Cosmic Queries – Launching the Inspiration4 with Chris Mason & Sian Proctor

About This Episode

What did we learn from the first all civilian mission into orbit? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore SpaceX’s recent launch, the Inspiration4, with biophysicist Dr. Chris Mason and geoscientist and pilot Dr. Sian Proctor. 

Can the human body adapt to space? We discuss how humans respond to spaceflight, the biomes found within a spacecraft, and microbes in space. What happens when we only send the same kid of people up into space? What does a geoscientist think when she looks out the spacecraft window? What does it mean to be classified as civilians? We ask Chris what he is looking for in his tests. What do spaceflight and roller derby have in common?

What do you pack when you go to space? We break down the perseverance it takes to get to space and what sort of setbacks Sian saw on her way. We answer more questions like, how does zero G affect perfusion ratios in the lungs? Are there consequences? Do people in space really become taller? Is there a way to make this permanent? Discover the hardiness of bacteria in space and concerns about microbes from other planets. Could we contaminate the Earth with some Martian microbe? As space becomes more accessible is there a difference in training? 

What changed about Sian after seeing Earth from space? Find out about Neil’s experience in a centrifuge. What did the Inspiration4 team eat in space? Are there long-term effects of being away from Earth’s magnetic field? How do you operate a Crew Dragon capsule? All that, plus, find out our wishlist for future space stations: What would you want to have in space?

Thanks to our Patrons Arlindo Anderson, Miranda Toth, Dino Vidić, Nala Andromeda, Erik Varga, JohnMettler, and Aaron Rikede Ahlman for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.