Astronaut Nicole Stott Reflects on Lessons She Learned in Outer Space and How They Changed Her View of Life on “Spaceship Earth”
Release Date: 09/10/2025
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Phil Green has had a successful career in music and sports. For what he describes as his “third act,” Phil is now overseeing , a nonprofit in his hometown of Oakland, California. Follow the Music provides artist development, booking and management services to young artists — to shine a light on their talents and bring visibility to the programs that helped develop them. Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Phil Green and Follow the Music Bill Burke introduces Phil Green, co-founder of Follow the Music, an organization dedicated to fostering young...
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Author Bree Groff on Finding Joy at Work
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Psychotherapist Meghan Riordan Jarvis on the Importance of Understanding Grief as a Path Toward Living Healthier Lives
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Meghan Riordan Jarvis was a practicing psychotherapist when she found herself devastated by the loss of her two parents. She suddenly saw she was no different from those she helped, but she still needed outside support to recover. In this Blue Sky episode, she describes how this realization led her to become an expert about grief and an advocate for all of us to learn about this important and challenging part of life. Chapters: 02:20 Journey to Psychotherapy Meghan shares her personal journey into psychotherapy, beginning with a...
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Tricia Rose Burt Describes How She Transformed Her Life and Why She Encourages Others to Believe That There Is “No Time to Be Timid”
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Stacey Garcia on Resilience and Optimism in the Face of Personal Roadblocks and Why She Thinks “Mondays are Magic”
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Astronaut Nicole Stott Reflects on Lessons She Learned in Outer Space and How They Changed Her View of Life on “Spaceship Earth”
Blue Sky
Nicole Stott had a remarkable career with NASA, logging more than 100 days in outer space. Her time on the International Space Station drives her appreciation for the importance of cooperation across cultures and national boundaries. On this Blue Sky episode, she describes lessons learned from her time as an astronaut, and the inspiring work she does today through the Space For Art Foundation, and her optimistic and solutions-oriented approach to life. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Nicole Stott This chapter introduces Nicole Stott, a retired NASA...
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Back to School Edition
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Host Bill Burke thinks back to his own back to school days and offers thoughts on what he might study were he an incoming student this fall. He also discusses what he might teach if he were a faculty member and encourages us all to keep learning in our lives, whether we are enrolled students or not.
info_outlineNicole Stott had a remarkable career with NASA, logging more than 100 days in outer space. Her time on the International Space Station drives her appreciation for the importance of cooperation across cultures and national boundaries. On this Blue Sky episode, she describes lessons learned from her time as an astronaut, and the inspiring work she does today through the Space For Art Foundation, and her optimistic and solutions-oriented approach to life.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Nicole Stott
This chapter introduces Nicole Stott, a retired NASA astronaut, aquanaut, engineer, artist, and author. It highlights her unique experiences as one of fewer than 600 people to have flown in space, her inspiration from her father, and her journey into aeronautical engineering after a personal tragedy.
03:42 From Tragedy to Astronaut
Nicole shares the profound impact of her father’s tragic death in a plane crash on her career path, explaining how it fueled her desire to understand how things fly, leading to aeronautical engineering and eventually NASA. She also touches on her ‘aquanaut’ experience, spending 18 days underwater as training for spaceflight.
12:07 The Power of Optimism in Space
Nicole discusses the ‘here’s how we can’ approach essential for space travel, contrasting it with pessimism, and emphasizing the importance of teamwork in an international setting. She details her missions on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, highlighting the global collaboration required for such complex endeavors.
19:18 Earth as Spaceship, Us as Crewmates
Nicole reflects on the profound perspective gained from space, seeing Earth’s thin atmosphere as a fragile ‘thin blue line’ and the International Space Station’s hull as a parallel. This realization fuels her belief that all humans are ‘crewmates’ on ‘Spaceship Earth,’ inspiring a collective mission to protect our planet.
27:01 Art, Space, and Healing
Nicole shares her passion for art, which developed from a young age and continued during her space missions, where she created the first watercolor painting in space. This passion led her to establish the Space for Art Foundation, which uses space-themed art therapy to inspire and unite children in pediatric hospitals and refugee centers worldwide.
34:38 The Future of Space and Humanity
Nicole discusses the current landscape of space exploration, including public-private partnerships with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, and the broader motivations behind these endeavors. She also highlights the ‘never underestimate the importance of bugs’ principle, emphasizing that small individual actions can lead to significant planetary solutions.
45:12 Mars, The Moon, and Space Solar Power
Nicole addresses the potential for space-based solar power, highlighting its significant cost but comparing it to other large global expenditures. She concludes by expressing her optimism about humans landing on Mars within the next 30-50 years, with the Moon serving as a crucial steppingstone for this ambitious journey.