https://spacewatch.global/events/space-cafe-audio/podcast/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:30:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/events/space-cafe-audio/podcast/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2025/11/the-space-cafe-podcast-143-with-frank-white/ Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=69199 Frank White has spent decades unpacking something astronauts struggle to describe — the instant you see Earth not as a place you stand on but as the vessel carrying all of us through space. In this first part, Frank traces the roots of the space age — Sputnik, Apollo, Earthrise — and how those shocks and images rewired our sense of ourselves. He shows how global conflict, national pride, and scientific leaps all converge in that fragile blue sphere rising over the lunar horizon.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/10/the-space-cafe-podcast-142-with-sara-melloni/ Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68687 In March 2022, Europe’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission was only weeks from launch when it was suddenly grounded. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended years of cooperation, and left one of ESA’s most ambitious Mars projects without a ride, without partners, and without a plan.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/10/the-space-cafe-podcast-141-with-pascal-lee/ Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=68296 Dr. Pascal Lee, planetary scientist, Arctic field explorer, and professor at the KSU (Kepler Space University). He’s spent his life between two extremes, the frozen frontiers of the Arctic and the conceptual edges of space exploration. Few people connect fieldwork, engineering, and philosophy like Pascal does. This episode begins on the Moon - and ends light-years away.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/09/the-space-cafe-podcast-140-with-robert-meisner/ Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67983 In this eye-opening episode, Markus travels to ESRIN, ESA’s Earth Observation hub in Frascati near Rome, to sit down with Robert Meisner – a man who has spent nearly 40 years watching our planet from above. Together they dive into the hidden landscapes of the ocean surface, the secrets of gravity maps, and how satellites reveal the slow but relentless transformation of our world.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/09/the-space-cafe-podcast-139-with-john-mcfall/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67657 John McFall - surgeon, Paralympic medalist, father of three, and ESA parastronaut selectee — joins Markus to explore how human spaceflight changes when we design for ability, not assumptions. From winter survival in the Pyrenees to EVA realities and cosmic radiation, John shares what it takes to open space to everyone.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/the-space-cafe-podcast-138-with-dr-andy-tomkins/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67375 What if Earth once had rings like Saturn? Dr. Andy Tomkins joins Markus to unravel the evidence that, 466 million years ago, a colossal asteroid breakup may have encircled our planet with a shimmering band of debris. From the science of ancient meteorites to the climate effects of planetary rings, this episode explores how cosmic events have shaped our world—and what they might mean for life, extinction, and the future of planetary science.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/the-space-cafe-podcast-137-with-dr-bhavya-lal/ Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67037 Nuclear power’s bad Earthly reputation hides its potential as a lifeline beyond our planet. Space is already radioactive—and if we want to stay and build on the Moon, Mars, or Europa, nuclear offers “power abundance” solar can’t match. Dr. Lal explains why, covering tech, safety, law, history, and why the next space era may finally embrace it.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/the-space-cafe-podcast-136-with-simonetta-cheli/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66548 This week, Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs at the European Space Agency (ESA), joins Markus to dive into one of the most ambitious and groundbreaking projects of our time: building a digital twin of our plane]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/the-space-cafe-podcast-135-with-giorgio-saccoccia/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66087 Giorgio Saccoccia – former President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), propulsion engineer, and lifelong “space fan.” From lunar outposts and electric thrusters to space-as-diplomacy, Saccoccia brings four decades of insight into turning quick “flags-and-footprints” missions into a permanent human presence beyond Earth.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/06/the-space-cafe-podcast-134-with-heather-nelson/ Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65848 Heather Nelson, Director of the Club for the Future at Blue Origin, is at the forefront of inspiring the next generation to dream boldly about humanity’s role as an interplanetary species. In this expansive conversation, Heather provides a rare peek behind the curtain of Blue Origin’s ambitious plans and philosophical vision for the future of humankind both on Earth and beyond.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/06/the-space-cafe-podcast-133-with-phnam-bagley/ Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65644 In this expansive and deeply human conversation, Phnam Bagley challenges everything we think we know about architecture. From floating tables to engineered space hearts, she reimagines what it means to design for a future where gravity is optional and emotion is essential.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/05/the-space-cafe-podcast-132-with-dr-wanda-diaz-merced/ Thu, 22 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65446 This very special episode of the Space Café Podcast introduces Wanda Diaz Merced, a visionary scientist who, after losing her sight in her twenties, pioneered a groundbreaking new method of exploring space through sound—sonification. Wanda shares her remarkable story and insights, showing us that blindness does not limit one's ability to explore the cosmos but rather enriches it with a rare new perspective.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/05/the-space-cafe-podcast-131-with-mikael-genberg-and-emil-vinterhav/ Thu, 08 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65210 In an extraordinary fusion of art, engineering, and cosmic ambition, Swedish artist Mikael Genberg and space engineer Emil Vinterhav have realized what many deemed impossible—a traditional Swedish red house, journeying through space toward the lunar surface. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/04/the-space-cafe-podcast-130-with-dr-heather-collins/ Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65045 This episode's guest, Dr. Heather Collins, cognitive neuroscientist, brain-hack expert, and sought-after keynote speaker, takes us on a fascinating - and slightly unsettling - journey into how space travel changes the human brain.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/04/the-space-cafe-podcast-129-with-claudia-schnugg/ Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:00:17 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=64832 What if art could transform how we design habitats beyond Earth—and inspire new ways to live here at home? Claudia Schnugg is making this vision a reality. As curator of the groundbreaking Universe Pavilion at the prestigious 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, she merges indigenous wisdom, aesthetic dialogue, and rigorous science to reshape how we think about shelter, community, and our cosmic future.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/03/the-space-cafe-podcast-128-with-guadalupe-canas-herrera/ Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=64579 Guadalupe Cañas Herrera, a key player in the mission, takes us 10 billion light-years into the past, challenging Einstein’s gravity and rethinking the “dark” labels we’ve slapped on the unknown. Bonus: she also brings Zumba energy to cosmology. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/03/the-space-cafe-podcast-127-with-arttu-luukanen/ Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=64394 The settlers of the past brought livestock, but in deep space, resupply isn’t an option, and every gram counts. Could microbes be the answer? Enter Solar Foods, a Finnish company producing food from just water, electricity, and bacteria—a breakthrough that won NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. It’s no longer just a prototype; it’s ready to scale.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/02/the-space-cafe-podcast-126-with-professor-luciano-iess/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63858 The Cassini spacecraft’s final moments were like a fading heartbeat—one last signal before silence. In this episode, Professor Luciano Iess takes us on a journey across the solar system, from Saturn’s icy moons to Venus’s runaway greenhouse effect. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/01/the-space-cafe-podcast-125-with-pablo-moncada/ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63665 Enter MoonDAO, an experiment in blockchain-powered space governance. In this episode, Pablo Moncada shares insights into how MoonDAO successfully crowdfunded a spaceflight, the potential of blockchain-based lunar economies, and whether decentralization can truly work in space.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/01/the-space-cafe-podcast-124-with-aoife-van-linden-toll/ Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63431 In this explosive episode of the Space Café Podcast, we delve into the fascinating intersection of art, space, and planetary healing with renowned space artist Aoife Van Linden Toll. Known for her bold approach to creation and destruction, Aoife explores how the vastness of the cosmos can inspire solutions to Earth's most pressing challenges.]]>