Episode 110 of Stories from Space – What’s the Deal with 3I/ATLAS? – is now Live!

Episode 110 of Stories from Space – What’s the Deal with 3I/ATLAS? – is now Live!

Interstellar Objects (ISO) are back in the news, thanks to the arrival of 3I/ATLAS in our Solar System. As the designation indicates, this is the third ISO we’ve detected since ‘Oumuamua graced our system back in 2017. It is also the second interstellar comet ever observed, something that was confirmed shortly after it was first spotted (thanks to all the outgassing scientists observed). And just like ‘Oumuamua, there was speculation that the object might be something more…

But that speculation was wrong, it’s a comet!

The bottom line is, this latest object taught us more about ISOs and the kinds of conditions that exist in other star systems. This is the appeal of ISOs: they offer opportunities to study other star systems without actually having to go there. But we are currently limited to studying them from afar, hence the efforts to develop spacecraft that could rendezvous with them someday. If we can obtain samples from an ISO, we can learn even more about what is out there, waiting to be found.

And if any of these ISOs happen to be pieces of alien technology, we will have learned the answer to one of the greatest questions of all time: Are we alone in the Universe?

Scientists are continuing to monitor 3I/ATLAS and will continue to do so until it is out of range of our most powerful telescopes (by 2028). The fact that it was detected before making its closest pass to the Sun shows how far we’ve come since ‘Oumuamua flew past Earth and we were only able to get a few days of observations before it left our Solar System. On Dec. 19th, it will make its closest pass to Earth, at a very safe distance!

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Episode 109 of Stories from Space is Live!

Episode 109 of Stories from Space is Live!

In this latest episode, I discuss the Standard Model of Cosmology, how scientists arrived at it, and how recent discoveries are causing some to question whether or not it is correct. To break it down, it is known as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model, which basically combines the following theories.

  • The Big Bang: The theory that the Universe expanded from an initial state in which all matter was in hot, dense state (c’mon, you know the tune!) Evidence for this theory includes the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the abundance of light elements (hydrogen, helium, etc.), the large-scale structure of the Universe, and cosmic expansion (see below).
  • Special Relativity: Einstein’s famous theory (E=mc2) that asserts that matter and energy are equivalent and how space and time are part of a four-dimensional framework in which the speed of light is constant and cannot be exceeded.
  • General Relativity: The extended generalized version of Einstein’s famous theory, which asserts that mass alters the curvature of spacetime.
  • Dark Matter: The theory that the majority of matter in the Universe is made up of a mysterious mass that doesn’t interact with normal matter in visible light.
  • Cosmological Constant: Also known as the Hubble-Lemaitre Constant (colloquially referred to as “Dark Energy”), wherein 68% of the cosmos is made up of energy that counteracts the force of gravity.

Over the past 120 years, these theories have come together to create the ΛCDM model of the Universe. For decades, scientists have been hoping to get a look at the very early Universe (less than 1 billion years after the Big Bang) to test this theory. When Webb finally provided the first observations of this period in cosmic history, what astronomers saw challenged many of the assumptions inherent in this model. Check out the episode below to learn more…

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Talking About Grief, Trauma, and Addiction

Talking About Grief, Trauma, and Addiction

Good-day all! I hope everyone had a lovely Summer and is looking forward to Fall. Around here, Carla and I had an eventful time. Things have been going pretty well, but we’re still struggling with a few things. And lately, I’ve fallen into a hole regarding my recovering from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), which I was officially diagnosed with about six months ago. This has raised a whole slew of uncomfortable questions, a ton of anxiety, and has made me more prone to drinking than before!

Truly, something must be off here because admitting you have a problem doesn’t generally make it worse, right?! It’s supposed to lead to a sense of resolution, even if it is a scary one. And I’ve accepted the idea of being an addict (hereafter, the Big-A) a couple times already, and it never fit for me. It always just seemed wrong, and since I’m the one most worried about it, I find it hard to believe that I’m in denial.

Continue reading “Talking About Grief, Trauma, and Addiction” →

Episode 108 of SfS – A Conversation with Les Johnson – is Now Live!

Episode 108 of SfS – A Conversation with Les Johnson – is Now Live!

This latest episode was particularly special. In addition to having NASA technologist Les Johnson on for the second time (Episode 25 – Going Interstellar!), we got to talk about our latest collaboration and the upcoming release of a major project – the Interstellar Travel Monograph. This series, edited by Les Johnson and fellow NASA alumnus Ken Roy, details interstellar travel’s benefits, possibilities, and challenges. Volume I covered the purpose and motivations, while Volume II addressed the technical and associated requirements of making the journey.

The latest installment, Volume III: After Arrival, addresses how humans will live on a distant planet, exploring questions of governance, economics, adaptation, and (my contribution) terraforming! This work builds on Les Johnson’s previous work, A Traveler’s Guide to the Stars, which lays out the case for interstellar travel for regular, everyday readers. The Monograph series targets scientists, engineers, and technical experts and will be used as textbooks in University-level courses. Everyone who contributed is an expert in their field, and they let me join in! What an honor!

This series also builds on previous work I had the honor of participating in, The Ross 248 Project (also edited by Johnson and Roy), which addressed how humans could live on rocky planets around red dwarf stars (like Proxima b). Check out the episode to hear more about Les Johnson’s work at NASA, the Monogram, and this fascinating subject matter!

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“I’m no Hero”

“I’m no Hero”

I finally get what those words mean. I’ve heard them uttered many times by people who had praise heaped on them for something heroic they did. And I’m sure everyone who might read this can relate. Chances are, we’ve all heard someone say something like this—maybe even someone very close to us. It may have come from a family member, a veteran, an emergency responder, a doctor, a firefighter, or someone who was put in a bad situation and made their way out.

Parents who raised multiple kids while dealing with poverty, health issues, addiction, and traumas of their own come to mind. Over and over again, you’ll hear people say that they simply “did their best” under difficult circumstances. They did extraordinary things and were praised for it, but refused to accept accolades, special treatment, or the idea that they were somehow different from everyone else.

I thought I understood what they were saying and suspected it was a simple matter of modesty. After all, a mark of a true hero is that they don’t need or want to be praised for what they did, right? “No thanks required” is how they roll, right?

But the truth is, I didn’t get it. But I do now.

Continue reading ““I’m no Hero”” →

Episode 106 – Megastructures (Part III) – is now Live!

Episode 106 – Megastructures (Part III) – is now Live!

Sixty years ago, famed physicist Freeman Dyson theorized that in their ongoing quest to find more living space and energy, advanced civilizations might choose to convert their solar systems into megastructures enclosing their star. This came to be known as a “Dyson’s Sphere,” a concept that inspired countless variations and similar concepts. A few years later, Nikolai Kardashev mentioned the Dyson Sphere while presenting his scheme for classifying extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) based on its level of technical development – aka. the Kardashev Scale.

In previous episodes, we examined the kinds of structures that a Type II and III Civilization might create. In this third and final installment, we looked at the types of megastructures a Type I+ Civilization might create (and that could include humanity someday). To break it down, these megastructures would belong to a civilization that had mastered its home planet (i.e., harnessing all of its energy sources) and was beginning to extend its presence across its solar system.

As always, these theoretical structures are a way to make futuristic predictions while also guiding SETI searches for potential technosignatures. Take a listen and be sure to check out the concept art of Neil Blevin at Soulburn Studios.

Further Reading:

Episode 105 – Megastructures (Part II) – is now live!

Episode 105 – Megastructures (Part II) – is now live!

This week’s episode is the second installment in my series about megastructures. In the previous installment, we took a look at the Dyson Sphere, the concept that started it all, as well as variations like the Niven Ring and Matrioshka Brain. As promised, this episode examines some of the more exotic concepts for Dyson structures that could allow an advanced species to harness the power of its star. This includes the Alderson Disk and the Shkadov Thruster (pictured above and below).

Neil Blevins
Neil Blevins

These are all examples of megastructures that a Type II civilization (on the Kardashev Scale) could conceivably create. In part III, I hope to delve into proposed concepts that a Type I+ civilization could create someday (and that includes humanity). Some examples include a Space Elevator, an O’Neill Cylinder, a Stanford Torus, a Clarke Band, and more. As always, I will be referencing the artwork of Neil Blevins (and others) to illustrate what these fascinating concepts could look like. Follow the links below to learn more.

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Episode 104 – Megastructures (Part I)! – is now Live!

Episode 104 – Megastructures (Part I)! – is now Live!

This past week, I did an episode that is long overdue! In truth, I can’t possibly explain why I’ve neglected it for so long. The subject at hand… MEGASTRUCTURES! Honestly, this is like one of my top five favorite topics and specialties when it comes to space, science fiction, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Yet here we are, three years (happy third anniversary, Stories from Space!) and more than 100 episodes later, and I find out I haven’t done an episode dedicated to this lovely topic.

The story begins with Freeman Dyson, the famed British-American theoretical physicist and mathematician. In 1960, he wrote a paper outlining how advanced civilizations, in their drive to find more living space and energy, would someday convert their planets into artificial biospheres that would enclose their entire star. This became known as a Dyson Sphere, a concept that spawned an entire field of study. Decades later, there are innumerable proposed concepts, all of which were proposed to help constrain SETI searches.

Similar to Nikolai Kardashev‘s paper (released a few years later), in which he proposed what is now known as the Kardashev Scale, Dyson’s proposed structure was a means of suggesting the kind of technological signatures that SETI researchers should be looking for. Thanks to him, SETI researchers are not only looking for evidence of transmissions in the cosmos, but also evidence of planetary engineering. Given the richness of this topic, this episode is part of a series that may (as I hope) run for three episodes. Check it out!

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Episode 103 – Space Health: My Interview with Shawna Pandya – is now live!

Episode 103 – Space Health: My Interview with Shawna Pandya – is now live!

Hello folks! My apologies for the delays in posting. The past few weeks have been a bit of a ringer over here (which I will address in a future post). Also, while the ringer situation was going on, I decided to share my AADYA Geo Talks interview on Stories from Space, which was the subject of episodes 101 and 102. Since I had already posted about that interview here (complete with the video), I saw no reason to talk about it again. But this most recent episode? That is something I need to rave about!

After months of scheduling, rescheduling, and delays (on my end), I finally got to interview Dr. Shawna Pandya! In addition to being a fellow Canuck and martial artist (Taekwon-Do, same federation as me!), Dr. Pandya is a physician, an emergency medic, an aeromedical transport doctor, pilot, analog astronaut, explorer, and aquanaut with NASA’s NEEMO analog missions. She is also the director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences’ (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be (as soon as next year) Canada’s first female commercial astronaut.

During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space exploration, and the future for humans living and working in space. Follow the links below to check it out!

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Episode 100 of Stories from Space is now Live!

Episode 100 of Stories from Space is now Live!

Welcome all! This week’s episode is one that I consider very important. Since the Trump administration was inaugurated, people at NASA were understandably afraid. Uncertainty about the future can do that to people, especially when an unelected, unconfirmed member of government (Elon Musk) begins making seemingly arbitrary cuts to departments, jobs, and spending. Those fears were confirmed with the release of the White House’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (FY 2006).

In addition to deep cuts, the Budget also calls for the cancellation of programs that NASA has been pursuing for years as part of its “Moon to Mars” mission architecture. These include the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion Spacecraft, and the Lunar Gateway, which are integral to the Artemis Program and plans to send the first crewed missions to Mars. The Budget also pushes privatization as the solution to every proposed cut, and very deliberately and specifically targets funding for “woke” programs that seek to increase representation in the STEM fields.

To call this Budget a disaster in the making only undersells it. If enacted, it could throw NASA’s entire future into jeopardy. Whereas the Budget specifies that NASA’s only priority should be beating China to the Moon and Mars, it will likely make that goal much harder to achieve. And it would almost surely compromise the agency’s longstanding reputation for leadership in space.

The release of this episode is also a milestone for me and the podcast I launched almost three years ago (July 12th, 2022). Its inception can be trace to an interview I had with the hosts of the Intersection of Technology and Society Magazine (ITSM), Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli. The funny thing is, they wanted to interview me for an article I wrote for Interesting Engineering titled “Life in 2050: A Glimpse at Education in the Future.”

Afterward, I told them what my main subject was (i.e., space and spacey stuff), and they had me back on for two more episodes to discuss the future of space exploration and exoplanet studies. During the second interview, we announced that I was joining ITSP with a new podcast – Stories from Space!

As such, I wish this episode’s subject were less alarming or depressing. But I promise future episodes (knock on wood!) will be cheerier and feature better news!

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