Casual Space – Details, episodes & analysis

This week on the Casual Space Podcast, I'm joined by my friend, adventurer, and all-around visionary Jessica DeAngelo — founder of Hike to Become®, author of the international bestseller The Wild Advantage, and the leader behind a movement that encourages us to step outside (literally) to find the clarity, creativity, and calm we keep trying to chase indoors.

Jessica works with leaders from companies like Amazon, Nike, and Uber to help them break out of the boardroom mindset and reconnect with the part of themselves that already knows the answer. Her 31-day outdoor awareness challenge and executive nature-based retreats have helped hundreds of professionals solve complex problems, unlock breakthrough ideas, and return to their work with purpose (and joy!).

In our conversation, we talk about:

• Why your brain actually works better outdoors (and what the science says about it)

• How movement, nature, and curiosity come together to unlock new thinking

• The surprising truth behind burnout — and why "working harder" is the opposite of the solution

• What happens when you finally make space to hear your own ideas again

• The magic that comes from small steps (or walks) taken consistently
  
  

This isn't just a conversation about hiking.
It's about learning to reclaim the part of ourselves that thrives in wonder, exploration, and stillness — whether that's on a trail, in your neighborhood, or simply stepping away from the demands that never seem to end.

As someone who has hiked with Jessica, learned from her, and taken the Hike to Become challenge myself, I can tell you this:
The shift is real. And powerful.
You don't have to summit a mountain to rediscover your clarity — you just need to be willing to step outside and listen.

 Jessica DeAngelo

• Founder & Chief Hiking Officer of Hike to Become®

• TEDx Speaker

• Executive Retreat Leader & Strategy Facilitator

• Author of The Wild Advantage: Why Your Brain on Nature Is Your Boldest Business Move

• Lover of wide open skies, big ideas, and good snacks
  
  

She lives in Boise with her husband and two spirited kiddos who remind her that adventure is always within reach — especially when you're holding a granola bar.

Where to find with Jessica

 Website: www.jessicadeangelo.com
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-deangelo-mba/
 Instagram: @hiketobecome

If today's conversation inspires you to get outside — even just for five minutes — then you're already on your way.

Let's go find what's waiting for you out there.

What does life after space look like for an astronaut? For Mike Foreman, it looks like community, connection, and continuing to serve — just a little closer to Earth.

Mike is a retired NASA astronaut, a U.S. Navy veteran, and the current Mayor of Friendswood, Texas. Over the course of two Space Shuttle missions — STS-123 and STS-129 — Mike logged more than 637 hours in space and completed five spacewalks (that's over 32 hours working outside the spacecraft!) helping to deliver and assemble parts of the International Space Station (ISS).

Today, he's using those same lessons from space and service to inspire students, encourage future explorers, and remind us that curiosity, teamwork, and resilience aren't just mission-critical in orbit — they matter right here at home, too.

In this episode, Mike joins Beth for an open and inspiring conversation about:

• How seeing Earth from orbit forever changes your perspective, especially orbiting over Australia 
• The teamwork behind every NASA mission and why leadership is about trust
• How his journey led from Naval test pilot to astronaut to Mayor 

Mike's story is one of lifelong curiosity and service — from flying jets and fixing the ISS to leading a city and mentoring the next generation. His message? Never stop learning, serving, or looking up.

About Mike Foreman:

• NASA Astronaut (Ret.) – Selected in 1998

• Two Space Shuttle Missions: STS-123 (2008) & STS-129 (2009)

• Five Spacewalks: 32 hours, 19 minutes total

• U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.) with more than 7,000 flight hours

• Current Role: Mayor of Friendswood, Texas

• Motivational Speaker on space, STEM, and leadership

Why You'll Love This Episode:

If you've ever wondered how astronauts translate their experiences beyond NASA — or how one person can move from exploring the cosmos to improving their own community — this conversation will leave you inspired.

Mike reminds us that exploration doesn't end when you come home from space. It just changes direction. 

WATCH this episode and more Casual Space Podcast conversations on You Tube! https://www.youtube.com/@casualspacepodcast83 

Want to share your story with us, so we can send it to space? The deadline for submitting your original story to STORIES of Space MISSION 03 has been extended! Don't miss this last opportunity to launch your story to space in 2025! www.storiesofspace.com

Mark O'Connell returns to Casual Space to discuss one of the most extraordinary scientific collaborations in human history: the 1957 International Geophysical Year. With his signature wit and storytelling style, Mark takes us on the journey behind his NEW book, The Year Science Changed Everything, revealing how 6,000 scientists from 66 nations put aside political differences to study Earth's greatest mysteries—from the depths of the ocean to the edge of space.

Beth and Mark explore the ripple effects of this global effort, including the formation of the Antarctic Treaty, the surprising roots of the Artemis Accords, and what IGY can teach us about tackling today's climate crisis. You'll hear how a Steely Dan song sparked Mark's decades-long curiosity, how scientific rivalries shaped history, and yes—even how a penguin nap could put you in violation of an international agreement. It's part history lesson, part love letter to science, and all kinds of fun.

You'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at Mark's next creative project: a comedy script about astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe—think Amadeus meets Knives Out, with a golden nose and planetary motion thrown in.

About Mark O'Connell
Mark O'Connell is the author of The Year Science Changed Everything: 1957's International Geophysical Year and the Future of Our Planet, published by Prometheus Books. He also wrote The Close Encounters Man, a biography of astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek.

In addition to writing books, Mark is a seasoned screenwriter with credits on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and he teaches screenwriting at DePaul University in Chicago.

🎧 Explore more of Mark's work on his podcast Far-Fetched
🌌 Learn more at markoconnell.info

Want to learn more about how Beth connects with guests like Mark, and how her career in space began? Send Beth a note directly at beth@casualspacepodcast.com and follow the show on all the socials. 

Want more engaging stories about our future in space? Learn how you can send your own, original story to space right now- at storiesofspace.com

The worlds of music, art and science can symbiotically exist and share center stage together to offer a sense of awe, wonder and inspiration about moons of the solar system, and ultimately about our home planet. Award winning composer and pianist Amanda Lee Falkenberg has created THE MOONS SYMPHONY- a project 5-years in the making, consulting with planetary scientists from NASA's JPL to ensure the science was anchored in scientific accuracy. Listen to hear not only the most beautiful and incredible music, but to hear directly from Amanda how science influenced each of the moons within the symphony. 

THE MOONS SYMPHONY Album is available here: https://lnk.to/TheMoonsSymphony

Enjoy learning more about Amanda's journey in creating this masterpiece here: https://www.moons-symphony.com/blog

About Amanda Lee Falkenberg: International award-winning composer and pianist Australian born Amanda Lee Falkenberg began her journey into composition through years spent in ballet studios as an accompanist, including the Australian Ballet company in 2000. She wrote over 120 pieces to accompany ballet dancers as they trained, which led to her Moving With Music album series. 

In 2003 her first full-length orchestral ballet was commissioned, Edge of the World, and performed by the International Barossa Music Festival Orchestra with the prestigious Leigh Warren and Dancers, which received glowing reviews from the national press. 

Inspired by visual imagery, Falkenberg's natural progression led her to write for film and TV, stage plays, documentaries, animation series and feature films, including her cinematic soundtrack to the screen adaption of Wilfred Thesiger's Arabian Sands.

In 2017, she conducted the world premiere of her orchestral suite Sea Trilogy with the London Film Music Orchestra at their Gala Concert. Later that year, she completed her Arabian inspired concerto for piano and orchestra, Crossing of the Crescent Moon, after which she began her next large scale project, THE MOONS SYMPHONY. 

Described by The Beauty of Space Art Authors Jon Ramer and Ron Miller as

"…one of the most extraordinary achievements in space-inspired music, and perhaps the first to be accomplished in direct collaboration with astronomers and scientists",

Falkenberg has presented the work and its scientific inspiration to global audiences including the NASA/JPL, Caltech, the Planetary Society of Los Angeles live radio show in Imperial College London 2022, the London Science Museum, COP26 in Glasgow, 2021, the Dubai Expo in 2021, the Euro Planet Science Congress EPSC in Geneva, 2019, and the TEDx Youth Conference, 2018. 

Falkenberg has received many nominations and won multiple international contests, including the Great American Song Contest, Marvin Hamlisch emerging film composer contest in New York, the International Composition Competition in Italy, Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA), and the Los Angeles Music Awards. 

​Falkenberg is an artist member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) who organized an elaborate multimedia/visual art project in in coordination with THE MOONS SYMPHONY"

More about the MOONS SYMPHONY's PERFORMANCES: 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 - 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗬𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗬 (𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮)

The Planetary Radio Live in London was held to celebrate the historic recording of THE MOONS SYMPHONY co-hosted by the Imperial College of London and The Planetary Society. This event occurred a day after the recording was made for The Moons Symphony by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop. 

Host and producer Mat Kaplan of the planetary Society celebrated the intersection of Art and Science through THE MOONS SYMPHONY with a panel of VIP scientists. Together Dr Linda Spilker, Dr Ashley Davies from NASA | JPL, Professor Mark Sephton of Imperial College, and Amanda Lee Falkenberg discussed the symphony's science and the inspirational data they are collecting from moons of our outer Solar System.

𝐒𝐎𝐇𝐎 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 (𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐)

An exclusive Launch party is held for Amanda Lee Falkenberg's "The Moons Symphony" in advance of the Album's release on October 7. An evening to experience the symphony in Dolby Atmos surround sound followed by a Q and A with Amanda and British Astronaut Helen Sharman OBE.

𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐑 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜.𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐)

ＬＵＮＡＲ (Learning Under New Artistic Regimes) a new education series that forms part of Falkenberg's "Companion Guide to the moons symphony" which takes inspiration from MOONS of our outer solar system.  

A new education platform designed to enthral, engage and inspire. This co-pilot event is a collaboration between THE MOONS SYMPHONY and IMPERIAL COLLEGE for students to experience a new way of learning through a symphonic lens the scientific stories of moons of our outer solar system. They are communicated through a dynamic musical canvas to evoke awe and wonder and ignite curiosity to capture the imaginations of the next generation of space explorers. 

Amanda recommends we check out David W. Brown - author of THE MISSION: A true story. 

https://www.amazon.com/Mission-True-Story-David-Brown/dp/006265442X

A brilliant book that shares the evolution of THE EUROPA CLIPPER —NASA's flagship mission which is sending a Spacecraft to investigate the icy moon of Jupiter "Europa" that contains an ocean two and a half times the size of all of Earths oceans combined and could hold the right conditions to support microbial life. 

www.moons-symphony.com 

Erin grew up in Florida watching shuttles launch and shake the windows of her house on reentry. She has always had a passion for making things, leading to her degree in mechanical engineering. Erin works at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a science communication specialist for the International Space Station at NASA's Johnson Space Center. She shares the amazing stories of research on the space station with the world through writing and social media. Today on the Casual Space Podcast, Erin shares with Beth specific examples of space station spinoffs that have benefited humanity (20+ years of science has been conducted aboard the space station) and the impact it's made for all of us back on Earth- all captured in the new book, The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022.  AND, Beth congratulates Erin on a very prestigious, and much- deserved award for her work as a space communicator. 

"Its a joy to be able to now work in the space industry as a senior science communications specialist telling the stories of International Space Station Research."- Erin W. Anthony

From the book (You're going to want to read this book) The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022 book; It's DIGITAL, and it's FREE to download!!!!! 

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/benefits-2022-book

The International Space Station is a modern marvel. Only 400 kilometers (250 miles) above our heads, it streaks spectacularly across the sky at 28,200 kilometers (17,500 miles) per hour, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes. The station carries an impressive array of research facilities supporting hundreds of experiments at any given time across every major science discipline. It can host up to eight visiting vehicles and accommodate 11 crew—all while providing an amazing view featuring 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. But what is so special about an orbiting lab? What makes scientists willing to tackle the significant challenges of planning and scheduling research, designing and building hardware, and committing extraordinary time and effort to complete experiments? It's all about location. An orbiting laboratory provides researchers with the unique features of low-Earth orbit (LEO): long-duration microgravity, exposure to space, and a unique perspective on our planet. These attributes enable scientists to conduct innovative experiments that cannot be done anywhere else…

Check out the latest NASA Explorers video series Erin worked on, along with friend of the show and writer Rachel Barry here; https://youtu.be/-pJcbKr7iA4

And find Erin on Twitter at: @ISS_Research

More about Erin:  Erin works at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a science communication specialist for the International Space Station. She shares the amazing stories of research on the space station with the world through writing and social media.

She has spearheaded strategies for sharing station science on Twitter and Instagram, including the creation of an Instagram AR filter viewed more than 10 million times, creation of some the agency's first (and most successful) Instagram Reels, and growing the @ISS_Research Twitter audience by more than 250K, to over 1 million. Erin serves as managing editor for all station science feature stories, and as well as a series producer for digital series, NASA Explorers: Microgravity (more than 11 million views) and contributor to episodes of the NASA's Curious Universe podcast.

She previously worked as the space reporter for the MIT Technology Review where she launched and managed its space newsletter, The Airlock. She also covered automation as the Associate Editor of the Future of Work for the publication and helmed the its largest daily tech newsletter, The Download and Instagram strategy.

Erin founded and served as CEO of Sci Chic, a company that designs and produces 3D printed jewelry inspired by science and engineering, and creates outreach programs based on the jewelry, for more than 5 years.

Erin aims to show the creativity in science and engineering, and encourage everyone to appreciate and explore the STEM fields. She has written for an array of publications such as Sci Show, The Economist, Engineering.com, Lateral Magazine, Beanz, IEEE Potentials, and The New York Times, and is a course author for LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com). She has a personal combined social media following of more than 60,000 to which she shares science in engaging new ways. You may have seen her on The Weather Channel, CBS Mission Unstoppable, or Marvel's The Unstoppable Wasp.

Erin graduated with her BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Florida in Dec. 2016. After graduating she worked as a freelance science writer and interned in London with the science and technology section of The Economist. She had four engineering internships at Bracken Engineering, Solar Turbines, John Deere, and at Keysight Technologies working on mechanical design and technical writing projects.

In her free time, Erin enjoys 3D printing, sewing, hiking, STEM outreach, creating science communication content for her personal social media channels, science fashion, puzzles, dominoes, and photography.

Space is hard and complicated. Space norms are even harder and even more complicated. SO, in order to develop successful space norms, we will need creativity, perseverance, and a large and inclusive range of participants in the process. On today's episode, Robin Dickey discusses an approach towards space exploration that examines what's responsible to do, what is feasible to do, and what can be done to make space more safe and more sustainable for all in the future. 

About Robin: Robin Dickey is a member of the technical staff at The Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy. She focuses on space policy and strategy issues related to national security, geopolitics, and international relations. Her experience prior to Aerospace includes risk analysis, legislative affairs, and international development.  She earned her bachelor's degree in international studies at Johns Hopkins University and her master's degree in international studies, concentrating in strategic studies, at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

You're going to want to read Robin's latest paper: https://csps.aerospace.org/papers/commercial-normentum-space-security-challenges-commercial-actors-and-norms-behavior

From the paper: Concerns about the potential for conflict in space are not limited to traditional security actors such as states and militaries. Commercial actors also have a stake in security-related space norms, and this stakeholder relationship may translate to new forms of commercial participation in the norm development process.

Other papers from Robin: July 2021 paper "Building Normentum: A Framework for Space Norm Development," August 2022 paper "Commercial Normentum: Space Security Challenges, Commercial Actors, and Norms of Behavior," George Washington University's Space Policy Institute and the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy August 2022 event on "After the KE-ASAT Moratorium: What's Next?"

And find Robin on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/Robin_M_Dickey

Impulse Space is partnering with Relativity Space to perform the first ever commercial landing on the red planet!

Places in space, like Mars, are being viewed as potential destinations that can support the expansion of human presence in the inner solar system. Impulse Space and Relativity Space's mission to Mars is a step forward for the entire community interested in the benefits that space can bring to humans on Earth. Today, Impulse Space's COO and industry leader Barry Matsumori explains how Impulse is working to make this history-making mission possible, and deliver the first commercial payload to the surface of another planet by 2024! 

About Barry Matsumori: 

Barry Matsumori is an industry veteran that has been an executive leader at SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, and most recently as CEO at BridgeComm. Currently, Mr. Matsumori serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Impulse Space. In his own words, Mr. Matsumori shares, "I started my career in space at General Dynamics Space Systems in 1985 and worked on early satellites in the late 1980s. In 1993, I started at Qualcomm and worked on the ground side of Globalstar for a few years before moving into cellular communications.
I have developed and implemented business and technology strategies as well as overseen operations at these companies. At BridgeComm, I led the refocus of the company strategy as well as being named in a number of optical communication technology patents." 

At Impulse Space, Mr. Matsumori serves as the Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for all the operating functions including business development, people, finance and mission management.

More about Impulse Space and the designed mission to partner with Relativity Space: https://www.impulsespace.com/ 

The integrated Cruise Vehicle, Entry Capsule, and Mars Lander developed by Impulse Space will launch in 2024 on the Relativity Terran R launch vehicle. After traveling through interplanetary space for over half a year, the Cruise Vehicle will inject the Entry Capsule into the correct landing trajectory and detach. The Entry Capsule will use the proven combination of heatshield and parachute to slow down enough to safely deploy the Mars Lander into freefall. The lander will then perform a propulsive landing using purpose-built engines developed in-house at Impulse Space, completing the first commercial payload delivery to the surface of another planet.

Robert Feierbach returns as our special guest this week on the podcast and announces his new endeavors as President of Maritime Launch USA, Inc., the US affiliate of the Canadian commercial spaceport based in Nova Scotia, and, Robert unveils his new business, 0-G Launch, a Washington-DC based company deploying a fleet of specially-modified commercial aircraft to provide high-precision microgravity flights and horizontal air-launch services to the fast-growing aerospace industry, and shares his plans as the Founder and CEO.  

Robert Feierbach, is a FOTH (friend of the show) and known as a well-recognized space industry expert! He has an impressive track record in groundbreaking satellite technologies and services around the world. During the past 25 years, he held CEO/CCO/VP leadership positions at Echostar in the Netherlands, SES Global in Luxembourg, various Eutelsat / ViaSat partnerships in France, Italy and the USA, Hughes Network Systems' International Division, Space Systems Loral (Maxar), and SpaceX, the private rocket company, for which he was instrumental in acquiring $600M in early launch contracts. Woah. 

Mr. Feierbach holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science Applications from the University of Utah, and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Robert speaks seven languages fluently and has lived and traveled across the Planet. Yep. 7 languages, and a very interesting love for a very specific kind of music… find out more in this episode of Casual Space! 

Where to find Robert: 

www.maritimelaunch.com
www.0-GLaunch.com
www.G-Space.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13106063/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

"We are in a space renaissance right now, but with that comes new challenges. This is especially true for spacesuits."

Will Green is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Dakota. He is collaborating on research with NASA that is centered on applying breakthrough technologies to push the boundaries of what is possible with spacesuits. Will has taken part in analog missions at UND's Inflatable Lunar/Martian Analog Habitat as a mission commander and an EVA ground control officer.

Will's previous research experience includes Lunar and Martian dust mitigation strategies, robotic testing of spacesuit joints, high-performance textile research for spacesuits and military applications, and inventing an exoskeleton for the Army Research Laboratory. You know, Casual space suit stuff to chat about on Casual Space. 😉

Follow Will and his work on Instagram at:  spacesuit_will

And enjoy this clip: Beth and Will talk about how claustrophobic wearing spacesuits can be… and we loved watching this BBC reporter "have a moment" with his spacesuit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3AXhN3Wo0g 

Martynas Fedotovas and Nika Chinchaladze are space entrepreneurs and CEOs of Altair Enterprises LLC - a space education & research organization that enables people to pursue careers in the space industry - and the organizers of the International Space Convention 2022 - the biggest space industry business event in the Caucasus region. They also Co-authored the book - Space Business 101: 7 Steps to Position Yourself in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry.  On this episode, Beth and Nicholas and Martynas discuss what it's like to be a space startup, what it takes to succeed, and why ethics should always be at the heart of the work as you go and grow.

Where to find Nicholas and Martynas: 

www.altairenterprises.com
and www.altairenterprises.store

BONUS: Nicholas and Martynas would like to give Casual Space Podcast listeners free online tickets to ISC 2022!

When registering use this 100% discount coupon code: CASUALSPACE

Apply your special code at this link: https://www.altairenterprises.store/product-page/attendee-experience

About International Space Convention 2022:

ISC 2022 is a hybrid event where you can attend in-person or online and get an exclusive 3-day access to over 95 lectures from over 100 world-renowned space industry speakers and experts, ranging from government space agencies to private space companies discussing everything from new rising trends to advances and concepts in space industry, including: Earth and Deep Space Observation, SatCom and Data Analysis, Human Space Missions, Space Law and Regulations, Commercial Space Travel, Financial Outlook of the Space Industry, Funding Opportunities for the Emerging Space Start-Ups and many more great topics.

CEOs and Founders of Altair Enterprises - Space Education Company.
Organizers of the International Space Convention 2022 - one of the biggest annual business conferences.
Authors of Space Business 101: 7 Steps to Position Yourself in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry
Podcast Hosts of Altair Insights Podcast - Where Space Meets Business