Riding a Fireball: Astronaut John Grunsfeld

The James Webb Space telescope—decades in the making—finally launched from Earth recently and promises to unlock some of the deepest mysteries of the universe. Who better about this milestone in astronomy than astronaut veteran of 5 space flights and former NASA science administrator, John Grunsfeld. Grunsfeld became known as the Hubble Telescope’s repair man, logging more than 58 hours in 5 space walks and three repair trips to the Hubble before being the last person to touch it in 2009. We talk about the risks of space flight, and I ask John how he felt flying in the space shuttle after the 2nd total crew loss in the 2003 Columbia accident. "The weakness of the shuttle which we always known is the heat protection. You’re enveloped in a 2000 degree plasma. If that thermal protection is compromised then it’s a very bad day." Would we solve the environmental crisis that we face if world leaders had the chance to see the earth’s fragile bubble from space, the way John has?   We talk about how human emotions play a role in scientific research bias and the astonishing speed of technological development of the last 200 years. And finally I ask this NASA insider for the honest truth about UAPs. Note: If you love astronomy you’ll also want to listen to my interview of Nobel Laureate and Science Director for the James Webb telescope, John Mather, in Season One.