Join Emily and Alexa in conversation with Dr. Soyeon Yi, Korea's first and only astronaut! We discuss her trajectory towards the stars and her experiences navigating gender and cultural dynamics in STEM in Korea, the US, and Star City in Russia. Dr. Yi also speaks about her time in space and the colorful story of the tradition of the welcome apple upon her return back to Earth. Last but not least, we touch on the necessity of diversity in engineering and space science, as well as Dr. Yi's advice for folks interested in pursuing a similar path.

Emily and Alexa chat with astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy about his work capturing the stars, rocket launches, and other celestial phenomena. Listen in to hear behind-the-scenes stories of what it takes to get the incredible shots McCarthy has captured of the ISS transiting the Moon, his collaborations with Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman and artist Cathrin Machin, and more!

Andrew's work can be found on his website at cosmicbackground.io. He is also found on Instagram at @cosmic_background and on X at @AJamesMcCarthy.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.

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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Emily and Alexa chat with NASA Historian Dr. Lois Rosson about the history of illustration in space exploration, how the NASA Art Program came to be, and the dark story behind the rocket emoji. 🚀

Dr. Lois Rosson is a historian of science and technology based in Los Angeles, where she currently works as a field historian in the NASA History Office. At NASA, Lois just completed a history of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, and is currently working on a history of exoplanet research at the agency.

Her current book project traces the impact of Los Angeles's art and special effects industry on the look of the space environment in planetary science and in popular culture. She has held the Guggenheim Pre-Doctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and the Octavia E. Butler Fellowship at the Huntington Library. Her work has been supported by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Berggruen Institute, and the American Philosophical Society.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.

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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join us as we chat with artist and prop maker Ryan Nagata about his work replicating space suits and making props for movies. Ryan Nagata is based in Los Angeles and has made spacesuit replicas for various collectors and museums. You may have seen his work with Adam Savage of Mythbusters and tested.com, as well as on movies such as First Man and Fly Me to the Moon.

His website is www.ryannagata.com and you can find him on Instagram @RyanNagata.

Join Emily and Alexa as they speak with Dr. Elizabeth Tasker about her trajectory in science communication for international audiences. Dr. Tasker is an associate professor at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, where she also serves on the outreach team. She originally founded and continues to write on the Institute's blog, Cosmos, and supports the English translation of press releases and social media feeds.

Dr. Tasker also does international outreach for several space missions, including Hayabusa2, and is the international outreach lead for the Martian Moons Exploration Mission, MMX. Her academic research looks at the formation of stars and planets using numerical simulations and machine learning, and also explores the use of virtual reality in creating unique online events. Dr. Tasker has also written her first popular science book, The Planet Factory, which you can check out now, and she is the lead editor and one of the authors on the textbook Planetary Diversity.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.
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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with Herb Baker whose career spanned five decades working with NASA. Herb shares incredible stories from his recent memoir, From Apollo to Artemis, and insights he has earned from his work in the broader space community.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.
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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with experience designer Sands Fish about designing for life in outer space, inventing a musical instrument specifically for zero-g environments, and his work with MIT's Space Exploration Initiative.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.

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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa with their guest Dr. Sian "Leo" Proctor. Dr. Sian Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, explorer, and geoscience educator. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. Her motto is "Space 2 Inspire," and her mission is to bridge the gap between art and science, encouraging everyone to let their Earthlight shine.

Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes.

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Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited