#33 Fernando Abilleira

Mike Kincaid is the Associate Administrator for STEM Engagement at NASA. He has served NASA for more than 30 years, having started as an intern at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1987. In his current role, Mike oversees strategic direction and leadership for the Office of STEM Engagement, which involves America’s students, educators, and institutions in NASA’s unique missions, contributing to mission success, as well as the nation’s overall STEM education ecosystem. In addition, Mike is NASA’s representative on the International Space Education Board (ISEB). You can check out NASA’s STEM Engagement opportunities at https://www.nasa.gov/stem. Hosted by Chad Cerutti and Riley Schnee. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 00:48 - Guest background 02:41 - Getting interested in space 04:33 - Starting at NASA 05:37 - Day-to-day role 08:09 - Handling the different target audiences for STEM@NASA 16:42 - Effect of Artemis and commercial spaceflight on public interest in space 21:35 - Working with international partners 23:58 - Advice 29:38 - Engagement for Crew-2 mission 31:35 - Involving non-STEM majors in space

Anja Blaj is the CSO of Future Law Institute and the President of Blockchian Think Tank Slovenia. Anja works in areas of law that are rapidly advancing, such as space and blockchain applications. In this episode we discuss the current state and future challenges associated with space law and laws of other planetary bodies. We also walk through how legal precedent is established in emerging areas such as blockchain and commercial space operations. You can find Anja on LinkedIn or on Twitter @anjablaj.  Hosted by Owen Marr and Badhon Tithi.  Timestamps  00:00 - Introductions  01:23 - Guest background  04:45 - Getting interested in space  06:52 - State of space law  10:13 - Current work and interests  11:27 - Mining laws  13:51 - Moving towards unity  16:43 - Educating the public  20:34 - Blockchain and non nation-states  26:11 - Making changes to blockchain  33:06 - Advice  36:27 - Social media

Shaun D’Mello is the VP of Launch for Rocket Lab. In this episode, we asked Shaun all about Rocket Lab’s new projects: building a new medium-launch vehicle called Neutron and becoming a publicly traded company. We also talked about Rocket Lab’s rich history of success in the space industry, and how they’ve managed to succeed when so many others have failed. Hosted by Owen Marr and Chad Cerutti. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 01:04 - Guest background 03:21 - Joining Rocket Lab 06:14 - Reusable vehicles 10:26 - Rocket Lab expansion 13:18 - Other companies coming to New Zealand 14:48 - Contributors of success for Rocket Lab 17:10 - Future missions 19:03 - Neutron overview 25:06 - Competing in the small launch industry 28:04 - Company going public 30:57 - Launch naming 32:29 - Future work 33:58 - Advice 40:05 - Social media

Daniel Faber is the CEO of Orbit Fab, Inc. Orbit Fab is developing propellant infrastructure for satellites in Earth orbit. (Think gas stations in space!) Daniel has held several previous roles in the space industry, including CEO of Deep Space Industries from 2012 to 2017. In this episode, Daniel discusses his vision for the future of space and the role Orbit Fab will play in this growing ecosystem. Hosted by Owen Marr and Rupal Nigam. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 01:26 - Guest background 05:14 - Experiences at Deep Space Industries 08:05 - How to accomplish goals 09:48 - Details and logistics on OrbitFab 15:38 - Targeted satellites 17:04 - Standardization of parts 21:58 - Compatibility with existing satellites 23:31 - Current progress 25:28 - Minimum Viable Product specifications 26:07 - Future timeline 32:26 - Advice

Joe Barnard is the owner of BPS.space, a model rocketry component business that attempts to replicate recent innovations in the space industry at the model scale. Joe runs the BPS.space YouTube channel, where he undertakes challenges, such as VTVL (Vertical Takeoff, Vertical Landing), orbital-class model rockets, and custom build launch setups. His goal is to give the next generation of scientists and engineers hands-on experience with advanced rocketry components and show that anyone with ambition can get into model rocketry. Hosted by Chad Cerutti and Michael Messere. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 02:16 - Guest Background 06:35 - Starting BPS 09:57 - Challenges in landing rockets 12:14 - Current projects 19:00 - Dealing with imposter syndrome 22:14 - Future milestones 26:18 - Launch day prep 31:20 - Scariest moments 33:20 - Launch locations 35:40 - Future careers 37:30 - Advice

Moriba Jah is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is the holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering. In this role, Moriba focuses on space traffic and the dangers associated with in-space collisions. He is also a TED fellow and a public advocate of space debris awareness. Learn more about Moriba and his work at flow.page/moriba. Hosted by Owen Marr and Riley Schnee. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro and Guest background 05:20 - PhD and Early career 10:55 - AstriaGraph 15:55 - Space debris accumulation 20:25 - Cleaning space debris 25:25 - Debris mitigation 29:30 - Accountability 33:45 - Public engagement 40:30 - Advice

Casey Dreier is the Chief Advocate & Senior Space Policy Adviser at The Planetary Society. He works to advance public understanding and support for planetary exploration and defense by demystifying space policy. His team recently released the Planetary Society’s Recommendations for the Biden Administration. You can find this document and more information on the Planetary Society by visiting www.planetary.org. Hosted by Owen Marr and Ross Thyne. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 00:43 - Background 03:20 - Planetary Society Goals 5:55 - Role of Space Policy in the Industry 8:30 - Governing Bodies for Launch Vehicles 14:56 - Underdeveloped Areas of Space Policy 18:24 - Planetary Society’s Recommendations for Biden Administration 18:50 - Deepening our commitment to NASA’s Science Programs 22:18 - Continuing Human Spaceflight 28:57 - Taking Active Steps to Protect the Planet from Asteroids 34:31 - Advice

Swati Mohan is currently the Mars 2020 Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Operations Lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. She has worked on Mars 2020 since almost the beginning of the project in 2013 and on multiple other missions such as Cassini (mission to Saturn) and GRAIL (a pair of formation flown spacecraft to the Moon). She completed her B.S. at Cornell University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and her M.S. and Ph.D at MIT in Aeronautics/Astronautics. Hosted by Rupal Nigam and Riley Schnee. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 01:00 - Background 02:45 - Mars 2020 GNC 06:50 - Mission Phases 11:05 - Hurdles 13:50 - Landing 15:55 - Getting into GNC 18:35 - What’s next? 21:20 - Advice

Fernando Abilleira is currently serving as the Mars 2020 MDNAV Manager and the Deputy Mission Manager for Launch/Cruise/EDL. The Mars 2020 Project will land a rover heavily derived from the Curiosity rover configuration that is designed to investigate key questions about the habitability of Mars and the possibility of extant life on the Red planet. Fernando has supported multiple flight projects and studies such as the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, Mars Science Orbiter, Mars Netlanders, Mars Sample Return, and preliminary crewed mission to Mars studies among others. Hosted by Rupal Nigam and Sahil Farishta. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 01:10 - Background 03:20 - Mars 2020 Objectives 07:40 - Milestones and Obstacles 11:20 - Landing 16:15 - Why Mars? 19:30 - Testing for the mission 23:00 - What’s next? 26:30 - Advice

Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton is the Principal Investigator for the NASA Psyche mission, which is the first mission to explore an asteroid made of metal. The mission involves sending a spacecraft to the asteroid Psyche to study the properties of this metal world. In addition, Dr. Elkins-Tanton serves as the Vice President of the Interplanetary Institute at Arizona State University and the co-founder of Beagle Learning. Prior to her work on Psyche, Dr. Elkins-Tanton spent years in the business world as well. Timestamps 01:05 - Introductions 05:39 - Overview of the Psyche mission 08:18 - Origin of the mission and proposal process 20:04 - Progression into phase D of the development cycle 23:26 - Looking forward towards post launch operations 27:04 - Analyzing data from the spacecraft 32:05 - Student advice 36:08 - The space narrative