Ep.111 Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask an Astronaut—with Dr. Edward Lu of B612

Dr. Edward Lu is an astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut who logged 200-plus days in space between 1995 and 2007. Today, he serves as the Cofounder and Executive Director of the Asteroid Institute at the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Earth from asteroid impacts. On this episode of Boost VC, Ed joins us to discuss what makes space fun, describing what daily life is like in zero gravity and why he thinks we’ll colonize space within the next few decades.  Ed shares his experience training for a rescue mission to the International Space Station, weighing in on how spacecraft tech has (and has not) evolved and why we can’t stay in space for longer than six months at a time. Listen in for Ed’s insight on the likelihood that aliens exist and learn about the most recent advancements in asteroid tracking—and why it’s crucial to predict where they’re headed decades in advance. Topics Covered What makes being in space fun for EdDream to fly, incredible ship made by peopleAmazing view (new continent every 15 minutes) Ed’s experience on a rescue mission to the space stationSupplies/transport cut off after Columbia crashTrained to command Soyuz in just 9 weeks What inspired Ed to become an astronautWorked as astrophysicist, became pilot for funFriend at work mentioned NASA application Ed’s take on what it takes to be an astronautAbility to operate ALL systems of spacecraftPilot, scientist and submarine crew combined How daily habits are different in zero gravityCan’t put items down on tableNo arc when passing objects Why we can’t stay in space for long periods6-month lifetime of spacecraftFuel decays, one-time use batteries for reentry  How spacecraft tech has evolved since the 1960’sStyle of rocket similar (dictated by physics)Systems inside spacecraft ALL different Ed’s work with the B612 FoundationProtect Earth from asteroid impactsFind and track path with telescopes The greatest advancement in asteroid trackingLSST opening in 2023 at Rubin ObservatoryCollect more data than all telescopes combined Why it’s crucial to track asteroidsIdentify 1 to 2 near-Earth asteroids per weekGives decades of notice to plan and deflect The biggest change in space tech over the yearsReduction of cost in both launch and electronicsAllows for more small startups to innovate Why Ed thinks we’ll colonize space in a few decadesReduction in cost = cheap infrastructureRecent compound growth in space sector How Ed thinks about the likelihood that aliens existHundreds of millions of planets in our galaxyShocked if there isn’t life somewhereConnect with Ed B612 Foundation https://b612foundation.org/B612 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/b612foundation/B612 on Twitter https://twitter.com/b612foundationEd on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-lu-3a997833/ Resources James Randi https://web.randi.org/about-james-randi.htmlTunguska Event https://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-tunguska-explosion/  Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://www.lsst.org/LeoLabs https://www.leolabs.space/Chess.com https://www.chess.com/Kepler Space Telescope https://www.space.com/24903-kepler-space-telescope.html Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/