The episode starts with the Senior Curator of the Space History Department at the Smithsonian, Dr. Michael J. Neufeld. Dr. Neufeld takes us on a historical trip back to the end of World War Two, where we meet Wernher von Braun, a Nazi scientist that ultimately helped NASA get to the moon. This story is full of twists and turns and if you’re like us, you’ll be blown away by the crazy connections between von Braun, NASA, and even Disney?! It’s a wild ride, so get ready.

After that, John chats with theoretical physicist, Avi Loeb, about a whole host of interstellar topics, from the Tyranny of the Rocket Equation, all the way to “Breakthrough Starshot”, which is the most ambitious effort yet to travel from our solar system to another star system and exoplanet. He even talks about the idea of “rebooting earth”, where we create copies of earth and send them off to other planets or parts of space. “I think one of the big tasks ahead is to preserve what we find precious today and staying on Earth, on this rock that we were born on, you know, is not necessarily the best strategy”, he says.

We’re going to shut up now and let you listen to the episode for yourself! You can find it on The Life Cycle's website and also on your favorite podcast platforms. Stay tuned for episode 3, which will be released week after next! Also, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes in the future!

Don’t forget to head on over to our discord channel called #the-life-cycle-qa and drop any questions you may have about The Life Cycle there. John will answer all of your questions on Monday, February 20th!