The Flight Deck

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The Pop Culture of Space with Dr. Margaret Weitekamp Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

The idea of living and working in space has acted as inspiration for stories for thousands of years. Dr. Margaret Weitekamp is a curator and chair of the space history department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. She joins host Sean Mobley to explore the many ways culture draws from the stars. The Museum of Flight is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate. Full shownotes and transcript: https://blog.museumofflight.org/flightdeck/the-pop-culture-of-space Cover image: National Air and Space Museum

Space Law & Order with Dr. Saadia Pekkanen Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

If someone’s murdered on the International Space Station, what happens? Dr. Saadia Pekkanen is the founding director of the Space Law, Data, and Policy Program at the University of Washington, and is one of the global experts on the rules and diplomacy of outer space policy. She joins host Sean Mobley answer a deceptively simple question: as humans extend our reach into outer space, how do we know what rules to follow? Full Shownotes: https://blog.museumofflight.org/flightdeck/space-law-order

Are Space Stations Maybe a Bad Idea? with Kelly Weinersmith Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Yeah, dreaming of a thriving community in space is all fine and dandy. But have we really thought this through? Kelly Weinersmith is a biologist and popular science writer. She co-authored the book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? with her husband Zach Weinersmith. In this conversation with host Sean Mobley, she brings a critical eye to the concept of space settlements, and wonders if we’re putting the cart before the horse when it comes to long-term habitation on another planet. Full shownotes: https://blog.museumofflight.org/flightdeck/are-space-stations-maybe-a-bad-idea

The Science of Mass Effect with Mac Walters Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

The Mass Effect series set a new standard for science fiction storytelling. Part of its appeal was a grounding in real science. Mac Walters is the CEO of Worlds Untold, but before founding his own company he was a writer on Mass Effect, a lead writer on Mass Effect 2 and 3, creative director of Mass Effect: Andromeda, and project director for the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. He joined host Sean Mobley and The Museum of Flight's Curator of Spaceflight and Contemporary Aerospace Geoff Nunn for a conversation about the ways science and fiction intersected in Bioware's legendary video game series. Full shownotes: https://blog.museumofflight.org/flightdeck/the-science-of-mass-effect-with-mac-walters Image: Bioware

Your Home in Space with Sana Sharma Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

Space is trying to kill you. How can you make it feel like home? Sana Sharma is a co-founder and the Chief Design Officer for the Aurelia Institute, where she focuses on creating habitats in outer space that go beyond basic survival. She joins host Sean Mobley to design a cozy place in outer space. Full Shownotes https://tmof.click/4fPD9m8

Space Food! with Vickie Kloeris Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Sandwiches hit different at zero gravity. While at NASA, Vickie Kloeris managed the food systems for the Space Shuttle and later the International Space Station. She joins host Sean Mobley to chat about the weirdness and wonderfulness of making a menu for astronauts. Full shownotes: https://blog.museumofflight.org/flightdeck/space-food-with-vickie-kloeris

Ad Astra With Wendy Lawrence Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Wendy Lawrence is a retired NASA astronaut and pilot for the United States Navy. She joined host Sean Mobley for a frank and honest conversation about resilience, finding community, and reflecting on her time in the Navy and at NASA through an LGBTQ+ lens. In Season 3 of The Flight Deck, we’re sharing stories of LGBTQ+ people in aerospace. Full shownotes at www.museumofflight.org/podcast

10 LGBTQ+ People In Aerospace You Should Know Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

LGBTQ+ people have been part of aviation and space science for centuries. Today’s episode is a bit of a departure from our normal format. Special guest Joalda Morancy rejoins host Sean Mobley to spotlight 10 individuals in aerospace past and present who are part of the LGBTQ+ umbrella. This list of 10 people is not meant to be comprehensive. If you were making your own list, who would you include? Let us know! Contact us via email at podcast at museumofflight dot org. We’d love to hear your opinions! In Season 3 of The Flight Deck, we’re sharing stories of LGBTQ+ people in aerospace. Full shownotes at www.museumofflight.org/podcast

Beyond Labels | Season 3 Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

Museums are places where history is presented and interpreted, and presenting and interpreting the stories of LGBTQ+ people in aerospace brings with it unique challenges for the people doing the interpreting. Isaac Fellman and Tony Pankuch, two thinkers in the museum and archives world whose focus is on LGBTQ+ stories, join host Sean Mobley to consider people like Sally Ride, Amelia Earhart, Josephine Baker and others from aviation and space history whose stories have much more to say than what typically gets recorded on museum walls. Full shownotes -> https://tmof.click/3NeI3vU

Cosmic Storytellers | Season 3 Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Marques Redd and Mikael Owunna are Black, queer Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary artists who weave indigenous African cosmic stories into their work. A recent film they directed, The Primordial House is an example of this, referencing everything from modern pictures of deep space phenomenon to the connections the Igbo people have had to the Sirius star system since ancient times to the celestial stylings of Black jazz artist Sun Ra. They join host Sean Mobley for a conversation about their work and the ways sky stories and space exploration have shaped African storytelling for millennia. In Season 3 of The Flight Deck, we’re sharing stories of LGBTQ+ people in aerospace. Full shownotes -> https://tmof.click/41eXhHr

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