Behind The Scenes Of A Mission To Touch The Sun: NASA's Parker Solar Probe Launch
I will be sharing my experience behind the scenes at Cape Canaveral for NASA's Parker Solar Probe at 3:48 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 11. Be sure to follow my social media posts over the next few days to watch behind the scenes of one of NASA’s biggest launches in recent years!
Delta IV HEavy At Cape Canaveral
In early 2017, Founder Institute announced a new initiative, the STAR Fellowship. To inspire and empower entrepreneurs to build 500 new space-related businesses by 2025. We wanted to help cultivate "astropreneurship". We did this in partnership with some of the world’s foremost leaders in space, entrepreneurship, and innovation to simplify the complex process of launching a space startup.
Commander Michael López-Alegría - NASA Astronaut
During this time I became fortunate to meet with some of the amazing space industry experts, such as the New York Space Alliance. I even got to met my first Astronaut during the release of Sparks & Honey's report "Space: Exploration Innovation Brought Down To Earth". It was a pleasure to met former NASA Astronaut Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, who holds the all time American record for number of Spacewalks (10) and total Spacewalk duration (67 hours and 40 minutes).
So earlier this year when I heard NASA was scouting for social media influencers, I decided to apply for social media credentials. And then a few months later, to my surprise, I was selected by NASA to come down to Cape Canaveral for the launch of the Parker Solar Probe!
The Parker Solar Probe is NASA's first ever mission to touch the sun. The Parker Solar Probe will use seven gravity assist Venus flybys over the next seven years to slowly shrink its orbit around the sun. This will bring the Parker Solar Probe as close as 3.83 million miles to the sun. On it's closest orbit, the probe will be seven times closer than any spacecraft before it and it's eventual speed will make it the fastest human-made object in existence, at 430,000 mph relative to the sun.
As NASA states; "The spacecraft will go close enough to the sun to watch the solar wind speed up from subsonic to supersonic, and it will fly through the birthplace of the highest-energy solar particles. Still, as with any great mission of discovery, Parker Solar Probe is likely to generate more questions than it answers."
At 3:48 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 11, the Parker Solar Probe will launch to begin its journey to the sun atop the second most powerful rocket in operation: the Delta IV Heavy. Selected in 2015 for the mission, it was the biggest rocket on the planet before being eclipsed by Space X Falcon Heavy in February of this year. To learn more about the mission, the Parker Solar Probe, and NASA's launch this Saturday be sure to watch the video below detailing the Park Solar Probes journey to touch the sun.
I will be sharing my experience behind the scenes at Cape Canaveral on social media for everyone to follow along. I will be tweeting, Instagramming, live streaming on Twitch, and more. The links are below. So be sure to follow my social media posts over the next few days to watch behind the scenes of one of NASA’s biggest launches in recent years!
Allen Saakyan's Simulation, Discussing The Future Of Humanity
We are proud to have Allen Saakyan on our show today. Not only do I get the pleasure of interviewing him, I had the privilege of being interviewed for his podcast, Simulation, as well!
Allen Saakyan, Simulation
We are proud to have Allen Saakyan on our show today. Not only do I get the pleasure of interviewing him, but I also had the privilege of being interviewed for his podcast, Simulation, as well! This episode will be a little different as we go back and forth asking questions for both of our podcasts, you won’t want to miss it!
Growing up, Allen knew he was destined to take a different path. He was always curious, which drove him to wonder why so many people always took the same path. His quest became to figure out how could he help people desire to take their own path? Fast forward, and now he is the successful founder of Simulation, a podcast that facilitates humanity’s most thought-provoking questions. He also is the host of World’s Fair, a festival with mind-blowing technology and futuristic talks. Listen in to hear more about:
- Allen's meaning of Simulation
- How people are working to make the world a better place
- Why mentorship is so crucial
- How Allen is working to bring back the iconic World’s Fair
- The need to talk about the future and why it is important
- What is the most beautiful thing in the world
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice:
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Quote Of The Episode:
“Value is determined by a person's passion to change the world and make it a better place”
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The A-List
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Thank you for listening!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
Transcript:
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Gabe Zichermann's Onward Helps You Achieve Tech-Life Balance
Author, public speaker, and entrepreneur are just a few great titles for today’s guest, Gabe Zichermann. He is the CEO and Founder of Onward, a company that helps you achieve tech-life balance.
Gabe Zichermann, Gamification
Author, public speaker, and entrepreneur are just a few great titles for today’s guest, Gabe Zichermann. He is the CEO and Founder of Onward, a company that helps you achieve tech-life balance. Gabe is also known for his expertise on the topic of Gamification. Having written three books, “The Gamification Revolution”, “Gamification by Design” and “Game-Based Marketing”.
Gabe grew up in Toronto with his two parents that immigrated from Hungary and Romania. He had a passion for games from a young age of 8 when he got his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20, and programmed his first computer game. After college, his first big success was Trimedia, which he sold in 2005. From there Gabe helped define the field of Gamification. In this episode, we get to discuss Gabe's full background, both the ups and downs of life, including:
The power of games and their application to the rest of the world
What is "Gamification"
How to recognize when to change your life
Why it can be so important to take a step back
The importance of doing the self work as an entrepreneur
His success with building Trimedia
Growing his newest company Onward
The future of tech-life balance
Ambition Today Question of the Day™ :
“On the topic of tech life balance, how do you recommend people keep themselves in check?”
The Single Greatest Piece of Advice Gabe Has Ever Learned:
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Quote Of The Episode:
“The most important thing is to understand who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are, and be able to name it”
Links from this episode:
Listen to this episode now:
Join the shows A-list backchannel for exclusive access to additional Ambition Today content, deeper guest insights, a community of fellow fans, and much more. Plus, Learn the single greatest piece of advice this guest has ever learned!
Thank you so much for listening and applying these useful tips and strategies to your life! If you have a chance, please drop by and leave a review for the show on iTunes by clicking here. Also, who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments. Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave a short review in the comments below. It keeps me going…
You can find the full transcript of this episode here.
Be sure to listen and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform.
Work The Problem: Advice From An Astronaut
Last year I read An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth by Chris Hadfield. In it he talks about working the NASA strategy of working the problem. This very technique ended up aiding Commander Hadfield when he went blind in space.
Last year I read An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth by Chris Hadfield. In it he talks about the NASA strategy of working the problem. This very technique ended up aiding Commander Hadfield when he went blind in space. Here is an excerpt from Chris Hadfield's book that offers you a brief explanation of what exactly working the problem means is in his own words:
“Working the problem” is NASA-speak for descending one decision tree after another, methodically looking for a solution until you run out of oxygen. We practice the “warn, gather, work” protocol for responding to fire alarms so frequently that it doesn’t just become second nature; it actually supplants our natural instincts. So when we heard the alarm on the Station, instead of rushing to don masks and arm ourselves with extinguishers, one astronaut calmly got on the intercom to warn that a fire alarm was going off – maybe the Russians couldn’t hear it in their module – while another went to the computer to see which smoke detector was going off. No one was moving in a leisurely fashion, but the response was one of focused curiosity; as though we were dealing with an abstract puzzle rather than an imminent threat to our survival. To an observer it might have looked a little bizarre, actually: no agitation, no barked commands, no haste."
Chris Hadfield - Excerpt from An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
This work the problem NASA mentality of descending down one decision tree after another until you reach your solution is something I learned and practiced first hand during my time as a Fireman and EMT. The main reason I think the idea of working the problem has stuck with me so much over the years though is because it is so similar to entrepreneurship. With each problem you conquer there will be a new one that arises. And just like the the limited oxygen supply in space, with entrepreneurship you can be limited by the year, month, or week of runway you have left in your business.
Applying this work the problem mentality to problem solving in business can be extremely useful. I was solving a problem recently, but was not really making any progress toward a solution. I stopped, took a step back, and realized I found myself too fixated on the problem. I was analyzing the problem over and over again as if some magic answer was just waiting to reveal itself to me. It can be so easy to get caught up on the problem when problem solving. I wasn't working the problem toward a solution like I needed to be one decision at a time. While it is important to understand a problem you are facing, once you have extracted the main knowledge you need to move forward there is often very little value remaining.
During the New York City blizzard this weekend I watched The Martian with Matt Damon (I promise no spoilers). Being as it is a film about Mars filled with teams of astronauts the strategy of working the problem is a common theme throughout the movie. It reminded me of the lessons learned over the years. After the movie I revisited the problem I was stuck on and solved it.
Work the problem is a good tool to keep around, whether you are an astronaut or not. Remember, no matter what the problem is you are facing, whether it be with your company or in your life, take the time to understand the problem and then be done with it. Take your new found knowledge and focus it, descending one decision tree after another until you reach you solution. Work the problem!
Learning How To Learn
Prior to getting my degree from the University at Buffalo in Cognitive neuroscience. which is the analytical combination of Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence, I was pursuing a degree in Nursing. I had heard from friends and family that...
Prior to getting my degree from the University at Buffalo in Cognitive neuroscience. which if you don't know is the analytical combination of Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence, I was pursuing a degree in Nursing. I had heard from friends and family that anesthesiologist made a decent amount of money and also helped people.
At the same time I was a Fireman and EMT with the Swormville Fire Company. I had spent my fair share of time in the back of ambulance's responding to emergency calls and delivering people to the Emergency Room. A degree in nursing seemed like a natural progression for the path I was on.
But something about it didn't seem right. I was too curious. I wanted to know more about the world than a degree in nursing was telling me. I began to search for another option. I remember asking around to see if any Universities offered a degree in "life". I wanted to know and understand all there was about the world and the people in it. Then I remember seeing the description for the Cognitive Science degree at UB. It was:
Cognitive Science is the study of how the mind works. It investigates thought and consciousness, the senses and emotions, the structure of language, cultural patterns, neural organization, and the computational analogs of mental processes. It examines how these areas interact, how they develop in the growing human, and how they appear in other animals.
It sounded perfect. While the range of knowledge Cognitive Science pulled together was awesome I especially loved the classes that focused on Neurology. I enjoyed them so much I actually made Neuro the core focus for the major. Finally I had found something that provided a deeper understanding of how people think which scientifically complemented my minor in Philosophy perfectly. I was beginning to form an understanding holistically of how the world worked.
Through my degree in Cognitive Neuroscience I learned how to scientifically form and ask the right questions. I learned how to apply the philosophy of logic to understand the answers I got to those questions I was asking. I learned how people think. I learned which of the neurons drives different instinctual human characteristics. From my minor I learned to appreciate the philosophical differences those characteristics can take across numerous cultures and ideologies.
While I didn't pursue a career in the Cognitive Science field after graduation the biggest take away I got out of my time at University was that I learned how to learn. I think this is one of the most important investments a person can make in themselves. The earlier you make this investment the more compound interest you will get as a result across your lifetime.
I did this before the time that I started taking an interest in learning about startups. Again, as a way to satisfy my intense curiosity for understanding the world and how new ideas manifest themselves into reality. Being armed with the tools to learn thanks to my degree was a massive help in learning and understanding the world of startups over the next several years.
The key take away here is that I think there are two types of learning. One, you can learn how to learn. This is a skill and ability that everyone can nourish and grow. If done first it sets a solid foundation for you to then go learn and have a complete understanding around a specialized field much better than skipping ahead to only learning a specialized field. It is a small distinction but an important one in my mind. Tim Ferris is a great example of this. He is a man who has perfected the art of learning how to learn and because of that he can pick up new things almost overnight and quickly understand them. His new series in the iTunes store, The Tim Ferris Experiment along with his books, are a testament to this. So next time you are struggling to learn and understand something new. Take a moment and think if there is some foundational work you can teach yourself first, that will help you with achieving your current goals. Learn how to learn.
Peter Diamandis On The Power Of Thinking Exponentially
"If you want to become a billionaire then help a billion people" - Peter Diamandis
James Cameron, Peter Diamandis, Elon Musk, and others experiencing weightlessness on a Zero G flight.
I saw Peter Diamandis speak recently at the 2015 Founder Showcase. In case you didn't know Peter started the X Prize, has backed Tesla, and created the Singularity University to name a few achievements. He starts his talk with the foundation that "an entrepreneur today can touch the lives of a billion people". Peter talks about how in just 30 doublings of something you can reach the number billion.
"If you want to become a billionaire then help a billion people" - Peter Diamandis
The power of thinking exponentially and not linear has the ability to unlock a whole new world of technology and science. Peter shows this by tracking the success trajectories of companies like Kodak to Instagram across various decades. If we look at how that trajectory predicts the future ahead of us we are in for some unfathomable achievements in the world. Somebody has to start these dreams and companies. It might as well be you. So take some time and learn how to think exponentially. Watch this exclusive video below and don't forget to also subscribe to my Youtube Channel here: