As the head of science at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen managed an $8.6 billion dollar budget. A typical Monday, for him, might have involved hitting an asteroid with a space craft or trying to launch a rocket. Zurbuchen left that role in 2022, but he’s still the longest continually serving head of science in NASA’s history. He and his team accomplished a lot in th ... Show More
Jun 17
Why Speed and Trust Are Critical to Solving Hard Problems
When it comes to solving complex, layered problems, the default for many organizational leaders is to take their time to work through the issues at hand. Unfortunately, that often leads to problems that linger with no clear resolution. Instead, Anne Morriss offers a different pro ... Show More
28m 43s
Oct 2022
NASA’s Science Head on Leading Space Missions with Risk of Spectacular Failure
In 2021, the U.S. space agency NASA launched a spacecraft toward a pair of asteroids more than 11 million kilometers away. The target? The smaller of the two asteroids, just 170 meters wide. The success of the $300 million, seven-year project demanded careful coordination of scie ... Show More
29m 30s
Oct 2023
Space Projects: Managing Innovation, Risk and Change
<p>Space projects push boundaries, aiming to give teams a better understanding of our own planet and to explore what’s beyond. But these efforts are full of complexity, with evolving risks, new innovations, long timelines and fluctuations in funding. We discuss this with: </p><p ... Show More
25m 19s
Nov 2024
Space Policy Edition: NASA at a Crossroads
<p>Norm Augustine, the distinguished aerospace industry veteran behind numerous influential studies, joins the show to discuss “NASA at a Crossroads,” the new report that raises alarm bells for NASA’s workforce, infrastructure, and technology capabilities.</p> <p>Augustine, who c ... Show More
56m 12s
Jan 2024
Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 122: Charting New Horizons: Inside NASA's Orion Mission
In this episode, we step behind the scenes of NASA's Orion project to explore the remarkable teamwork, leadership, and communication that drive this groundbreaking endeavor. Join us as we sit down with Stu McClung, the NASA Orion Test lead, to talk about the Orion mission and the ... Show More
23m 17s
Jan 2025
Space Policy Edition: The Challenges of Change at NASA
<p dir="ltr">How does change happen within NASA, and what prevents it? Marcia Smith, founder of Space Policy Online, joins the show to discuss the opportunities and pitfalls faced by incoming presidential administrations and how NASA has—and hasn’t—changed over ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2025
An extinction-level event for NASA science
<p>NASA's science missions have transformed our understanding of the Universe, from breathtaking images of deep space to robotic explorers on Mars. But now, a reported 50% cut to NASA's science budget threatens to shut down missions, halt discoveries, and devastate the future of ... Show More
1h 7m