Live from Austin, with Dan Goldin (Former NASA Administrator)

This week, we're going live from Austin, TX, at Payload’s inaugural event, “The Ultimate High Ground: The Role of Space in National Security,” held during SXSW. Our episode features a fireside chat with Dan Goldin, the longest-serving NASA Administrator, from April 1992 to November 2001. Dan is known for leading NASA’s resurgence during one of its most challenging periods following the Cold War. His tenure was characterized by the philosophy of "faster, better, cheaper," which established the foundation for the modern space industry.We spend a considerable amount of time discussing Dan’s contributions outside NASA, including his tenure at TRW and his efforts at Cerberus, a leading private equity firm that is now heavily involved in aerospace and defense. Additionally, we explore:The next Sputnik momentTechnology transfer between NASA and the DoDThe challenges of the space industry todayThe opportunity in the space national security marketAnd much more… • Chapters •00:00 - Introduction01:44 - Military and intelligence programs at TRW03:49 - Potential unforeseen gaps in technology06:35 - 1958 Space Act10:17 - Life at Cerberus14:12 - Common missteps from startups today17:35 - Do startups understand physics?19:29 - Overcrowding in parts of the market21:18 - Where the opportunity is today26:12 - National security…more than just weapons28:54 - Directed energy33:33 - What question is not being asked more often35:19 - Cislunar space38:24 - When will we land on the Moon?38:50 - Are we underestimating or overestimating China's capabilities?39:21 - When will we land on Mars? • Show notes •Dan’s’ socials — https://twitter.com/dansgoldinMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislamPayload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspacePathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • 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 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing five media properties across multiple platforms:1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com)3) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday4) Polaris, our weekly policy briefing, publishes weekly on Tuesdays 5) Payload Research, our weekly research and analysis piece,  comes out on WednesdaysYou can sign up for all of our publications here: https://payloadspace.com/subscribe/