039 | Astronaut Training and Space Tourism with Homer Hickam (Part 2)
Homer Hickam is an author and war veteran who has helped train and prepare astronauts for real space missions and exercises. One of his books, Rocket Boys, was adapted into the Hollywood film, October Sky. He continues to entertain and relate with stories of struggle and fulfillment in Don’t Blow Yourself Up, a book about his life as a budding writer.
In Part 2 of my interview, you’ll hear Homer describe his career as an astronaut trainer, what astronauts should know regarding their spacesuits, and the time he trained a late-night talk show host for an underwater episode. He provides his thoughts on space camps and what he observed about students in one of those programs. You’ll gain insight to the experience of training foreigners in Japan and Russia, and their cultural differences from America. Homer also explains his fascination with SpaceX, the Moon, and why we should be cautious about space tourism.
"There's no such thing as a perfectly safe rocket." - Homer Hickam
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
● What it was like being a "pretend astronaut" while in training
● What astronauts should expect when wearing spacesuits
● Why getting into foot restraints wasn't an easy experience
● The time Homer trained David Letterman for an underwater episode
● Space camps: who started them and Homer's realizations them
● The difference between astronaut training cultures in the US and Japan
● Homer's experience with Russian cosmonauts
● Homer's thoughts on space tourism and the possibilities of mining the Moon
● Why there's no such thing as a safe rocket launch
● Why Homer says SpaceX is a special company capable of extraordinary things
● The future of humanity in space
Connect with Homer Hickam:
● Book: Don’t Blow Yourself Up
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.