It's Not Rocket Science - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Laura Crabtree - This Spacesuit's Supposed to Make You Look Cooler Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

An interview with Epsilon3 co-founder and CEO Laura Crabtree about her 11 years in SpaceX mission operations, training the Demo-2 astronauts, replacing paper procedures in industries where hardware must work, and the Laura test. And the spacesuit that was supposed to make you look cooler.

Boris Lipchin - Only Your Worst Day Matters Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

An interview with former SpaceX Dragon engineer Boris Lipchin about cold-calling his way into a flight software internship, reading raw flight code within spitting distance of the ISS, being told he was wrong by Elon, and bringing SpaceX-style first-principles thinking to healthcare. And why only your worst day matters.

Trip Harriss - It's Full of Wigs Sep 01, 2026

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An interview with SpaceX director of spaceport integration Trip Harriss about quitting trumpet for Star Trek, the internship SpaceX forgot to post, aiming a rocket at a military base, making Elon laugh, and wedding rings forged from a landed Falcon 9. Time is the most valuable resource — it is not renewable.

Ted Cizma - I'm Just a Cook Aug 11, 2026

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An interview with SpaceX executive chef Ted Cizma about butcher shop beginnings, feeding 3,500 people in an Aspen parking lot, building a restaurant inside a rocket factory, breakfast burritos in mission control, and ending childhood hunger. Live right, set a good example, and hope they are paying attention.

Chris Thompson - Employee Number Two Jul 28, 2026

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An interview with SpaceX employee number two Chris Thompson about garage rockets, an explosion in Garvey's backyard, beating Jeff Bezos in court, melting Elon's shoes in acetone, and Phantom's unfinished business. Work hard, fail fast, but don't bring the stress home.

Laura Rose Plaxico - Rockets or Cheese? Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

An interview with mechanical engineer Laura Rose Plaxico about SpaceX, exploding batteries, making cheese in The Philippines, a Keurig for frozen yogurt, robot cars, and putting your pride aside. A theme of humility and learning throughout.

Tim Buzza - Leading by Example Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Tim Buzza led test and launch operations at SpaceX for 14 years, standing up and operating test sites, launch sites, and assembly lines from California to Kwajalein. Every step of the way, Tim not only demanded technical excellence, but brought out the best in everyone who worked for and with him. In our discussion we cover Tim's journey to and through SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Rocket Lab, and finish up with some lessons on how to make the world better by acting locally.

Tom Mueller - Employee Number One Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Tom Mueller became SpaceX employee number one through a quirk of paperwork, and went on to design every SpaceX rocket engine from Merlin to Raptor, all because a high school math teacher asked him if he'd rather design airplanes than maintain them. In this episode, Tom and I discuss the role of optimism in project scheduling, the birth and evolution of Starship, and how Tom founded Impulse Space to create in-orbit mobility for the space economy.

(00:00) - IPO Hot Take
(00:59) - Becoming Employee One
(03:42) - Betting on SpaceX when others failed
(06:06) - The math teacher who changed everything
(15:01) - Building Starship: simplification, methane & the last test flight
(19:47) - Quintessential Elon moment: schedules
(24:36) - Leaving SpaceX and starting Impulse Space
(27:31) - Dragon & flying humans
(29:37) - Building Impulse & the "true space age"
(35:05) - Outside the rocket: the raise, racing & the magic lesson
(40:34) - Making the world a better place: the space economy & philanthropy

Bulent Altan - The Right Type of Challenging Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

Bulent Altan started his career at SpaceX in 2004, fresh out of Bob Twiggs' CubeSat lab at Stanford, joining the small team working on Falcon 1. He stayed long enough to put his technical fingerprints on every major SpaceX development. Now he's the founding partner at Alpine Space Ventures, a venture capital fund making hands-on investments in European space startups. Even as a VC, he "gets to do engineering every day." Listen in as we discuss everything from surviving the hot seat on Elon's jet to advice for angel investors.

Krishna Pribadi - From Merlin to VO2 Max May 19, 2026

Show notes

Krishna Pribadi spent six years on the test stand at SpaceX in McGregor, Texas — Merlin 1D, the first OctaWeb, F9R Dev1, the first booster recovery, and finally Raptor. He left in 2019 and has since worked on cargo drones, traveled back to Indonesia to trace his family history, race-engineered in the Moto America Superbike paddock, and started a stealth-mode human-performance coaching practice called Tanaga Labs.

We talk about all of it.

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