics from the University of Washington, and I did my graduate work in geology (well, "Earth and Environmental Sciences") at Wesleyan University. Areas of interest include martian geomorphology and terrestrial analogues, spectroscopy, and glaciology. My work in astronomy has involved cooling mechanisms of interstellar dust clouds, diffuse interstellar bands, the metallicity of the old, metal-rich cluster NGC 6791, and the metallicity and lithium abundances of the recurrent novae T Coronae Borealis and RS Ophiuchi. I have also been active in education and public outreach, getting involved with organizations such as The Planetary Society, Expanding Your Horizons, Girl Scouts, Norwescon, The Mars Society, and The National Space Society. In my spare time, I am a professional photographer and the owner/photographer behind Station Toronto. Where to find Tanya: http://tanyaofmars.com/ and tanya@tanyaofmars.com

Michal Ziso is the founder of Ziso, a studio working at the intersection of architecture, innovation, space and human equality. She is also a Space Architect focused on human experience a trailblazer by dealing with social and psychological diversity aspects, and an active member of WiSpace- Israeli Professional Women in Space Association. A visionary architect practicing for almost a decade in Israel and NYC, she has extensive experience in designing skyscrapers and large-scale urban projects. A graduate of the Technion – Israeli Institute of Technology, she also served in the elite intelligence unit 8200 of the Israeli Defense Force. Taken together is a rare combination of creative skills, intelligence data analysis and technical abilities which she manifests as a Space Architect and thought leader. She is a two time TEDx speaker (TEDxISU International Space University, Strasborg, France + TEDxJaffaWomen, Tel Aviv Israel), frequent lecturer and mentor at academic institutions, organizations and creative tech companies such as ISA- Israeli Space Agency, Ramon Foundation, UNOOSA, Explore Mars, Parsons School of Design, Wix and more. With a mission to create a built environment in space and on earth that fits the needs of its diverse users to ensure not only a surviving but thriving human society, Michal is actively raising awareness for gender and human equality through work with international organizations such as Global Citizen, UN Women, UN SDG global and SDG Israel. ZISO was chosen to be part of the 10 top global initiatives fighting for gender equality by the UN SDG Action Campaign of 2019. As a mentor to young individuals, especially young women, at various forums such as UNOOSA, Space4Women, ProWoman organization and ISE (Israel Startup Experience), Michal promotes courageous creative thinking, innovation through extreme conditions and encourages all to become passionate change agents. A proud activist and avid traveler, Michal is inspired by cultures, diversity, and the various ways people use space on earth and beyond. Where to find Michal: https://www.theziso.com/ Watch Michal's TEDx Talks: TEDxJaffaWomen: https://www.ted.com/talks/michal_ziso_equality_lessons_from_mars AND The Surprising things I learnt on my journey to become a Space Architect https://www.ted.com/talks/michal_ziso_the_surprising_things_i_learnt_on_my_journey_to_become_a_space_architect

Dr. Mindy Howard's company, Innerspace Training helps commercial astronauts become more mentally prepared before they go into space, so they can get the most out of their mission. During this engaging dialogue, Mindy explains to Beth how we can all work to engage in and implement this "Overview Effect" in our lives, a deep connection to everywhere and everyone. Dr. Mindy Howard is symbolic of someone who has set out to passionately achieve her dreams and is reaching the uppermost heights in her chosen field. American and Dutch, Dr. Howard obtained her Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Industrial Engineering in the United States and her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Now living in the Netherlands, Mindy's life ambition was always to become an astronaut. Narrowed down from thousands to the last 200 candidates, she was selected by NASA as a "Highly Qualified Astronaut Candidate", following the conclusion of her Ph.D. Despite not making the final selection to become an astronaut, she refused to let her dream go without a fight. Having worked internationally as a sustainability manager, strategy leader, diversity and inclusiveness manager, people manager, and trainer in several blue-chip corporations. Mindy's background started out in the oil industry. In her last job at Royal Dutch Shell, she was the Sustainability Manager in one of the global businesses as she tried to change hearts and minds, within the company and the leadership, to become more sustainable. Travelling the globe, working in over 35 different countries in extreme environments (e.g. offshore), Mindy was able to explore different countries and appreciate different people and their cultures. After leaving the oil industry, Mindy decided to reignite her dream and complete her training on what it felt like to be a commercial astronaut while undergoing 6Gs in a human centrifuge. It was when she saw others in the training struggling in the centrifuge, that she saw a need to help commercial astronauts psychologically prepare for the rigours of space flight. Striving towards her goal of becoming an astronaut, and wanting to help others do the same, Mindy harnessed her academic and professional skills to create the first and only psychological space training for commercial astronauts, called "Inner Space Training", in the emerging field of commercial/new space. In addition, Mindy is working for Blue Abyss Ltd., the world's first commercial astronaut training centre as the Director of Inner Space Training. As one of the few commercial astronaut trainers in this new field, she has been asked to accompany a team of people who will win a "once in a lifetime" trip to space. The competition, called 'Career Astronauts', will see Mindy take on the role of astronaut trainer and coach for the lucky winners and will achieve her dream by flying with them to space in 2023. Other astronaut training that she has personally undergone includes, experiencing weightlessness in a Parabolic Flight, High-G Tolerance training, Simulated Space Flight Experience, Hypobaric (High altitude) Training, Situational Awareness Training, SIRIUS Space Disorientation and Motion Sickness Training and Unusual attitude training to name but a few. A fully trained flight member for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, Dr. Howard has also written and presented publications on a variety of subjects at various international scientific and space conferences. Her extensive knowledge has resulted in appearances in the media, both on national TV, Discovery Channel, Dutch TV and radio as a "space correspondent" both in the United States and in Europe. She is also a TEDx speaker with the title, "Train your fear away, like an astronaut". She has just recently published her book called, Blast Off! Train like an astronaut for success on earth". Blast Off! is the first book to use the techniques of commercial astronaut training to help people right here on earth maintain the anxiety-free emotional equilibrium and sustained mental focus needed to successfully overcome the day-to-day challenges and obstacles in their personal and professional lives. Lastly, she is a Guest Lecturer at the International Space University. Mindy loves speaking both to adults and children about and helping people become high performing individuals who can achieve peak performance, and also can create the conditions to enable a peak experience, like the "Overview Effect". Her talks and training are not only valuable for people training to go to space but also for high performing individuals, STEM students and executive teams. Mindy helps individuals learn how to get in flow and be more mindful of the present moment, so that they can enjoy their lives more and enable them to achieve their dreams. Where to find Dr. Mindy and her work: Internet: www.innerspacetraining.com Twitter: @Spacetraining @MindyAstro Facebook: Inner space training Linkedin: Inner Space Training Instagram: @AstroMindy

Beth Mund gets to travel "at the speed of thought" with the incredibly fun Janet Ivey, from Janet's Planet! With 12 regional Emmys, 5 Gracie Allen and numerous other awards, it's evident that Janet Ivey is dedicated to producing quality entertainment that inspires, enlightens and entertains us all! Frederick Beuchner's quote starts our show and started everything for Janet: "You will always be called to the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Little did Janet know that two profound teachers who showed her the planets and whispered in her ear, "science is not just for the boys" encouraged Janet to continue her love for science and to continue to be curious! Janet reminisces about all of her teachers- both the official teachers she's had in school- and the students that inspire HER every day. You won't want to miss every opportunity to listen to and learn from Janet in this episode! BE SURE TO SHARE THIS EPISODE WITH A CURIOUS KID! Here are just some of Beth's favorite quotes from the show: "People ask me all the time, what age group is this [Janet's Planet] for?" They want to put it into a category. I answer, "yes!" - Science is for all ages. We had Dr. Ken Carpenter on, and it was the best presentation, his amazing mission, his work with Dr. Carl Sagan, he tears up when he talks about Hubble sharing with these kids- then, my 7 year old from New Jersey named Lucas- he asked "Have you ever been to New Jersey?" I'm a firm believer in waiting for the genius to happen! After the uhming and ahing that seemed to be going on FOREVER- then he asks, "are you disappointed that Hubble never got another chance to get worked on after the last 10 years when it was serviced?" Brilliant! He's talking about the Hubble being serviced 10 years ago! WE HAVE TO GIVE KIDS THE SPACE TO GET TO THAT GOOD QUESTION. – Janet Ivey from the Casual Space Podcast "If there was anything I could offer to educators or grown-ups with little ones- whether they are 5 or 19 or 50something, Sometimes it takes us a while to say what we feel, and what we are curious about, and it's about giving people the space to do that." Where to find Janet's work: http://www.janetsplanet.com About Janet and Explore Mars: https://www.exploremars.org/leader/janet-ivey/ Janet Ivey, President, of Explore Mars, Inc., and Creator and CEO of the award winning Janet's Planet is committed to enriching the lives of children via education and live performances, TV, and online programming. With over 27 years in the children's edutainment and space science outreach sector, Janet has captivated Nashville and beyond with her work. Her first Tedx Talk was in 2014 entitled, AWE,(Art, Wonder and Experiential) Inspired Science, her second Tedx Talk will happen May 3rd, at the Weiss School, entitled, "How To Inhabit Your Very Own Planet, #PlanetYou." She has received 12 Regional Emmys, five Gracie Allen Awards, for her children's series Janet's Planet that airs on 140+ public television stations nationwide. Most recently Janet joined the Board of Directors for Explore Mars, she is an active NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, on the Board of Governors for the National Space Society, the Educational Director of the Midsouth Chapter of NATAS, (National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) recipient of the New World's Institute's inaugural Permission to Dream Award in 2016 and has won a STEM-FLORIDA Award for "Exploring Microgravity," an educational video about gravity and microgravity, she wrote and produced for Space Florida. Janet's Planet is a dynamic and fast-paced series is geared to 5-10 year olds and focuses on science, space, history and exploration. The short form series can be seen also on streaming sites, YouTube, BatteryPop, Club Jelly Telly and HighBrow in the UK. Her mission is simple, amplify the love of space, science and exploration and to encourage this generation that MARS is theirs.

The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program connects exceptional current college juniors, seniors, and graduate students with paid, summer internships in the exciting field of commercial spaceflight, as well as with notable aerospace leaders for mentorship. The summer culminates in a memorable networking summit! Upon completing the supper internship, the Fellows remain among a group of alumni who have the opportunity to continue to network with this program, their Fellow peers, assigned mentors, and future Fellows, on the path to becoming future space icons! Three of these future icons, (fellows), along with family member Jennifer Isakowitz join Beth Mund on the Casual Space Podcast to talk about what this program has meant to each of them- and why it's an appropriate tribute to Matthew Isakowitz- an engineer, entrepreneur, and extraordinary individual whose passion for commercial space exploration led to great strides in the industry and inspired all who knew him. The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship program seeks to instill that same enthusiasm into the next generation of commercial spaceflight leaders by providing impactful career training to those who embody Matthew's drive for exploring our universe to help better humankind. WHERE TO LEARN MORE AND APPLY: https://www.matthewisakowitzfellowship.org/about On this episode, Beth speaks with: Jenny Isakowitz, MIFP Team Member (and Matthew's sister) Hossain Ahmad, 2020 Fellow, Senior at Rutgers University, interned at Blue Origin Cadence Payne, 2020 Fellow, Graduate student at MIT, interned at Millennium Space Systems Josh Ingersoll, Graduate student at GWU, full-time engineer at Aerospace Corporation Additional information about this program can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/mattfellowship/ https://www.instagram.com/mattfellowship/ https://twitter.com/mattfellowship

Ever thought about putting our species' DNA in space? Or preserving our life on Earth, it's blueprint, and records for a possible Earth to be reproduced in the future? Ben has. As a matter of fact, Ben is currently doing it. And with his company, LifeShip, YOU can be a part of Ben's mission by sending your very OWN DNA to the moon or to orbit! Who knows? Maybe one day your great, great, great, great, great ancestors will unfreeze you and thank you. What is LifeShip? Has this ever been done before? Why now? What can this mean for the future of space exploration and life preservation? And finally, how can you be a part of this idea turned company and send your DNA to space? It's all right here in this episode with Beth Mund and Ben Haldeman, CEO of LifeShip, and space entrepreneur. About LifeShip: (from the website) Inspire: We need missions of hope to remind us of our connection to each other, to our Earth, to all life, and to the universe. LifeShip celebrates each being's purpose in the cosmos. Preserve: We are rapidly losing species. LifeShip exists to help Earth's biodiversity now and save the blueprint for our incredible planet till the end of time. Spread: Life on a single planet is fragile. Humanity has the opportunity to continue the fundamental existence of life in the universe. Helping Earth reproduce may even be humanity's purpose. About LifeShip: https://lifeship.com/ How to get your kit: https://lifeship.com/pages/products About Ben Ben is space entrepreneur, long-term thinker, and product designer. He founded LifeShip to back-up Earth in space and spread life to the stars. LifeShip sends people's DNA to the Moon and beyond. Ben was an early engineer at Planet Labs where he worked on hundreds of satellites for imaging the Earth daily. Ben built a global robotic telescope network with LCO that is discovering new planets. While at grad school in Berkeley, Ben built life detection instruments for Mars rover missions. Ben lives in San Francisco with daughter Luna. He is a certified yoga teacher and often finds inspiration amongst the redwood trees in Marin.

Analog astronaut. Chef. Explorer. Pilot. Geologist. Artist. Professor. Author. STEM Communicator and…Cowgirl!? In short, Dr. Sian Proctor is just…. Incredible! You will want to get to know this impressive woman beyond the Casual Space conversation with Beth, so here are some links to Dr. Sian's TedX Talks, videos, cookbooks, artwork and more! START HERE: https://www.drsianproctor.com/ TEDx Talks: https://www.drsianproctor.com/media/ Space2Inspire (Dr. Sian's Artwork): https://www.drsianproctor.com/space2inspire/ Support Sian here: https://www.patreon.com/drsianproctor About Sian: Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and science communication specialist with a passion for space exploration. Her motto is called Space2inspire where she encourages people to use their unique, one-of-a-kind strengths, and passion to inspire those within their reach and beyond. She uses her AfronautSpace art to encourage conversations about women of color in the space industry. She's an analog astronaut and has completed four analog missions including the all-female SENSORIA Mars 2020 mission at the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Habitat, the NASA funded 4-months Mars mission at HI-SEAS, a 2-weeks Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), and a 2-weeks Moon mission in the LunAres Habitat. She believes that when we solve for space, we also solve issues on Earth. She promotes sustainable food practices used in space exploration as a way to reduce food waste on Earth. She has a TEDx talk called Eat Like a Martian and published the Meals for Mars Cookbook. Dr. Proctor was a finalist for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program and got down to the Yes/No phone call which came from Astronaut Sunita Williams. She is an international speaker who enjoys engaging in educational outreach. She is a continuing NASA Solar System Ambassador and serves on the Explore Mars Board of Directors, JustSpace Alliance Advisory Board, the Science in the Wild Advisory Board, the SEDS USA Advisory Board, and the National Science Teaching Association's Aerospace Advisory Board. In 2019, she was the science communication outreach officer on the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 383 and spent 2-months at sea with researchers investigating the Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. She also participated in the 2-week faculty development seminar Exploring Urban Sustainability in India. She was a 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea, a 2016 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador (ACEAP), and a 2014 PolarTREC Teacher investigating climate change in Barrow, Alaska. She is a Major in the Civil Air Patrol and serves as a member of the Arizona Wing Aerospace Education Officer. Dr. Proctor spent 21 years as a professor teaching geology, sustainability, and planetary science at South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the Open Educations Resource Coordinator for the Maricopa Community College District. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction: Science Education. She recently finished a sabbatical at Arizona State University's Center for Education Through Exploration creating virtual field trips. She did her 2012-13 sabbatical at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute developing their science of disasters curriculum. She has appeared in multiple international science shows and is currently on A World Without NASA and Strange Evidence. You can follow her on social media @DrSianProctor.

Astronaut Capt. Jim Wetherbee discusses managing risk in dangerous environments and shares insights on balancing confidence and humility. They discuss progress in space transportation, favorite vehicles, supporting space camp, memorable moments in space, prioritizing safety in missions, and techniques to protect hearing while playing drums.