Paul Kessler, aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, discusses what to consider for designing a vehicle – with humans on board – that will enter deep space and make the long journey to Mars on this fourth episode of our Mars Monthly series. HWHAP Episode 156.
Trevor Graff and Adam Naids, Project Manager for exploration science and Deputy Project Manager for Artemis geology tools, respectively, share their expertise on the tools needed for the Moon’s unique terrain when we visit our neighboring satellite during Artemis missions. HWHAP Episode 155.
Richard Danne, designer and creator of NASA’s “worm”, details the origins of the iconic logo, the inspiration, the design process with the agency and his firm, Danne and Blackburn, and its reception once being introduced. Retired in 1992, NASA reinstated the “worm” in May 2020 during the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. HWHAP Episode 154.
Luther Beegle, Deputy Division Manager for Science at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, takes us through the history of previous landers we have sent to Mars and highlights Perseverance, the most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet. HWHAP Episode 153.
We kick off Season 7 with a bang: Pinduoduo, the incredible five year-old Chinese mashup of “Costco and Disneyland” (as self-described in their IPO prospectus) which recently became the fastest company ever to pass $100B market capitalization. What makes PDD so special, and how were they able to enter a market that everyone considered “already won” and disrupt massive entrenched competitors Alibaba and JD.com? This story is chock-full of lessons that apply not only to China tech, but to high-growth company building and investing everywhere.
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The entire Houston We Have a Podcast team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (virtually) gets together for their third anniversary to reflect on another year, highlighting their favorite episodes and moments working together on the podcast. HWHAP Episode 152.
Patrick Chai, aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, covers the challenges and needs for getting humans to Mars and the options for propulsion, duration, time, staging, and more that will be considered on this third episode of our Mars Monthly series. HWHAP Episode 151.
Wesley Gordon, program manager at Alpha Space, highlights the facility aboard the International Space Station that provides the capability to test materials and technologies in the harsh environment of space. HWHAP Episode 150.
We close out Season 6 with the story of perhaps the single most successful media entrepreneur of all-time: Oprah Winfrey, and her juggernaut conglomerate Harpo Studios. Born to a poor single mother in the segregated 1950’s deep south, Oprah’s rise from terrible adversity to wealthiest Black woman in the world ranks among the very greatest American success stories. And oh yeah — along the way she single-handedly created the entire influencer economy, rewrote the blueprint of a modern power broker, and set the world record for most cars given away at one time (276). Sit back, listen and get ready to live your best life.
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James Blair, Robert Markowitz, and Josh Valcarcel are among the NASA photographers who find themselves in the second seat of a T-38 jet, or taking studio portraits, and everywhere in between, documenting history and the many facets of human spaceflight. HWHAP Episode 149.