On today's episode, we’ll be speaking with Sarafina El-Badry Nance, astrophysicist and author of the new book Starstruck, to discuss the release of her memoir as well as personal journey into becoming an astrophysicist.

In her stunning memoir about a life dedicated to science, we see Sarafina grow into the woman she is today through the many challenges she has faced.  Vulnerable, empowering, and inspiring, Starstruck sits at the intersection of the study of our Cosmos—itself constantly changing—and the messy and transformative experience of pursuing one’s passion through life’s inevitable challenges.

Sarafina El-Badry Nance is an Egyptian-American astrophysicist, analog astronaut, author, science communicator, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and fervent women's health advocate.  Passionate about increasing science literacy, she uses a variety of mediums to share the magic of the universe with the world.  After being diagnosed with the cancer-causing BRCA mutation and having a preventative double mastectomy at age twenty-six, she publicly advocates for genetic testing, self-checks, and equity in healthcare.  She has been awarded fellowships by the National Science Foundation, been named one of Forbes' 30 Inspirational Women and was on Forbes' list of "30 Under 30" and the Arab America Foundation's "40 Under 40."

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor Explore Mars, Inc., an organization seeking to advance the goal of establishing a human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s.  Explore Mars hosts the annual Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), which features senior leadership and experts from NASA, industry, academia, other STEM fields, international space agencies, the entertainment industry, and the innovation sector.

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On today's episode, we’ll be speaking with Phil Plait, creator of the Bad Astronomy newsletter, to discuss his new book, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Under Alien Skies places you on the surface of alien worlds, from our own familiar moon to the far reaches of our solar system and beyond.  So whether you are an aspiring extraterrestrial citizen, casual space tourist, or curious armchair traveler, Phil's latest book is an illuminating, always-entertaining guide to the most otherworldly views in our universe.

Phil knew he wanted to be an astronomer since the age of 5, when he first saw Saturn through a flimsy department store telescope.  From that point on through many twists and turns, spending ten years working with Hubble Space Telescope as an observer, a programmer, and a calibration scientist led to him becoming a professional astronomer.  Astronomical outreach is Phil’s passion now and he created and writes the Bad Astronomy newsletter which is one of the most popular astronomical science blogs.  He also holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Virginia.

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor Explore Mars, Inc., an organization seeking to advance the goal of establishing a human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s.  Explore Mars hosts the annual Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), which features senior leadership and experts from NASA, industry, academia, other STEM fields, international space agencies, the entertainment industry, and the innovation sector.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

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Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On today's episode, we’ll be speaking with Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceBase, about democratizing access to space, what it takes to catalyze a space ecosystem, and the latest news out of the space community in New Zealand.

Emeline is a Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceBase, a social enterprise focused on democratizing space for everyone by co-creating space ecosystems in developing and emerging countries, starting with New Zealand.  Emeline is also a Co-Founder of International Space Consultants, USA and is on the management team of Ceres Robotics Inc.  She joined the inaugural cohort of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship program in New Zealand in 2017.  She also was the former Chief Impact Officer and Executive VP of Operations at Singularity University (SU).  Emeline sits on the Board of Trustees for the 10th to the 9th Plus Foundation and is a member of the Associate Editorial Board for the New Space Journal.  She is on the International Advisory Committee of the Alliance for Collaboration in the Exploration of Space and is an Institute for Space Commerce Fellow.

Emeline has a BS in Physics from the University of the Philippines and a MS in Earth and Space Science from York University, Canada.  She also attended the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program in Strasbourg, France and subsequently worked for ISU - helping develop its Masters of Space Studies program and even running its summer space studies program.  In commercial space development, she has worked and consulted for several startups including Space Adventures Ltd, Odyssey Moon, and Moon Express.

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor Explore Mars, Inc., an organization seeking to advance the goal of establishing a human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s. Explore Mars hosts the annual Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), which features senior leadership and experts from NASA, industry, academia, other STEM fields, international space agencies, the entertainment industry, and the innovation sector.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
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LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On today's sponsored episode courtesy of Multiverse Media, we’ll be discussing the upcoming film, FORTITUDE that was created by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Torsten Hoffmann.  We’ve got the privilege of having Torsten on the show today – sharing not only inspiration behind the film, a preview into what viewers can expect, but also how you can support its creation as well.

Today, we are joined by Torsten Hoffmann, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who is covering emerging technologies.  His previous feature documentary CRYPTOPIA is on Netflix Europe, Amazon Prime (120 countries) and major broadcast TV channels worldwide.  Torsten and his team have filmed 80 interviews on 4 continents to cover the most interesting projects, people and promises behind the new space economy.  FORTITUDE can be supported on Kickstarter starting April 24th.

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor Explore Mars, Inc., an organization seeking to advance the goal of establishing a human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s.  Explore Mars hosts the annual Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), which features senior leadership and experts from NASA, industry, academia, other STEM fields, international space agencies, the entertainment industry, and the innovation sector.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

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LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On today’s episode, we’ll be talking all things Mars with some folks from the Explore Mars organization - our newest sponsors of Celestial Citizen!  We’ll also be discussing the upcoming Humans to Mars Summit, which is taking place in-person on May 16-18th in Washington D.C. at the National Academy of Sciences Building, with the goal of furthering conversations about how we get humans to Mars by the 2030s.

Today, we are joined by Chris Carberry, CEO and cofounder of Explore Mars, and Amy Imhoff, Director of Outreach & Strategic Partnerships for Explore Mars.

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor Explore Mars, Inc., an organization seeking to advance the goal of establishing a human presence on Mars starting no later than the 2030s.  Explore Mars hosts the annual Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), which features senior leadership and experts from NASA, industry, academia, other STEM fields, international space agencies, the entertainment industry, and the innovation sector.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On today's episode, we’ll be discussing the psychology of space travel, how the Overview Effect can help promote mental health, and the role that virtual reality and multisensory experiences will play in expanding worldviews.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Annahita Nezami, a chartered psychologist, author, and founder of Overview Effect Therapy and EarthscapeVR.  She is a systems thinker advocating for positive social change and has dedicated her professional career to researching the science and therapeutic value of salutogenic experiences like the Overview Effect.

Her areas of interest include space health, eco psychology, neuroscience, stress, trauma, performance, and altered states of consciousness.  Annahita serves as an advisor to multiple organisations and was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).  She has been a guest lecturer at various establishments such as Kepler Space Institute, Deakin University, Central St Martin’s, and University College London (UCL), invited to talk about mental health and the Overview Effect on BBC Radio 4 and TEDx.  She is an active researcher and published papers and articles with Springer and other media outlets.

Several years ago Annahita interviewed NASA astronauts to investigate the therapeutic benefits of the Overview Effect, as part of her doctoral research.  She soon realised that the experience offers comparable results to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and nature-based experiences in promoting eco-transcendence and eudaemonic well-being.  After completing her doctoral studies, Annahita co-founded EarthscapeVR (formally VROE), where she helps create evidence-led Extended Reality (XR) multisensory experiences based on the Overview Effect.  The XR programs can be utilised as an adjunct to psychotherapy, workshops, or as a standalone well-being tool for individuals, groups, and organizations.

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

On today's episode, we’ll be discussing the publication of the Lunar Policy Handbook with Space Law Advisor Christopher Johnson.  The Lunar Policy Handbook is a tool and resource for governance and policymaking on the moon, that was brought forward by the Moon Dialogs group as well as other thought-leaders in the space industry.  We’ll cover the objectives of this document, as well as the legal challenges that accompany future sustainable lunar progress.

Christopher is the Space Law Advisor at the Secure World Foundation, and a Professor of Law (Adjunct) at the Georgetown University Law Center where he co-teaches the Space Law Seminar.  He is also a faculty member at the International Space University and a member of the International Institute of Space Law.  Christopher has written widely on space law and policy issues, and represents the Secure World Foundation at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

He holds a Bachelor's of Art degree from Michigan State University, a Juris Doctor from New York Law School, and an Advanced Masters in Law in Air and Space Law from Leiden University’s International Institute of Air and Space Law (IIASL).  He also has professional certificates from New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, the European Centre for Space Law, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL).

Christopher is also a Core Expert and Rule Drafter in the MILAMOS project, an observer at the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group, a Field Editor at the Journal of Space Safety Engineering, on the Board of Editors of the journal Air and Space Law, on the Academic Review Board of the Cambridge International Law Journal, and serves on the US Board of Directors of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

We also want to extend a big thank you to our sponsors this year for supporting our show!

Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy.  To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.

Learn more about our Silver Sponsor the Colorado School of Mines Space Resources Program, a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary program that offers Certificate, Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees for professionals around the world interested in the emerging field of extraterrestrial resources here.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!

Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen

In this episode of Celestial Citizen podcast, we conclude our four-part companion podcast series to our short film, “Take Up Space,” which focuses on gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the space industry.  Both the podcast series and short film presents first-hand accounts of anonymous women and non-binary individuals from across the industry.

In this final episode of the series, titled “Space for All,” speakers discuss their dreams for women and gender minorities in space, the positive impact they can have, and what it means to be a celestial woman.

The speakers share their aspirations for the future, including seeing the first woman set foot on Mars and wanting to see women exist freely in the industry without the constant worry of harassment or underestimation.  They discuss the need for support and initiatives to provide resources for women in the field and how empowering women can lead to an increase in innovative ideas.  The speakers also emphasize the importance of bringing a new perspective to exploration and how women can positively impact the cosmos with their passion and heart.

Thank you for listening to this special podcast series. We hope that you will spread the message of this project with your networks and communities so that we can positively impact the space industry and drive meaningful change.

Our short film, "Take Up Space," can be found on the Celestial Citizen YouTube channel.

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YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen