Podcast Summary: T-Minus Space Daily

Episode Title: New Worlds and Space Cowboys
Date: October 18, 2025
Host: Maria Varmazes, N2K Networks
Featured Guest: Rick Tomlinson (Founder, New Worlds Conference and Space Fund)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the intersection of space exploration, culture, and innovation through a conversation with Rick Tomlinson, a pioneer in the commercial space industry. Focused on the upcoming New Worlds Conference and the unique Space Cowboy Ball in Austin, Texas, the discussion dives into how these events foster community, creativity, and a sense of mission in advancing humanity's expansion into space. Tomlinson shares personal stories, outlines the event's distinctive philosophy, and discusses broader themes such as the purpose of human spaceflight, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the optimistic future of Homo spatialis.

Key Topics and Insights

1. The Genesis of the New Worlds Conference

• Event Philosophy:
  • Tomlinson created New Worlds as a space conference he would "actually want to stay in the room for" (02:55).
  • Focuses on bringing together people from diverse backgrounds—artists, musicians, authors, Space Force personnel—not just traditional aerospace insiders.
  • Emphasis on the "Space Tribe," a community supporting humanity's expansion beyond Earth (03:30).
• Edge Theory:
  • Innovation flourishes at the intersection of different disciplines and perspectives.
  • Quote:

    "Edges are where cool stuff happens. If you're hanging out with a bunch of people exactly like you, you're not really expanding your domain of understanding."
    — Rick Tomlinson (03:10)

2. Event Highlights & Notable Guests

• Program Preview:
  • Eclectic schedule includes musical performances and meditation followed by talks with major figures:
    • Akash Sood (trance musician), General John Olson (Space Force), Greg Autry (potential NASA CFO), Bob Zubrin (Mars Society), Frank White (Overview Effect author) (04:00).
  • Close-knit, collaborative atmosphere among speakers—deliberately designed for spontaneous, impactful connections.
  • Anecdote:
    • Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator, is a regular; last year, he and others debated "the future of humanity in space" into the early morning hours (05:15).

3. The Space Cowboy Ball

• Theme & Experience:
  • Costume party-meets-awards ceremony—playful and community-driven (06:30).
  • Attendees include industry giants like Jeff Bezos and Gwen Shotwell; awards must be accepted in person (07:24).
  • Not only celebrates the industry, but directly benefits causes:
    • Charity Highlight: Raising funds for “Space for Ukraine,” inspiring children through STEM, robotics, and rocketry education (08:30).
    • “The stars will come out tomorrow”—hope for war-torn communities.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “When nerds dress up, they party. And so this is space nerds partying.” — Rick Tomlinson (08:14)

4. Awards and Recognition

• Space Cowboy Award 2025: Tom Marcusek, founder of Firefly Aerospace (07:24).
• Permission to Dream Award: Honors those who inspire youth, like delivering telescopes to Ukrainian children for astronomy during blackouts (10:48).
• Lone Star Award: Dr. Bonin, advocate for the creation of the Texas Space Commission (11:13).

5. Unique Community and Event Structure

• Curated Content:
  • Carefully curated talks, TED talk-length, two types:
    • StarTalks (Space Technology, Art, Research)
    • Enterprise Updates (Business plans)
  • Startup founders interspersed throughout rather than siloed, to maximize cross-pollination (15:25-16:12).
• Atmosphere:
  • Combines the creative freedom of events like Burning Man with the rigor of science and entrepreneurship.
  • Quote:

    "Somebody once described it as Burning Man on a rocket ship."
    — Rick Tomlinson (16:52)

6. Diverse and Radical Perspectives

• Topics on Offer:
  • Everything from cosmic dark matter to gender inclusivity in astronautics:
    • "When somebody's in a spacesuit, you can't tell who they are. We need everybody to be able to go." (17:10)
  • Visionary concept: Building "cloud cities" in the atmosphere of Venus, presented by Guillermo Sonlein (founder of “Venus Society”).
    • Quote:

      “If you built a glass bubble the size of a Super Bowl Stadium... the density of the Venetian atmosphere is so high that bubble would float in the sky of Venus. Right. So you could literally go full Lando Calrissian here.”
      — Rick Tomlinson (18:50)

7. The Earthlight Foundation & "Principles of Purpose"

• Foundation Mission:
  • Inspired by Gerard K. O'Neill, promotes expanding and protecting life beyond Earth (20:21-22:30).
  • Principles:
    • Protect & expand the domain of life—Spread Earth's seed to the cosmos.
    • Honor and evolve civilization—Rise above past mistakes, embrace diversity, no conquest.
    • Explore and experience the universe—The universe comes alive through sensory experience and discovery.
  • Quotes:

    "Without sensing beings... there is no universe. It's dead. It doesn't exist without beings that can call it into existence by saying it exists."
    — Rick Tomlinson (23:16)
    "We're basically apes with rockets right now, but I think we can get better."
    — Rick Tomlinson (26:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• New Worlds Conference origin & mission: 01:41–03:30
• Program highlights & conference vibe: 04:00–06:13
• Space Cowboy Ball & charity focus: 06:13–09:38
• Awards and community impact: 10:11–11:45
• Event curation, start-ups, and cross-pollination: 15:13–16:12
• Diversity, inclusion, and Venus Cloud Cities: 16:52–19:14
• Earthlight Foundation and philosophies: 20:04–26:03

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Conference Culture:

  "This is about the culture of people who I call spacers who believe in, work on, and have as their goal in life supporting the expansion of humanity and life beyond the earth."
  — Rick Tomlinson (03:30)

• Intellectual Chemistry:

  "I'm bringing you together because I want you all to meet each other. You're all great speakers, you're all amazing. But what I'm trying to do is create a cadre of people who are creating just these incredible moments with each other."
  — Rick Tomlinson (04:30)

• On Humanity's Expansion:

  "People live everywhere, and people want to live everywhere... If you ask somebody who lives in the Sahara about life in Manhattan, they would be like, who the hell would want to live in these concrete canyons?"
  — Rick Tomlinson (19:14)

• Mission of Earthlight:

  "We want humanity to rise together and to learn from the mistakes we've made and get it right this time."
  — Rick Tomlinson (23:20)
  "It's all about waking humanity up. We're all walking around with our heads bowed down to this little rectangular machine that we pray to and, and rules our lives. It's time for us to sort of put that thing down and look up."
  — Rick Tomlinson (25:30)

Summary

This episode offers a lively, thoughtful glimpse into the vision of Rick Tomlinson and the New Worlds Conference, blending space industry innovation with community, creativity, and optimism for the human future among the stars. The event—and Tomlinson's philosophy—champions inclusivity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a sense of hopeful mission, grounded in the belief that humanity’s destiny is to expand, explore, and improve, both on Earth and far beyond.