Space 3D Podcast
by Eleanor O'Rangers
Technology-Culture-Humanity... all related to spaceflight. Hosted by Emily Carney, Tom Hill and Eleanor O'Rangers
Podcast episodes
Season 6
Season 6, Episode 6: Tales of the Space Shuttle up close with Travis Thompson, Part 3
This is part 3 and the conclusion of our interview with Travis Thompson.Travis Thompson was the former Orbital Vehicle Close-Out Lead—or OVCC—for the space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Travis and his team assisted astronauts into the launch vehicle and were the last humans to physically be in contact with the crew prior to launch.Travis has plenty of stories to tell as I hope you appreciated from the first 2 installments of his interview!In the conclusion to our interview, Travis continues to delight us with his Shuttle stories. Be sure to listen for his recollection of Ellison Onizuka and John Young, along with a few other entertaining anecdotes. Please kindly note that we recorded our interview with Travis via phone, so the audio quality is not pristine. However, we have done our best to clean it up, so we appreciate your indulgence while listening.
Season 6, Episode 5: Pancosmorio Theory: A Continued Conversation with Lee Grant Irons, Part 3
We had the pleasure of meeting with Lee Grant Irons and his daughter, Morgan Irons, during Season 5 of the Space 3D podcast. We’ve invited Lee Grant back this season to continue our discussion. This is part 3 and the conclusion of our latest interview.Lee Grant Irons is a scientist and engineer, with experience in the fields and industries of space plasma and computational physics, nuclear power design and operations, radioactive and hazardous waste management, environmental remediation, and large-scale engineering and construction projects.In this episode, cohosts Tom Hill and Eleanor O’Rangers continue learning about the key elements of Pancosmorio Theory put forth in Lee’s article recently published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences entitled, Frontiers | Pancosmorio (world limit) theory of the sustainability of human migration and settlement in space (frontiersin.org).Briefly, Pancosmorio Theory draws on ecological thermodynamics theory and the methodology of abductive reasoning to consider the consequences of humans leaving Earth’s life-sustaining regenerative systems behind. The paper argues that human growth beyond Earth will be limited by the absence of these systems and the implications of leaving them behind.While the prospect of what lies ahead for humankind in establishing a permanent presence in space is daunting, Lee’s paper lays the groundwork for defining the prerequisite foundation for that bootstrapped settlement to flourish.
Season 6, Episode 4: Pancosmorio Theory- A Continued Conversation with Lee Grant Irons, part 2
We had the pleasure of meeting with Lee Grant Irons and his daughter, Morgan Irons, during Season 5 of the Space 3D podcast. We’ve invited Lee Grant back this season to continue our discussion. This is part 2 of our latest interview.Lee Grant Irons is a scientist and engineer, with experience in the fields and industries of space plasma and computational physics, nuclear power design and operations, radioactive and hazardous waste management, environmental remediation, and large-scale engineering and construction projects.In this episode, cohosts Tom Hill and Eleanor O’Rangers begin to delve into the foundational elements of Pancosmorio Theory with Lee, who just published an article on this subject with his daughter, Morgan Irons: Frontiers | Pancosmorio (world limit) theory of the sustainability of human migration and settlement in space (frontiersin.org)Briefly, Pancosmorio Theory draws on ecological thermodynamics theory and the methodology of abductive reasoning to consider the consequences of humans leaving Earth’s life-sustaining regenerative systems behind. The paper argues that human growth beyond Earth will be limited by the absence of these systems and the implications of leaving them behind.While this episode ends on what might be perceived as a bit of a pessimistic tone regarding the future of space settlement, we promise that there is a more positive message when we air part 3 of our interview, so make sure to tune in to that!
Season 6, Episode 3: The Norfolk Institute- A Continued Conversation with Lee Grant Irons, part 1
We had the pleasure of meeting with Lee Grant Irons and his daughter, Morgan Irons, during Season 5 of the Space 3D podcast. We’ve invited Lee Grant back this season to continue our discussion. This is part 1 of our latest interview.Lee Grant Irons is a scientist and engineer, with experience in the fields and industries of space plasma and computational physics, nuclear power design and operations, radioactive and hazardous waste management, environmental remediation, and large-scale engineering and construction projects.In this episode, cohosts Tom Hill and Eleanor O’Rangers get an update on Morgan Irons’ continued work on soil aggregates and their effects on soil organic carbon sequestration under Earth gravity and microgravity. Then, we transition to a discussion of Lee’s role as Executive Director of the non-profit Norfolk Institute (Research in Human Resiliency | Norfolk Institute) where he helping to foster funding for various projects focused on the existential challenges of human sustainability on Earth and in space. We will also preview Lee’s latest publication on Pancosmorio Theory, which we’ll explore in detail in part 2 of this interview.
Season 6, Episode 2: Tales of the Space Shuttle up close with Travis Thompson, Part 2
Recently, we were honored to speak to Travis Thompson. Travis Thompson was the former Orbital Vehicle Close-Out Crew Lead—or OVCC Lead—for the Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Travis and his team assisted astronauts into the launch vehicle and were the last humans to physically be in contact with the crew prior to launch.Travis has plenty of stories to tell, and we are excited to bring them to you!In Part 2 of our interview, Travis beings to share some memories from the shuttle program, including his favorite astronauts, how Lake Ochoa got its name, and the Columbia tragedy.Please kindly note that we recorded our interview with Travis via phone, so the audio quality is not pristine. However, we have done our best to clean it up, so we appreciate your indulgence when listening.