Shows
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 12: The Life of Lou Friedman Part 1"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.
2025-07-2841 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 11: The Je ne sais quoi of JupiterToday we talk with a JPL colleague of mine, Olivia Dawson. Inspired by Voyager as a child (as was I) she began a long journey to JPL that took some unexpected turns. Now she moves on to an international opportunity for herself and her family.
2025-07-2138 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 10: Sheila Xu, the First Deaf Asian Female PilotToday 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.
2025-07-1438 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 8: From Romania to the StarsIn this episode of the Space Madness Podcast, we host Andreea Mosila, who shares her remarkable journey from growing up in communist Romania to working at NASA and JPL. Andreea discusses her passion for space exploration, her experiences at various NASA centers, and her current research on climate security in the Danube Delta. The conversation highlights the importance of bridging science and governance, the challenges of communicating research findings, and the impact of personal passion on career choices.
2025-06-3050 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 7: Space Weather and Growing up with Modern TaiwanIn 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 w...2025-06-2354 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 6: Science Fiction, Faction, and Communication with Advanced Chemistry's Director Etana JacobsonIn today's episode we have director of the film Advanced Chemistry Etana Jacobson. Etana has an extensive career in film, television and video games bringing science to audiences in an engaging and personal way. Today we discuss those efforts and new ones in the modern digital environment.
2025-06-1655 minThe Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 5: Deafness in Space? The first deaf human in Microgravity since the 1960sToday 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.
2025-06-0942 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 4: a War Reporter, the Book of Genesis, and Apollo 8Today we have a special guest with a deep connection to history. Peter Laitin joins me to talk about his father, Joe Laitin, a war correspondent turned trusted member of several administrations in the 1960s and 1970s. Notably, he and his wife Christine Laitin wrote the speech read by Apollo 8 astronauts on Christmas Eve, 1968 from Earth orbit after being the first human beings to see the whole Earth at once from space. See this short CNN clip from the 90s. https://youtu.be/VFzZ2yHHq9c?si=GLszGyvrsn7kAu9h
2025-06-0253 min
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 3: Justin Kugler of Intuitive MachinesJustin 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.
2025-06-021h 01
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 2: Tim Chrisman and WW2, the CIA, and the Rise of Overwhelming Private CapitalIn episode 2, Investor and former CIA laser expert Tim Chrisman and I discuss the changes in capital markets since WW2 and the resulting impact on everything from war to planetary exploration.
2025-06-021h 01
The Space Madness PodcastSpace Madness Episode 1: Daniel Leeb and the Icelandic Space AgencyIn our inaugural episode I talk with Daniel Leeb of the Icelandic Space Agency. We explore the lesser known relationship between Iceland and every human and nearly planetary surface space mission and think about what the near future of global space leadership looks like in a dynamic era.
2025-06-0235 min
The Unfilter'd PodcastS2E8: Lights, Legends, & Cosmic ChaosGet ready to dive into the weirdest parts of history and science! This week, we’re talking mysterious lights in the sky, near-rebellions, vanishing planes, and epic government screw-ups. We’re also celebrating a legendary Wild West lawman, Wyatt Earp, and exploring bizarre scientific moments, like Pluto’s naming, Einstein’s birth, and the first liquid-fueled rocket launch. From cosmic chaos to mind-bending facts, buckle up and prepare for a wild ride. Don't forget to subscribe and follow for more madness!#UnfilteredPodcast #WeirdHistory #CosmicChaos #WyattEarp #PhoenixLights #Einstein #Pluto #SpaceMadness #WildWest #HistoricalLegends #SpaceExploration #WeirdScience #ConspiracyTime #UnhingedHistoryhtt...2025-03-1922 min