ATHENA BRENSBERGER | Astroathens

Author of Blueprint for a Battle Star and Amazing Stories of the Space Age, Rod Pyle of Ad Astra magazine, talks about the challenges of podcasting, audiobooks, and traditional authorship as a nonfiction writer and shares the behind-the-scenes experiences on the set of Deep Space Nine and his more recent Northern Canadian visit to the Mars Research Station.

What do Hollywood and the space industry have in common? Talent. Investment. Los Angeles. And Mike Palank, General Partner at MaC Venture Capital. With ten years of experience rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's royalty, Mike chose to pivot and invest in another set of stars. As a firm supporter of new ideas and innovative tech, a space fan and Sci-Fi geek, Mike shares his love of space and his experiences as a venture capital investor, helping space startups make the best decisions with advice not commonly shared.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Athena Brensberger is proof that the path you take to your future can sometimes be as random and perfectly aligned as the stars. Supermodel, STEM advocate, dancer and science communicator, streaming show presenter and university grad student (returned). Athena limits herself in no way and helps to revolutionize the image of space, science, and the unknown.

With a resume that starts “High-tech serial entrepreneur in LEO to GEO satellite technologies, video/IP/IoT data network services, rocket launch systems, and hypersonic flight”, Robert Feierbach of Maritime Launch Services has clearly lived up to his own advice - If what you do makes you go WOW - pursue that! We talk about cars, rockets, zero gravity, and the impact of nurturing a passion for space.

“I want to be an Astronaut!” Laura Forczyk not only has the same passion, but she is also building a community of like-minded people to help sign post the way for the rest of us left in the dark. We talk about space reality and sci-fi, the surprises of moon dust, and space diplomacy; and how to make Chad an astronaut!

Welcome to the new kid on the street, Spaced Ventures is changing the game by bringing crowdfunding to space founders. Keeping it simple, keeping it safe, and keeping it open to the public, working to drop the limits and help innovation take over the future through crowdfunding and investment initiatives. Listen in as Aaron Burnett shares his passion for investing in innovation with the masses.

All roads lead to Florida - and Frank DiBello, CEO and Godfather of Space Florida, as he revels in the growing young Space Industry. Reminiscing of the wild days of investing in the first payloads to space or taking the charge in making crazy ideas more tangible, Frank talks us through the ideology as well as the logistics that are bringing about the democratization of Space, its infrastructure and future possibilities.

It’s a rare occurrence to chat with someone who has worked through the guilding of OldSpace and seen into the age of NewSpace. Juan De Dalmau has been a guiding hand in many of the ESA and ISU programs. Networking and educating most of the heroes and personalities responsible for creating the NewSpace industry and community of today's generation as they work to solve Earth's problems from space.

Changing the stereotype of the rocket scientist, Bianca Cefalo wows us with her fast-paced life that is truly mirrored in her career and achievements, and a drive that matches an F1 Ferrari! As an avid advocate for STEM and women in the space industry, Bianca talks about startups, prototypes, and space industry collaboration, all held together by a strong belief in the future potential of the space community.

Sue Nelson turns “Space Fan” into a lifestyle. Building her career as a journalist around Space news, using her words to bring forgotten heroes like Wally Funk to the forefront, and building a media business to showcase the people, teams, and projects that are expanding our limits into Space. Join in as Sue takes us backstage to enjoy some of her most memorable moments.