Art Astra Podcast

Emily and Alexa chat with astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy about his work capturing the stars, rocket launches, and other celestial phenomena. Listen in to hear behind-the-scenes stories of what it takes to get the incredible shots McCarthy has captured of the ISS transiting the Moon, his collaborations with Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman and artist Cathrin Machin, and more!   Andrew's work ca...

Emily and Alexa chat with NASA Historian Dr. Lois Rosson about the history of illustration in space exploration, how the NASA Art Program came to be, and the dark story behind the rocket emoji. 🚀 Dr. Lois Rosson is a historian of science and technology based in Los Angeles, where she currently works as a field historian in the NASA History Office. At NASA, Lois just completed a history of the Str...

Join us as we chat with artist and prop maker Ryan Nagata about his work replicating space suits and making props for movies. Ryan Nagata is based in Los Angeles and has made spacesuit replicas for various collectors and museums. You may have seen his work with Adam Savage of Mythbusters and tested.com , as well as on movies such as First Man and Fly Me to the Moon .   His website is www.ryannagat...

Join Emily and Alexa as they speak with Dr. Elizabeth Tasker about her trajectory in science communication for international audiences. Dr. Tasker is an associate professor at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, where she also serves on the outreach team. She originally founded and continues to write on the Institute's blog, Cosmos , and supp...

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with Herb Baker whose career spanned five decades working with NASA. Herb shares incredible stories from his recent memoir, From Apollo to Artemis, and insights he has earned from his work in the broader space community.  Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with experience designer Sands Fish about designing for life in outer space, inventing a musical instrument specifically for zero-g environments, and his work with MIT's Space Exploration Initiative.  Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa with their guest Dr. Sian "Leo" Proctor. Dr. Sian Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, explorer, and geoscience educator. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. Her motto is "Space 2 Inspire," and her mission is to bridge the gap between art and science, encouraging everyone to...

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with planetary scientist and space industry strategist Dr. Tanya Harrison about Mars, science communication, and finding your path in the space industry. Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

What challenges does physical security face in outer space? Would it be possible to pick a lock in space? Join Emily, Alexa, and their guest, historian of security Schuyler Towne, as they discuss how the history of security may help inform the security of the future.   Please see the Art Astra website ( artastra.space ) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Musi...

Have you ever wondered about what goes into planning and executing a space history auction? Emily and Alexa talk to Cassandra Hatton, Global Head of the Science & Popular Culture department at Sotheby's auction house. Cassandra has set market records in space exploration, history of science and technology, natural history, and popular culture markets worldwide. Please see the Art Astra website ( a...

Have you ever wondered how concert sets and visual effects are designed? This week, Emily and Alexa talk with Deborah Johnson, aka Candy Stations, who designed the visual effects for Sufjan Stevens' space-inspired "Planetarium" and "Age of Adz" album tours, and has collaborated with several other artists and musicians for performances across the country. Please see the Art Astra website ( artastra...

Whether you're a pinball champion, an avid enjoyer of the old virtual Space Cadet pinball games, or a complete newbie to the pinball world - you may be surprised at just how much overlap there is with spaceflight and pinball game design over the ages. Join Emily and Alexa in conversation with Erin Winick Anthony, a science communicator, engineer, and one of the top 100 ranked women's pinball playe...

What is Space Archaeology? Join Emily and Alexa as they speak with Dr. Justin Walsh of the ISS Archaeological Project about what doing archaeology in space really entails, what cultural and engineering insights we can gain from it, and what the future of this field looks like with the impending decommissioning of the ISS. The Art Astra Podcast is nominated for a Women in Podcasting Award! Listen t...

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with Janelle Wellons, Spaceflight Operations Engineer and Flight Director, about how the visual artist Alma Thomas' paintings resemble actual imagery from spacecraft, such as those captured by the Cassini and Mariner 4 missions. Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimit...

Join Emily and Alexa as they discuss the visual artist Alma Thomas, her paintings inspired by outer space, and how one of those paintings ended up in the collection of the CIA. Please see the Art Astra website (artastra.space) for this episode's transcript and show notes. -- Music credit: "Space" by Music_Unlimited

Join Emily and Alexa as they chat with Amanda Ohlke, Director of Adult Education at the International Spy Museum, about James Bond's adventures in space through the decades, and how those adventures reflected the public imagination over time. Ohlke also provides a sneak peek at the upcoming exhibition "Bond in Motion," now open and on view at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, until A...

Do you ever wonder how space and art combine to transform raw, sometimes noisy images captured by spacecraft into beautiful, clean images for us to see here on Earth? In this episode, Emily Olsen and Alexa Erdogan discuss space image processing with Jason Major, space exploration and astronomy outreach enthusiast. Jason explains how he interprets data files from various missions to make the beauti...

Join Emily Olsen and Alexa Erdogan as they discuss creative applications of space science. Alexa explains how scientists at Washington State University (WSU) used Barbie dolls in an important experiment to help solve problems humans will face on the Moon. Emily shares how an algorithm developed for the Hubble Space Telescope became key in tracking whale sharks. Emily and Alexa also discuss NASA's...

Nice to meet you! You can learn more about us here & connect with us on socials. — Music credit: " Space " by Music_Unlimited

The Art Astra Podcast explores intersections of space studies and the humanities in popular culture with the aim of highlighting opportunities for people from all walks of life to participate in and get excited about space. Join Emily Olsen and Alexa Erdogan every other week as they chat with people working in a variety of industries to discuss how space and art meet and continue to inspire. Music...