SEDScast SEDS

Mike Kincaid is the Associate Administrator for STEM Engagement at NASA. He has served NASA for more than 30 years, having started as an intern at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1987. In his current role, Mike oversees strategic direction and leadership for the Office of STEM Engagement, which involves America’s students, educators, and institutions in NASA’s unique missions, contributing to mission success, as well as the nation’s overall STEM education ecosystem. In addition, Mike is NASA’s representative on the International Space Education Board (ISEB). You can check out NASA’s STEM Engagement opportunities at https://www.nasa.gov/stem.

Hosted by Chad Cerutti and Riley Schnee.

Timestamps


00:00 - Introductions
00:48 - Guest background
02:41 - Getting interested in space
04:33 - Starting at NASA
05:37 - Day-to-day role
08:09 - Handling the different target audiences for STEM@NASA
16:42 - Effect of Artemis and commercial spaceflight on public interest in space
21:35 - Working with international partners
23:58 - Advice
29:38 - Engagement for Crew-2 mission
31:35 - Involving non-STEM majors in space

Anja Blaj is the CSO of Future Law Institute and the President of Blockchian Think Tank Slovenia. Anja works in areas of law that are rapidly advancing, such as space and blockchain applications. In this episode we discuss the current state and future challenges associated with space law and laws of other planetary bodies. We also walk through how legal precedent is established in emerging areas such as blockchain and commercial space operations. You can find Anja on LinkedIn or on Twitter @anjablaj. 

Hosted by Owen Marr and Badhon Tithi. 

Timestamps 


00:00 - Introductions 
01:23 - Guest background 
04:45 - Getting interested in space 
06:52 - State of space law 
10:13 - Current work and interests 
11:27 - Mining laws 
13:51 - Moving towards unity 
16:43 - Educating the public 
20:34 - Blockchain and non nation-states 
26:11 - Making changes to blockchain 
33:06 - Advice 
36:27 - Social media

Shaun D’Mello is the VP of Launch for Rocket Lab. In this episode, we asked Shaun all about Rocket Lab’s new projects: building a new medium-launch vehicle called Neutron and becoming a publicly traded company. We also talked about Rocket Lab’s rich history of success in the space industry, and how they’ve managed to succeed when so many others have failed.

Hosted by Owen Marr and Chad Cerutti.

Timestamps


00:00 - Introductions
01:04 - Guest background
03:21 - Joining Rocket Lab
06:14 - Reusable vehicles
10:26 - Rocket Lab expansion
13:18 - Other companies coming to New Zealand
14:48 - Contributors of success for Rocket Lab
17:10 - Future missions
19:03 - Neutron overview
25:06 - Competing in the small launch industry
28:04 - Company going public
30:57 - Launch naming
32:29 - Future work
33:58 - Advice
40:05 - Social media

Daniel Faber is the CEO of Orbit Fab, Inc. Orbit Fab is developing propellant infrastructure for satellites in Earth orbit. (Think gas stations in space!) Daniel has held several previous roles in the space industry, including CEO of Deep Space Industries from 2012 to 2017. In this episode, Daniel discusses his vision for the future of space and the role Orbit Fab will play in this growing ecosystem.

Hosted by Owen Marr and Rupal Nigam.

Timestamps


00:00 - Introductions
01:26 - Guest background
05:14 - Experiences at Deep Space Industries
08:05 - How to accomplish goals
09:48 - Details and logistics on OrbitFab
15:38 - Targeted satellites
17:04 - Standardization of parts
21:58 - Compatibility with existing satellites
23:31 - Current progress
25:28 - Minimum Viable Product specifications
26:07 - Future timeline
32:26 - Advice

Joe Barnard is the owner of BPS.space, a model rocketry component business that attempts to replicate recent innovations in the space industry at the model scale. Joe runs the BPS.space YouTube channel, where he undertakes challenges, such as VTVL (Vertical Takeoff, Vertical Landing), orbital-class model rockets, and custom build launch setups. His goal is to give the next generation of scientists and engineers hands-on experience with advanced rocketry components and show that anyone with ambition can get into model rocketry.

Hosted by Chad Cerutti and Michael Messere.

Timestamps


00:00 - Introductions
02:16 - Guest Background
06:35 - Starting BPS
09:57 - Challenges in landing rockets
12:14 - Current projects
19:00 - Dealing with imposter syndrome
22:14 - Future milestones
26:18 - Launch day prep
31:20 - Scariest moments
33:20 - Launch locations
35:40 - Future careers
37:30 - Advice

Moriba Jah is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is the holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering. In this role, Moriba focuses on space traffic and the dangers associated with in-space collisions. He is also a TED fellow and a public advocate of space debris awareness. Learn more about Moriba and his work at flow.page/moriba.

Hosted by Owen Marr and Riley Schnee.

Timestamps


00:00 - Intro and Guest background
05:20 - PhD and Early career
10:55 - AstriaGraph
15:55 - Space debris accumulation
20:25 - Cleaning space debris
25:25 - Debris mitigation
29:30 - Accountability
33:45 - Public engagement
40:30 - Advice