NASA is known for rockets, astronauts and moonshots. But at NASA Langley, the work is also about what happens before and after the launch: the testing, partnerships, aeronautics, technology transfer and long-term thinking that turn impossible ideas into repeatable progress.

Joseph Gasbarre, Director of the Strategic Partnerships Office at NASA Langley, talks through the next era of exploration — from Artemis and returning to the moon, to hypersonics, commercial space, regional air mobility and what it will take to build a lasting human presence beyond Earth.

The conversation moves from Star Trek and roller coasters to heat shields, lunar infrastructure, AI, NASA's "front door" for innovators, and why Hampton Roads continues to play a major role in the future of flight and space.

0:00 Why going to the moon more often changes everything
2:44 NASA is more than rockets and shuttles
3:04 From Star Trek fan to aerospace engineer
4:14 Artemis, launch day and years of NASA work coming together
7:46 What NASA Langley may study from Artemis reentry
9:04 Testing heat shields, speed and reentry at 32,000 mph
11:15 G-force, roller coasters and Pennsylvania amusement parks
16:31 How NASA recruits the next generation of talent
19:21 Mars travel, moon launches and escape velocity
20:47 Could humans live on the moon or Mars?
23:21 What space movies get right and wrong
24:18 How NASA thinks decades into the future
25:18 NASA's view on AI as a tool
26:32 The rise of commercial space companies
27:08 How innovators can partner with NASA
29:59 Hypersonics and faster commercial flight
31:17 The sonic boom problem and NASA's X-59
32:32 How NASA Langley looks at strategic partnerships
35:13 Putting more things on the lunar surface
36:17 Why launch cadence matters for innovation
37:01 NASA's coming "front door" for partnerships
37:34 Risk, safety and lessons from NASA history
39:48 The infrastructure we don't yet have around the moon
42:23 Handling public criticism and NASA education
45:25 Competing for talent in the space economy
49:35 Why people stay at NASA: mission
50:28 What Joseph wants to see before retirement
51:51 The first "A" in NASA: aeronautics
52:36 The future of flight, eVTOLs and regional air taxis
54:44 What Hampton Roads food should go to the moon?
56:21 Why this is an exciting time to be at the forefront

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