International Space Station Program Chief Scientist Kirt Costello talks about some of the interesting new research underway in Earth’s orbiting laboratory right now, and shares results of earlier experiments that are already making a difference for life in space and on Earth. HWHAP Episode 134.
Dr. Gary Kitmacher, communications and education mission manager for the International Space Station program, returns to the podcast to discuss the design, assembly, and evolution of the International Space Station, and how this orbiting laboratory informs future spacecraft designs. HWHAP Episode 133
Dr. Gary Kitmacher, communications and education mission manager for the International Space Station program, talks through the early concepts of space station design and introduces us to the astronomers, authors, and engineers that contributed to modern-day space travel and the International Space Station. HWHAP Episode 132
The wait is over. Acquired returns with a very special Part II of the Sequoia Capital story, joined by the very best person in the world to help us tell it – Doug Leone. Since 1996, Doug has served as Sequoia’s Global Managing Partner, in charge of overseeing the firm’s incredible expansion from a single, $150m early-stage fund focused on Northern California to the multi-billion dollar global powerhouse it is today. Doug is incredibly candid and insightful about all that has gone into building the modern Sequoia: from winning Google and missing Facebook, to the enormous (and enormously successful) bet on decentralized expansion in China and India, to the firm’s “proudest moment” at the depth of the dot com bust. This episode is an absolute must-listen for anyone in the tech, startup and venture ecosystems today. Thank you to Doug and all of the Sequoia team for joining us to make it happen!
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Kathy Bolt, chief training officer and CAPCOM, gives us a peek inside the world of training as an astronaut, how it has evolved, and how we are training our astronauts for future missions. HWHAP Episode 131.
Sean Collins, lead graphic designer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, discusses the history, design and symbolism that goes into creating the iconic NASA mission patches. HWHAP Episode 130.
Retired astronaut Nicole Stott, an artist who uses painting to express the feelings and emotions she experienced on station, talks about her spaceflight experience and the importance of art as a form of expression and inspiration. HWHAP Episode 129.
We kick off Season 6 with a long-awaited Acquired Classic: Facebook’s $22B purchase of WhatsApp in 2014, which still ranks as the largest acquisition of a private VC-backed startup in history. Yet despite that enormous pricetag and all its associated fanfare, as we sit here 5+ years later WhatsApp actually generates LESS revenue than the meager ~$20m it was bringing in at the time of acquisition. Was this this worst acquisition of all-time, or a brilliant strategic chess move by Mark Zuckerberg & co? Tune in as we render Acquired’s judgement!
Note: Unfortunately David’s audio quality in this episode was impacted by a technical glitch which we didn’t discover until after recording. Our editors worked super hard to fix in post-production, but it’s still not totally perfect. We hope you’ll give it a listen regardless, and we’re working on getting a transcript made ASAP, which we’ll post to the website when it’s ready. Thanks for bearing with us,
-Ben & David
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Jason Weeks and Steve Platts discuss the ways NASA is collecting radiation data to better understand the risks and possible mitigation strategies for humans traveling through deep space. This is the last in a six part series on NASA’s Human Research Program. HWHAP Episode 128.
Brandon Vessey and Cherie Oubre discuss how they integrate and manage all the human research work in areas such as human performance, health, and radiation for research on the International Space Station, on Earth, and for future space exploration. This is part five of a six part series on NASA’s Human Research Program. HWHAP episode 127.