This week has been BUSY with activity in Low Earth Orbit on the Space Station! This episode is a recap from our LIVE Hangout broadcast on social media during NASA's International Space Station Update. We hear from the new NASA Administrator (Jared Isaacman), the Associate Administrator (Amit Kshatriya), and the Chief Space Medical Officer (Dr. James D. Polk) as they answer questions from NASA HQ in Washington, D.C. as the ISS operation teams at JSC in Houston were prepping Crew 11 to come home.

Hear my thoughts at the start and close - this conference was really good and a sign of the kind of leadership Jared Isaacman is bringing to NASA. One major takeaway, aside from wishing the now stable Astronaut gets home safetly, is that NASA really has a good head on it's shoulders. There is a lot of work to do - but in this I feel confident there are good winds of change under NASA's wings. Looking forward to the rest of 2026!

#SpaceMedicine #NASA #SpaceSafety #HumanSpaceflight #TodayInSpace

Timestamps:

00:00 ISS Update and Initial Reactions

02:04 Background and Initial Information

08:04 NASA's Response and Transparency

08:28 Details of the Medical Incident

09:56 Q&A Session with NASA Officials

13:23 Further Questions and Clarifications

19:20 Crew's Training and Medical Capabilities

32:10 Impact on ISS Operations and Future Missions

50:19 Final Thoughts and Next Steps

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🚀 In this full-length episode of Today In Space, Chuck Dorn — former NASA official and COO of SolaMed Solutions — takes us deep into the world of space medicine. We discuss:

• What it takes to keep astronauts alive during long-duration missions
• The challenges of medical care in microgravity
• Ethical questions like "Who should fly to space?"
• How telemedicine and remote care will shape commercial space travel
• The role of standards and safety protocols for future space exploration

If you're curious about the human side of spaceflight, this is a must-watch episode.

📌 Join the conversation and subscribe for more space insights!

#SpaceMedicine #NASA #SpaceSafety #HumanSpaceflight #TodayInSpace

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Background of Chuck Dorn

05:04 Chuck's Journey to NASA and Early Career

07:06 Development of Telemedicine and Remote Healthcare

14:15 Challenges and Ethical Considerations in Space Exploration

17:04 Impact of Space Exploration on Public Health and Society

18:32 The Role of Private Companies in Space Exploration

20:26 Importance of Crew Protection in Space

01:15:25 Challenges of Medical Equipment in Space & Lessons from Past Missions

01:23:21 Impact of Federal Government Changes on Space Exploration

01:28:58 Personal Reflections and Future of Space Exploration

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This week, we talk with the Director of Global Affairs at SolaMed Solutions - Dr. Michelle Hailey. We learn about her origin story of entering the space industry, meeting Dr. Saralyn Mark, and diving into this space industry of ours on Earth. We learn about space culture, international partnership, and another non-traditional pathway to entering the Space Workforce. So buckle up - and get ready for another episode of Today In Space and a People of Space segment with Dr. Michelle Hailey.

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas - let's dive in!

Timestamps:

We'd like to thank our sponsors:

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Support the podcast:

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