This week, my guest was science communicator, author, and educator James Maynard, creator and host of The Cosmic Companion. Maynard is what is typically referred to as a “NASA legacy,” a person whose parents worked for NASA. In Maynard’s case, that includes his mother and father, who worked with the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. Through the network he’s created, Maynard maintains this tradition of educating and inspiring people to pursue careers in space, the STEAMs, and science communication.
This is Part I of our two-part interview, where we discuss today’s most important missions and programs and what we can look forward to in the future. We also got into what it means to be a science communicator, how to deal with doubters and skeptics, how awesome it is to do what you love for a living, and how to deal with that nasty old voice that says, “you’re not good enough.” – aka. “imposter syndrome.” Check it out below:
Stories by Williams 
I appreciate hearing both of your thoughts on the “Shouldn’t we fix our problems here on Earth first?” question. I hadn’t heard about that over a trillion dollar fighter plane before. I’m going to remember that for the next time somebody asks me that question.
Oh yes, and don’t be shy about mentioning oil subsidies. Roughly $5 trillion a year (globally) to ensure that oil and gas remain profitable (NOT affordable, profitable!). Meanwhile, renewable energy gets a pittance compared to them, and their subsidies were rolled back in recent years because (and I quote) “they’re already price competitive.” Can you believe that s@%#!?