This week we lost Sir Patrick Stewart, at 86. For a lot of us he was the "measure of a man". And it's safe to say that without Captain Picard I would not have gone to school for an aerospace engineering degree, would not love space as much as I do, and this podcast wouldn't have started — never mind run regularly for over a decade now.

So this one isn't space news. It's what Sir Patrick Stewart and Captain Picard meant to me.

Picard never led by the tip of the spear. He wasn't Kirk. There's a real business book about exactly this, "Make It So: Leadership Lessons from Star Trek: The Next Generation," t was the first time I understood that a fictional character could change how you run a business and how you live your life. Affiliate link for the book is here if you are interested (https://link.amazon/B0au0xffL)

I talk about the leadership dynamics of the "Ready Room", the optimistic view of a Humanities AI future from Gene Roddenberry and Captain Picard, and how Partrick Stewart made me want to strive for creativity and was a pillar in my family. I close the episode with three quotes of his that really hit me.

I'd love to hear what he meant to you. Put it in the comments and let's honor his memory together — or email me at todayinspacepodcast@gmail.com if you'd rather.

May his memory be eternal.

Be well, stay safe, and stay curious.

SPREAD LOVE, SPREAD SCIENCE, AND STAY CURIOUS.

CHAPTERS
00:00 We lost Sir Patrick Stewart
01:13 Tell me what he meant to you
01:51 A pillar of leadership
02:16 Picard doesn't lead by the tip of the spear
02:43 "Make It So" — the leadership book
03:21 My first engineering job, and the mentor who made the connection
04:05 The Ready Room
05:06 Grunts, red shirts, and respect
05:37 How Picard handled conflict
06:49 Shakespeare, Ian McKellen, and the arts
07:35 The Starfleet mentality: become more human
08:33 Why this matters more as AI grows
09:49 My dad's VHS collection
10:43 Rest in peace, Sir Patrick
10:58 Three quotes that stayed with me
11:49 Go live life

THE THREE QUOTES, AND WHERE THEY'RE FROM

"We have powerful tools: openness, optimism, and the spirit of curiosity."
— Picard, Star Trek: Picard, S1E8 "Broken Pieces" (2020)

"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I'd rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again."
— Picard, Star Trek Generations (1994)

"What we leave behind is not as important as how we lived."
— Picard, Star Trek Generations (1994)

THE BOOK I MENTION
Make It So: Leadership Lessons from Star Trek: The Next Generation — Wess Roberts, Ph.D. and Bill Ross, Pocket Books, 1995. Amazon Affiliate link - https://link.amazon/B0au0xffL

CORRECTIONS
A few things I want to get right. The leadership book came out in 1995, not 1994 — Pocket Books ran the first hardcover that September. And when I introduced the three quotes I said they were all Next Generation. The second and third are Picard in Star Trek Generations, which is the TNG cast, so that one's close enough. But the first — openness, optimism, and the spirit of curiosity — is from Star Trek: Picard, season one. Same captain, different log entry.

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What did Sir Patrick Stewart mean to you? Tell me in the comments.

#patrickstewart #captainpicard #startrek #thenextgeneration #makeitso #leadership #startrekpicard #spacepodcast #todayinspace

On this week's episode, it's storytime after a very fun but also challenging NYCC trip. My third cosplay was my most ambitious yet, and with that ambition came complexity and things out of control! I'll tell you about the challenges I went through getting to the Cosplay showcase last Saturday, but more importantly I'll share how the wisdom of Mark Watney from the Martian kept me grounded. I'll talk about the Engineer's mindset I used to stay calm, focus on the next problem, and science the shit out of this ambitious cosplay! Never give up, never surrender!

Subscribe for more space, science, & stem mindset content, and let us know your thoughts on this flight in the comments below.

Timestamps:
00:00 The Five Week Cosplay Challenge
03:41 Unexpected Project Obstacles
06:18 Adapting the Build Plan
11:10 The Hotel Room Crunch
14:12 Comic Con Showcase Results
16:41 Lessons in Engineering Mindset

Pick up a copy of my first book "The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing" out now in hardcover and on Kindle: https://ag3dlabs.com/book

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Starship Flight 14 launched successfully! Watch the condensed replay of the liftoff and orbital insertion from our LIVE launch hangout. Subscribe and hit the bell to get notified the next time we go live and hangout with us in the chat.

This recap covers the latest Starship launch, showcasing the flight from initial liftoff through to the vehicle reaching orbit and deployed 26/26 Starlink Satellites that joined the Constellation.

For those following modern space exploration, this condensed sequence offers a clear look at the progress made by SpaceX. Seeing the vehicle reach its intended orbital flight goal and is a moment in modern space history. Next: More testing into orbit, more starlink deployments, and eventually the first orbital refueling demonstration!

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Starship Flight 14

Timestamps:
Overview (0:00)
Launch and Initial Ascent (12:54)
Booster Landing and Ship Status (21:20)
Orbital Insertion Decision (22:53)
Starlink V3 Payload Deployment (39:32)
Re-entry and Splashdown Mission End (83:16)

THE BOOK The Book of Uncommon-Sense 3D Printing is out now in hardcover and on Kindle: https://ag3dlabs.com/book

MORE TODAY IN SPACE https://todayinspace.net.
SKYE is free space news & mission tracking, and it runs every 30 minutes: https://todayinspace.net