Dr. Bill Miller, an evolutionary biologist and expert on the emerging science of the microbiome, chats with Steve about the ramifications of sending microbes into space. Follow ‘I Need My Space’ on Social Media: Twitter: @INeedMySpacePod Instagram: @INeedMySpacePod Find links to Dr. Miller’s book, Twitter, and oil paintings on his website ( www.themicrocosmwithin.com ). About Inverse: Inverse sparks curiosity about the future. We explore the science of anything, innovations that shape tomorrow a...
Sep 11, 2018•48 min•Season 1Ep. 21
The Intergalactic Travel Bureau This week on 'I Need My Space' we talk to Jana Grcevich, Co-author of "Vacation Guide to the Solar System" about making travel plans in space! Grcevich is also data scientist, has a PhD in astronomy, and is an all around curious person. Check out her book: https://www.amazon.com/Vacation-Guide-Solar-System-Traveler/dp/0143129775/ Download Space Vacation from Guerilla Science: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/space-vacation/id1202068488 Twitter: @INeedMySpacePod Ins...
Aug 15, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 20
NASA “Nasalnaut” George Aldrich sits down with Steve to discuss the importance of smell in space. Questions include: What does a NASA chemical specialist do? What is the process of conducting odor tests for NASA? Why must objects be odor tested? What is a NASA-certified nose? What happens when an object fails NASA’s odor test? Who decides what smells bad? Is odor testing a risky job? How do you get a job working for NASA? What was NASA like in the 1970s? What item stinks the most in space? Why d...
Aug 07, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Lynn Levy, host of Gimlet’s ‘The Habitat’, joins Steve and guest host Moiya McTier to talk about the true story of six strangers who were picked to live in a Mars simulation, work together, and have their lives taped. Questions Include: How does one become a fake astronaut? Will there be psychological therapy in space? Are the HI-SEAS participants safe? What kind of entertainment do you bring on a Mars simulation? What is it like listening to 200 hours of tape? What makes up a good crew of astro...
Jul 31, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Jennifer Levasseur, museum specialist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, joins Steve to discuss photography in space, astronaut personal artifacts, and the history of space flight. Questions Include: What is it like being a museum curator? Is stuff that has gone to space more valuable? Which astronauts take the best photos? What are the ins and outs of astronaut photography? Do we still use Apollo-era space equipment today? How is space food packaged? Why are so many astronauts’ w...
Jul 24, 2018•36 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Today, astronomers announced the discovery of 12 new moons around Jupiter. Inverse writer Matthew Phelan sat down with the Carnegie Institute’s Scott S. Sheppard who led the team that located the Jovian moons to tell us what this means for our solar systems and why one of the moons is especially odd. Two of the new dozen were uncovered in the spring of 2017 by Sheppard’s team bringing Jupiter’s moon count to 69 (nice), which means we now know there are 79 moons orbiting Jupiter. Questions Includ...
Jul 17, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Author of "The Design and Engineering of Curiosity: How the Mars Rover Performs Its Job" and planetary evangelist and senior editor at The Planetary Society, Emily Lakdawalla, joins Rae and Steve to discuss NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity. Questions Include: What kind of data is the Curiosity rover collecting? What does a habitable environment consist of? Is Curiosity a stepping stone towards crewed missions to Mars? How are repairs handled on planetary rovers? What is a planetary evangelist? Why is...
Jul 10, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Rocket scientist and entrepreneur Natalya Bailey joins Steve to discuss the climate of NewSpace. Questions Include: What is NewSpace? Who are the key players besides Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos? How is competition driving the space race? How can a regular person keep up with the space industry? Are new space and old space competitors? How does defunding NASA hurt commercial space? Is there a NewSpace bubble? Is the space industry a boys club? How do we get kids excited about the cosmos? Follow ‘I N...
Jul 03, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Retired NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison joins Rae to discuss how to diversify the space industry. Questions Include: How does it feel to be an inspiration to women and girls everywhere? Is there a representation issue in NASA? Who are the people who make space flight possible? Why is it important to make space flight more inclusive? What was the impact of the film ‘Hidden Figures’? What are most astronauts’ favorite planet? Follow ‘I Need My Space’ on Social Media: Twitter: @INeedMySpacePod Insta...
Jun 26, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Rae and Steve are joined by Afrofuturist author Ytasha Womack to discuss the importance of centering humanity as we journey through space. Question Include: How do we not ruin space colonies like we did on Earth? How do we ensure that people on space colonies are happy and healthy? What will determine who gets to go to space and who doesn’t? What is the cultural history of the term “alien”? What holidays do we celebrate on another planet? What is a citizen of the universe? How do you make ice cr...
Jun 19, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Steve sits down with Vanderbilt astronomy professor David Weintraub to discuss the moral ethics surrounding humanity’s trip to Mars. Question Include: Should we go to Mars? When will we get to Mars? Is there life on Mars? How will we impact possible life on Mars? What is panspermia? Are humans descendants of Martians? Why protect microbial life? Why are we so obsessed with Mars? Will the discovery of extraterrestrial life have an impact on religion? Can people survive on Mars? Can someone be ban...
Jun 12, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 11
There’s organic material on Mars! But just what does that mean? In this mini-episode, astronomer David Weintraub talks to Steve about the importance of the NASA Mars announcements on June 7. We also pull in senior staff writer Peter Hess to contextualize the findings from the two papers. To hear the full conversation with astronomer and Vanderbilt University professor David Weintraub, listen to next week’s episode. Read more of Peter’s coverage of the Mars announcement on Inverse : https://www.i...
Jun 07, 2018•9 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Video game journalist Dan Ryckert joins Rae and Steve to dive into some of his big (and somewhat embarrassing) questions about space. They also chat about the intersection of gaming and space. Questions Include: What’s at the core of a gas giant? Why do some planets have rings? Would I die if I fell into a black hole? What is the best space video game? What is the worst space video game? What games would you take to Mars? How do planetary rings form? Why does sci-fi always imagine humanity on Ma...
Jun 05, 2018•36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Nuclear physicist and Vice on HBO correspondent Taylor Wilson joins Steve to discuss where we might find extraterrestrial life and how we’ll get there. Questions include: Is humanity alone in the universe? Will finding extraterrestrial life be dangerous? Is there life in our own solar system? Do water worlds host life? What are some upcoming NASA missions that might find extraterrestrial life? Will spacecraft travel close to the speed of light? How will we reach exoplanets? What is the differenc...
May 29, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 9
High fashion fabricator-turned-spacesuit designer Ted Southern joins Rae to explain the ins and outs of making aerospace safety garments. Questions Include: What is going to be the first brand on Mars? How do spacesuits protect people from galactic cosmic rays? How much does it cost to make a spacesuit? How much are space suits sold for? Do sci-fi spacesuits inspire real-life spacesuits? Will spacesuits be fashionable? What kinds of suits will space tourists wear? How can everyday people benefit...
May 22, 2018•28 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack talks black holes, dark matter, and the end of the universe. Questions Include: WTF is dark matter? Why is dark matter invisible? How much dark matter is in a galaxy? Is dark matter a series of really small black holes? Why do black holes spaghettify you? How close can you get to a black hole? Can we see black holes? Why are there supermassive black holes at the center of every galaxy? How do you get supermassive black holes in galaxies? Why do some black ho...
May 15, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 7
NASA launched an InSight Lander on a 7-month trek to Mars on Sunday, and luckily, I Need My Space correspondent Jeremy Bent was on the ground at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to hear the launch. In this bonus episode, we hear from NASA personnel about the mission. Follow I Need My Space on Social Media: Twitter: @INeedMySpacePod Instagram: @INeedMySpacePod FB Group: I Need My Space Pod To continue the conversation from this episode, use the hashtag #INeedMySpace About Inverse : Inverse...
May 10, 2018•20 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Space Attorney Michael Listner joins Rae to discuss how law applies to the cosmos. Questions Include: How does one become a space lawyer? How does space law apply to everyday people? Who does space belong to? Who will grant Elon Musk the permission to go to Mars? Is a settlement on Mars legal? If an accident happens on a space colony, who is held liable? What happens when you commit a murder in space? What happens if there is a criminal act committed on the ISS? What kinds of services does a spa...
May 08, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Space journalist Swapna Krishna of Engadget , SyFy Fangrrls , & the Los Angeles Times joins Rae and Steve to answer questions about the spectacular world of space flight. Questions Include: Why do we love shooting stuff into space? Will Starman contaminate Mars? Would you have a space funeral? Is Elon Musk the right man to take us to Mars? Are spacecraft cats or dogs? Where is Voyager I and Voyager II? What is the Kessler syndrome? How many satellites are up there? How will space junk affect...
May 01, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Astrophysicist Jackie Faherty, of the American Museum of Natural History, joins Rae to answer questions about how and when humanity will find the next habitable world. Questions Include: What is an exoplanet? What is a brown dwarf? What if Venus had a habitable atmosphere? Are there other habitable worlds out there? What would it take for humanity to travel the solar system? Are Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos the right people to make humans an interplanetary species? Is NASA too white and too male? Ho...
Apr 24, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Retired NASA astronaut, former NFL wide receiver, and avid dog lover, Leland Melvin joins Rae to talk about food, fitness, and fetch in space. Questions include: What would it be like to play with your dog in space? Can you play sports in microgravity? How does the body physically change in the absence of gravity? Why do people grow in space? What mental changes occur in space? What is the best space food? What kind of physical exercises do astronauts do? Who ran a marathon in space? What is it ...
Apr 17, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger joins Rae to explain what it’s like to call space your home. Questions Include: What is it like to live in space? What is the most beautiful place on Earth?What food cravings do astronauts have? What’s life like after re-entry? How do you exercise on a spacecraft? How does microgravity affect the human body? Do astronauts stink? Are astronauts the best roommates? How do astronauts deal with long-distance relationships? Is it difficult sleeping in space? Is fl...
Apr 10, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Astrobiologist Seth Shostak of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Institute (SETI) joins Rae and Steve to answer astronomical questions about life on other planets. Questions Include: What will aliens look like? Will aliens have pets? Do aliens think about us? How accurate are sci-fi aliens? What does the government know that we don’t know? What will alien culture and language be like? When will we find biology on other planets? Is there alien A.I.? Do they live among us? Follow I Need My Spac...
Apr 03, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Outer space doesn’t have to be all uncharted territory and vast unknowns. I Need My Space , a weekly show from Inverse , enlists experts, explorers, and enthusiasts to answer the questions that are worth spacing out over. Hosted by space editor Rae Paoletta and comedian Steve Ward, each 45-minute episode will launch headfirst into topics of astronomical proportions with an approachable style. When will we realistically get to Mars? How would we build a space colony better than Earth? What will a...
Mar 20, 2018•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1
