Retired NASA Astronaut Lieutenant General Susan Helms reflects on her 211 days in space and life onboard a young International Space Station.

In this episode, Susan takes us through her groundbreaking journey as the first active-duty woman officer to become a NASA astronaut. She discusses attending the United States Air Force Academy, flight testing fighter jets, her five space missions, and a record-breaking spacewalk. This one is going to be cool!

Key Takeaways:

• Susan's childhood dream was to attend the United States Air Force Academy. At the time, women were not permitted to learn at the USAFA, but in 1975 during her senior year of high school, President Ford signed a law allowing women to enroll. She applied and was accepted to the Academy, joining 157 other women in the first class of 1976.
• After graduating from the USAFA in 1980, Susan was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base as an F-16 Weapons Separation Engineer and then became the Lead Engineer for F-15 weapons separation. She then transferred to Edwards Air Force Base to be a Flight Test Engineer.
• While flight testing CF-18s in Canada, Susan was selected to become a NASA astronaut. She flew on STS-54, 64, 78, 101, and Expedition 2.
• Susan and crewmate Jim Voss trained and studied languages in Moscow with fellow Cosmonaut Yuri Usachov before their Expedition 2 flight.
• On a few of her missions, Susan operated the Remote Manipulator System on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. This robot arm is used to deploy satellites, capture objects, and assist astronauts during spacewalks.
• In 2001, Susan Helms and Jim Voss set a world record after spacewalking for 8 hours and 56 minutes. This record was held for 23 years before Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong broke it in 2024 by 10 minutes.
• Susan encourages listeners to do what they love and not to follow careers that others are pushing them towards.

Resources:

• Susan Helms' Website
• Susan Helms' NASA Bio
• Susan Helms' Air Force Bio
• One of first female Air Force Academy graduates, Susan Helms, becomes first female military astronaut in space (Denver 7)
• Expedition 2 (NASA)

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:00) - The First Space Tourist & Astronaut Roles
• (02:55) - Early Interest in Aviation
• (03:34) - USAFA Application
• (04:52) - The USAFA's First Class of Women
• (05:54) - Attending the USAFA
• (08:01) - F-15 & F-16 Weapons Testing
• (09:52) - The Flight Test Engineer Role
• (11:14) - Flight Testing in Canada
• (13:00) - Astronaut Selection & First Mission
• (14:45) - Flying at Mach 25
• (15:32) - The Remote Manipulator System (RMS)
• (18:19) - Astronaut Training in Moscow
• (21:04) - A Record-Breaking Spacewalk
• (24:54) - Eating & Drinking During Spacewalks
• (26:17) - Living in Space
• (28:35) - Post Astronaut Career
• (30:22) - Space Exploration's Future
• (32:02) - Life Advice
• (32:45) - Outro

Astrophysicist and professor, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell reflects on how she helped change astronomy forever.

In this episode, learn more about how a peculiar signal from space led Jocelyn to a groundbreaking discovery. She discusses her aerospace journey, building a radio telescope, discovering pulsars, and the 1974 Nobel Prize controversy. This one is going to be cool!

Key Takeaways:

• At the time, women were not often permitted to study science fields in school. Her parents protested this rule and Jocelyn became top of her class in Physics.
• While attending Cambridge, Jocelyn helped build their radio telescope alongside Astronomers Martin Ryle and Antony Hewish.
• Originally the telescope was built to study Quasars, which are distant galaxies whose incredibly bright cores are powered by supermassive black holes.
• While observing and researching the telescope, Jocelyn found a strange "pulse" that occurred at regular intervals. Labeled LGM-1 or Little Green Men 1, it was the first recording of a pulsar.
• Since pulsars were discovered, over 3,000 have been found today.
• In 1974, Martin Ryle and Antony Hewish were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of pulsars. Because Martin and Antony were the telescopes' leaders, Jocelyn, a student at the time, was left out. She has since been awarded several prestigious accolades.
• Jocelyn encourages audiences to double-check anomalies as they never know which scientific discoveries could be found.

Resources:

• Jocelyn's Bio (Wikipedia)
• What are pulsars? (Space.com)
• Journeys of Discovery (University of Cambridge)

Secretary of the United States Air Force Frank Kendall discusses AI's impact on modern air warfare.

In this episode, we're switching things up and going to the Pentagon to bring you a special in-depth conversation on artificial intelligence in military aviation. Secretary Kendall discusses AI’s evolving role in U.S. air power, collaborative combat aircraft, technology breakthroughs, and ethical concerns. This one is going to be cool!

Key Takeaways:

• Secretary Kendall discusses the history of AI in the U.S. military and how it has helped transform Air Force operations.
• Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) are uncrewed aircraft flown by artificial intelligence. They are currently being tested alongside fighter jets to become loyal wingmen.
• The ethics of artificial intelligence in warfare remains at the forefront of AI integration. Secretary Kendall wants to ensure that the U.S. complies with the laws of war and maintains human accountability for lethal decision-making.
• CCA's can be both budget-friendly and help save time when testing new technologies.
• AI advancement aims to help the U.S. maintain technological superiority over its global adversaries.
• By integrating CCAs in the frontlines of combat, they could help save fighter pilot lives by taking on more risky missions or diverting enemy fire.
• Secretary Kendall stresses the importance of enhancing AI operations quickly while ensuring that ethics are not left behind.

Resources:

• Secretary Frank Kendall's Bio (Air Force)
• Departing Air Force Secretary Will Leave Space Weaponry as a Legacy (New York Times)
• AI in Military Aviation (Behind the Wings PBS S6)
• Collaborative Combat Aircraft (Behind the Wings PBS S6)