Dave (7:37)

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Maria Varmazes (8:45)

Last week I caught up with Patrick O', Neill, who is the Public affairs and Outreach lead at the International Space Station US National Lab to find out what he's been up to and what's going on on the iss.

Patrick O'Neill (9:01)

So earlier this week I was, I was out over at Johnson Space center in Houston, had the opportunity to meet with the crew, 11 astronauts that are going to be going up in a couple of weeks. So mainly it was Mike Fink and Zena Cardman and it was interesting to get their perspectives because Mike has been with the NASA astronaut program since the mid-90s. And then Zena, this is going to be her first flight. So you have this unique juxtaposition between the two. And you know, I look at Mike and I think to myself Goodness gracious. He has been there through the totality of the ISS program. So he flew in 2004, he flew in 2008 and the mission that he was on in 2011 was when they deemed the space station complete and he has not flown since. So now fast forward 14 years. He has the ability to go and live and work on a space station that he was instrumental in helping to build. And so now he gets to be up there for a very long duration mission where they're going to be sporting a lot of different types of R and D. So again, it's really exciting to see someone who has been through the trials and tribulations of all aspects of the space station program and now having the opportunity to see him go back up there after again, a lot of the hard work that he's done to see it through to this point.

Maria Varmazes (10:12)

Yeah, I was going to say it's a bit of a, almost a victory lap, but also what, I mean, just what a great story that is too. Not, I mean a lot of crew worked on building the ISS and not everyone gets that opportunity. So I'm really glad that he's getting that because that's gotta be so validating and I can't wait to hear his reflections from orbit about what it's like to be up there again, seeing how it's been since 2011. My goodness, a lot. Well, it's gonna be very lived in at this point.

Patrick O'Neill (10:37)

And that was some of the things that he and I were talking about too was, you know, when he was out there in 2011, they did a little bit of research, but it wasn't a ton of research because the main job of a lot of the astronauts when they were going there was to assem the space station, put everything together and when they had a little bit of additional time, let's do some R and D off to the side. And so now his job is to go up there and support all this research that has now been built up over the years. And not just the research, but you know, one of the questions I was asking him was about the excitement of all the new facilities that are up there. Since that timeframe 14 years now, there's, you know, more than 30 plus commercially owned and operated facilities on the space station and they now span such a myriad of scientific discipline. And now he gets the chance to go out there and partake in all that. And then now you have also Zena, who is going to be, this is her first spaceflight mission and she's someone who has prior to being an astronaut, had experience in living and working in also extreme environments like Antarctica. She did confirm, yes, it's cold up there, but you learn quite a bit. And so again it's going to be great to go out there and see two very different types of astronauts, but still being able to go out there and support the mission and being able to support a lot of great research that's going to be flying over the next few months.

Maria Varmazes (11:53)

Yeah. Oh I, I cannot wait to hear their reflections and the different, you know, comparing, contrasting those perspectives and how meaningful it must be to both of them in different ways. That's going to be just fascinating. So speaking of the science going up with them is there, can you give us a little preview of what's coming? Because I'm sure there's like a lot, but any, any things that are notable that you want to highlight, I, I.

Patrick O'Neill (12:14)

Can certainly give you some insights. So typically with the crew missions we don't have a lot of science that flies up. Normally we send just the astronauts and some of the basic essentials. And then down the road we'll have commercial resupply services missions and that's no different with this one. There's a couple of projects that are flying with them like plant biology investigations, some yeast investigations. But then down the road in a couple of weeks we'll be having SpaceX CRS 33, that one's going to be packed with a lot of fun goodies. And then we'll have NG23 which will be flying about a month or so after that, also packed with a lot of research. And so some of the investigations that the team will be supporting during the mission, we'll definitely be looking at a lot of biomedical research, a lot of in space production applications. There'll be some research from the National Science foundation which is focused. You know, working with the National Science foundation is great because they fund a lot of fundamental research which allows for us to then focus on more applied research. And so they'll be supporting investigations in both tissue engineering as well as in transport phenomena and fluid dynamics. There'll be even student led investigations that are looking at genetics. So again it really is kind of across the board. Oh, one of the things I'm excited about, the crew's not really going to be working that much with it, but they still have to install it. But there's going to be a couple of different tech devs and demonstrations that are going to be flying that are looking at edge computing and AI components. What's exciting to me about that is now just like trying to increase the bandwidth of what's being transported to and from. And how that can help us from a research perspective, how that can eventually help the astronauts themselves be more efficient when they are working on the space station. So that's one area where I think we've kind of had some challenges over the many years we've been up on station. But the more and more that we're looking at these types of technologies and edge computing, I think that that's going to be really exciting from an R and D perspective and the ramifications in a positive way that that will have for all of us.

Maria Varmazes (14:11)

Yeah, what a force multiplier that could be. And I'm thinking, as you mentioned, you know, all the years it took to get the ISS assembled and then when it finally, finally came, all the pieces came together quite literally. And now the lab has been sort of exponentially growing in its capabilities, I think about, you know, how many years it has left and at this sort of amazing port, it's got like all of its powers and now we're going to be giving it this incredible new capability with edge computing and that will really just how much juice we're going to get out of these last five years.

Patrick O'Neill (14:44)

Yeah, so that's the biggest thing is in the, in the past, I mean, you could take a picture, you can sort of get a couple of videos, but it's not real time transmission type stuff. And so if we're able to get to that point, to your point, you know, how much more can we learn, how much more can we do while those investigations are on station before we bring them back down? And what's the impacts that's going to have for the scientific community across the board?

Maria Varmazes (15:07)

I look forward to hearing about that. So speaking of you being super busy, you've got travel plans coming up for Ascend, which is coming up real soon. Tell me about that.

Patrick O'Neill (15:16)

We get to go hang out in America's playground in the middle of July. You know, I'll tell you what it's going to be. Air conditioning will be my best friend as well as sunblock, because as a little ginger, you know, sometimes the sun, it kind of gets you pretty good. But we're excited to be there with our friends over at aiaa. This year we moved away from the ISS research and development conference and now we're working with the AIAA team to put together a variety of sessions where we're highlighting some of the great things that are happening on the space station and in low Earth orbit. So I think that we're also planning to do a live downlink transmission from the International Space Station to help kickstart the party. But then on top of that we'll have sessions that are focused on everything from space investment to, you know, how the space station is contributing to getting us from Low Earth orbit to eventually the Artemis program and getting us back to the moon and, and then eventually beyond. So what are the technologies that we are advancing? So one of those would be focused on AI and edge computing. So our friends at Hewlett Packard, I think will be joining that session to talk about how it is that they are contributing towards getting us that data throughput. But then we will also be having some emphasis on the annual Genes in Space student led program where these students had the opportunity to propose genetic experiments that will launch to the space station. So that's always been a, a really exciting collaboration we have with our friends over at Boeing and Mini pcr. But again, we're just grateful for the opportunity to work with the Ascend team this year in Las Vegas and hopefully in the future we can build on that and have more conversations about what's happening on the space station and why that matters for all of us.

Maria Varmazes (16:52)

Yeah, I was going to say the, the news dropped pretty recently about the 2026 Ascend. Can you tell me a little bit about what's, what's going on with that? That's far in the future, but still.

Patrick O'Neill (17:00)

I mean it is far in the future, but I do like the fact that it is going to be in Washington D.C. in May. And again, I love me some Vegas, but you know, July is a little bit hard but you know, May in next year in dc. So what we're planning to do there is hopefully have a little bit more of sessions that are directly infused and focused on tracks that are either ISS or Low Earth orbit. And again, we're really grateful for what it is that the Ascendant AIAA team has been able to do this year in lieu of ISS or ISS RDC not taking place. But again, hopefully next year we can build on that and really have some truly identified tracks and bring everyone together in one big, robust and exciting forum.

Maria Varmazes (17:41)

A lot of amazing updates. It's great as always to speak with you. Anything I missed that we should cover that you wanted to talk about or did we manage to cover?

Patrick O'Neill (17:48)

The only thing that I would flag for your viewers is be on the lookout for a lot of great insight that's going to be coming not only from the National Lab, but also from our friends over at NASA. Later on this year, we have a big milestone for the International space station program. 25 years of continuous human presence. So look for a lot of those updates and maybe some of the factoids and the cool things that have been happening on the space station along the way. We're excited to roll out a variety of campaigns around that. And so, again, it's just, it's a testament to, you know, us collectively working together with our international partners to find ways to live and work in space and to do great things for humanity.

Maria Varmazes (18:40)

I'll be right back.

Dave (18:47)

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Maria Varmazes (20:02)

Welcome back. The billionaire pilot and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, best known for funding and commanding SpaceX's inspiration for and Polaris dawn missions, is investing in the next generation of space explorers with a new $15 million donation to Space Camp. The donation is helping build out the inspiration for skills training complex at the US Space and Rocket center in Alabama. And that is the home of the original Space Camp and the visitor center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. And this donation follows a previous $10 million gift that he gave in 2022 to kickstart this exact project. And the new combined funds will support everything from simulated missions to the moon and Mars to activities for Space Camp robotics and US Cyber Camp students. A fourth dormitory for Space Camp attendees is also on the wish list, though more funding will be needed to make that happen. So if anyone listening happens to have deep pockets, maybe there's a Space Camp dorm building with your name on it in the future. Who knows? In the meantime, Isaacman has his own connection to Space Camp. I didn't know this, but he attended the Aviation challenge at age 12 and says that the experience helped inspire his path to the cockpit and then onwards to space. And now he's paying it forward to help launch the next wave of mission ready talent. In his own words, Space Camp is a national Treasure and the U.S. space and Rocket center posted this update on July 11 about these latest developments. And they said this we were beyond honored to welcome our friend and Aviation Challenge alum Jared Isaacman for a firsthand look at the Inspiration4 skills training complex taking shape, and we are beyond grateful for his $25 million commitment for this project. Jared's generosity is an investment in the future of space exploration and new generations of pioneers. The building will transform Space Camp as it transports trainees with new missions, night vision training, realistic simulated parachute landings, and more AD Astra future astronauts. This is just the beginning and that's T minus Brought to you by N2K CyberWire we would love to know what you think of this podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the inside set keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like the show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space2k.com we're proud that N2K CyberWire is part of the daily routine of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector. From the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies, N2K helps space and cyber security professionals grow, learn and stay informed. As the nexus for discovery and connection, we bring you the people, the technology and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how@n2k.com N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our Executive Producer is Jennifer Ivan. Peter Kielpe is our publisher and I'm your host Maria Varmazes. Thanks for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

Patrick O'Neill (23:28)

T minus.

Dave (23:42)

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