Dare to Explore
Dare to Explore features interviews with friends of the Rocket Center, Space Camp Alum, engineers, scientists, and explorers of all types.
Displaying 10 items of Dare to Explore with the tag "astronauts".
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Episode 57: Joseph Pelfrey
August 17th, 2026 | 48 mins 3 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Joseph Pelfrey is the senior advisor to the deputy associate administrator at NASA. Throughout his long NASA career, Joseph has served in many positions, including aerospace engineer, design integration lead, and the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center. He has contributed to the ISS program, Ares I rocket, and the SLS.
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Episode 56: Julie Savage
July 21st, 2026 | 42 mins 12 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Julie Savage is the Director of Space Platforms and Threat Sensors Growth at Leidos. She was a RADAR Flight Test Director and Lead RADAR Systems Engineer at Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, is a National Space Club Board Member serving the Education committee, and the Vice President of Sponsorships on the Space Force Association Board of Directors. Julie was a counselor at Space Camp in 1996, and was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2026.
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Episode 55: Damon Feltman
June 8th, 2026 | 39 mins 16 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Retired US Air Force Brigadier General Damon Feltman served as the Deputy Chief Strategy and Resources Officer for the United States Space Force. Feltman holds multiple advanced degrees in space leadership, strategic studies, and business management, serves as Board Chair for the Association of Commercial Space Professionals, and is a mentor to Vanderbilt University’s Space Edge Accelerator program. Today, he is the Chief Executive Officer of the Space Force Association, a 501c3 nonprofit and recognized national military association supporting the U.S. Space Force.
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Episode 54: Michelle Christensen
May 8th, 2026 | 38 mins 24 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Michelle Christensen is a Mission Operations Integrations Lead of Lunar Permanence at Blue Origin. She was previously a Flight Director for New Shepard Mission Operations and Engines Test Lead developing the BE-4 engine. She attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Penn State University, earning a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.
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Episode 53: Ethan Couch
April 20th, 2026 | 25 mins 48 secs
aeronautics, airplanes, astronauts, missiles, nasa, rockets, science, space, space camp, spacecamp
Ethan Couch is a cofounder and general manager of Yellowhammer Brewing in Huntsville, Alabama. Yellowhammer is a local craft brewery that has been serving Huntsville for 15 years. Yellowhammer is the brewery behind T-Minus, a tangerine kölsch inspired by Tang that raises scholarship money to send kids to Space Camp!
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Episode 52: Eiman Jahangir
March 18th, 2026 | 44 mins 48 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Eiman Jahangir is Section Director for General Cardiology and Cardio-Oncology at Vanderbuilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Eiman has been a finalist for NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Program twice, was the medical officer for the first analog astronaut mission at the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars at Biosphere 2, and became the 704th person to travel to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
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Episode 50: Anna Boyd
February 9th, 2026 | 34 mins 22 secs
aerospace, airplanes, astronaut, astronauts, engineering, mars, moon, nasa, rocket, rockets, space
Anna Boyd was a United States Navy helicopter pilot and Company Officer before serving in the US Navy Reserves for over a decade. She was commanding officer of SEAL Team 18 - Unmanned Aerial Systems and commanding officer of the Navy Reserve Naval History and Heritage Command. Today, she is the Senior Product Manager at Pinnacle Solutions in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Episode 47: Robin Soprano and Nathan Carter
November 24th, 2025 | 39 mins 18 secs
aeronautics, airplanes, astronauts, missiles, nasa, rockets, science, space, space camp, spacecamp
Robin Soprano and Nathan Carter are part of the future-looking leadership of Space Camp. Robin is vice president of Space Camp. She has been with the US Space and Rocket Center for nearly a decade, and previously was a director at Sci-Quest and an engineer with the United States Army at Redstone Arsenal. Nathan is the Director of Strategic Camp Development, and previously was the Director of Mission Support for Space Camp.
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Episode 44: Cheri Volkin
October 13th, 2025 | 25 mins 21 secs
astronauts, aviation, nasa, rockets, space
Cheri Volkin is the accountant and scholarship coordinator for the US Space and Rocket Center Foundation. She previously served as an accountant for the US Embassy in Paris, France, and in guest relations for the Rocket City Trash Pandas before joining the Space and Rocket Center as an Aviation Challenge Docent.
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Episode 5: Susie Martínez
May 17th, 2021 | 27 mins 10 secs
astronauts, boeing, education, engineering, flight, launch, math, nasa, rocket, rockets, science, scientists, space, space x, stem
Susie Martínez is an additive manufacturing engineer for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She received her Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2019. Calling herself a "STEMinist," Susie has more than 64,000 followers on Instagram, where she uses her platform to encourage and mentor women in pursuing science and engineering careers.