Episode description

We’re bringing back one of our all-time most popular conversations, and not just because it kicks ass.

When this interview was recorded back in 2018, Dr. Sian Proctor was almost an astronaut. Now, in 2021, Dr. Proctor has just returned to Earth after becoming the first black, female pilot of a spacecraft. Let’s reflect back on her incredible story and it will become clear how this amazing achievement came to be.

In Episode 42, Quinn & Brian ask: What happens when you’re almost an astronaut... and what comes next?

Our guest is Dr. Sian Proctor, an explorer, scientist, full-time professor, STEM communicator, and almost an astronaut. Today she joins the show to tell us how we can all help get more women and more people of color into space, one way or another. If you didn’t know – and we weren’t sure – being a white, male military pilot isn’t the only way to get to space! You can be exposed to radiation and get superpowers, become an (evil?) genius who starts their own electric car and space flight companies or become a college-educated engineer, biologist, physical scientist, computer scientist, or mathematician.

So we’re still out, but that’s still a pretty wide range of qualifications.

Dr. Proctor was so much fun to talk to and so inspirational, and this episode will serve as the booster shot you need to not give up on your dreams (even if your dream is to be the best anti-vaxxer out there because, like most vaccines, it’s completely safe for you and your children). It’s basically like watching The Greatest Showman over and over and over again, but it only takes about an hour, and with less singing.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

Important, Not Important Book Club:

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Links:

• Want to be an astronaut too? Check out astronauts.nasa.gov/content/broch00.htm
• Scared of space but still want to be an astronaut? Check out analogastronaut.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/Dr.Sian.Proctor
• Instagram: @sian.proctor
• Twitter: @sianproctor
• Watch Dr. Proctor on Strange Evidence: sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/strange-evidence/

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• Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
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• Intro/outro by Tim Blane: