Jim Bridenstine Talks NASA, Artemis, and Commercial Space

Jim served as the 13th administrator of NASA and spearheaded the launch of the Artemis program. During Jim’s watch, the US also returned to launching its own astronauts to orbit from US soil (with SpaceX). Jim’s bio will be familiar to most space buffs in Payload and Pathfinder’s audience, so in our convo, we dig a bit deeper on his backstory, get a status report on Artemis, and take a closer look at his current roles in the commercial space ecosystem.Today's episode is brought to you by Altek Space, a custom manufacturer of essential parts and components for rockets and satellites.*SNEAK PEEK*Serving as a US Navy aviator; landing on aircraft carriers; and TOP GUN…real life vs. the movieJim’s involvement in the Rocket Racing League and his time at the helm of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and PlanetariumServing in the US House as a representative of the 1st District of Oklahoma (and his HASC and SST committee membership)Working with an office of “space knuckleheads”—Jim uses that term endearingly—and honing his aerospace policy chops while on Capitol HillWhy going to the Moon vs. going to Mars was once an either-or, partisan debate on the HillJim’s time leading NASA, architecting the Artemis program, andHis post-NASA space involvement (which includes advisory or trustee roles with Voyager, Viasat, Phase Four, The Aerospace Corporation, Firefly, and Acorn Growth Companies)This is our longest show to date and for good reason. We had a lot of ground to cover, and yet we still didn’t get to Pathfinder’s planned segment about boots on Mars. Check out the episode and let us know what you’d want to hear in a Part 2.*CHAPTERS*02:54 Guest intro03:11 Jim's office photos03:37 Top Gun inspiration04:50 Does it surprise you the Navy wouldn't let Tom Cruise fly a jet?06:29 Journey into aviation, experience in the military, and using space assets in combat13:41 Rocket Racing League22:07 Trying to bring one of the Space Shuttles to Tulsa24:55 Time as an elected official31:51 American Space Renaissance Act37:05 Difference between approving NASA funding and running it42:48 Moon vs. Mars - why was it either-or and at times partisan?45:23 Why we should outsource some space functions to the private sector48:26 Artemis vs. Apollo54:32 Artemis I splashdown56:29 Advising space companies and organizations1:06:00 2022's biggest space story1:09:36 Worried about a shakeout in space markets?*SHOW NOTES*NASA's Artemis program: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/American Space Renaissance Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4945/textFirefly: https://payloadspace.com/firefly-production-ramp/Phase Four: https://payloadspace.com/phase-four-production/Rocket Racing League: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket\_Racing\_LeagueUS return to space: https://payloadspace.com/netflix-releases-return-to-space/Ryan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ryandoofy — & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfduffy/Payload's Twitter: https://twitter.com/payloadspace — & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace/*ABOUT US*Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 12,000+ decision-makers across commercial, civil, and military space.