The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

#108 Thomas Zurbuchen: Adventures in Astrophysics

Apr 6, 2021

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, shares his remarkable journey from a curious child fascinated by the night sky to a leader making billion-dollar decisions in space exploration. He talks about the quest for extraterrestrial life, the unique challenges of microgravity aboard the International Space Station, and the complexities of Mars missions. Zurbuchen emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in tackling space debris and discusses the balance between innovation and safety in funding ambitious space projects.

01:25:54

Episode guests

Thomas Zurbuchen

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Red Flag Version of a Space

01:06

The Hardest Part of Research

02:19

How Do You Disseminate What You Learn?

01:49

Anasa - Is There Someone Out There Watching Us?

01:30

Intro

2min

Journey into Astrophysics and Space Exploration

9min

The Protective Power of Earth's Magnetic Field

3min

Exploring Space: From Northern Lights to Satellite Challenges

15min

Mars Missions and Astro-Mining

13min

Navigating High-Stakes Decisions in Space Exploration

4min

Navigating High-Stakes Decisions

23min

Navigating NASA's Leadership Landscape

15min

Thomas Zurbuchen is currently Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, where he seeks answers to big questions about the universe and our place in it. Previously, he was a professor of space science and aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and a founding director of its Center for Entrepreneurship. In this episode, Thomas and Shane discuss the origin of his passion for astrophysics, commercial spaceflight, exciting experiments going on at the International Space Station, the challenges of space flight, how he makes decisions, whether humans will ever live on Mars, and more.

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