Astronomy Prints 🌌: Space Minds: Astronaut Terry Hart on lessons learned and today's commercial leaders

Monday, October 27, 2025

Space Minds: Astronaut Terry Hart on lessons learned and today's commercial leaders

10/27/2025

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In the latest episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Terry Hart, former NASA astronaut and mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Hart reflects on the triumphs of early shuttle missions, the lessons of the Challenger tragedy, and how those experiences shape today's commercial space era led by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Now a professor at Lehigh University, Hart shares insights on leadership, safety and the enduring human drive to explore. This conversation connects the legacy of the Shuttle program to the future of human and commercial spaceflight.

Listen to David Ariosto and Terry Hart on Space Minds

Here's a preview:

David Ariosto: There are more challenges now — long-term radiation exposure, micrometeoroids, space debris — especially that last one, which is increasing. But I wonder if you can relate those experiences to where the industry is now, with companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab taking the lead.

Terry Hart: That's a good question. The executives at these private companies need to be thinking about those same lessons — especially when human flight is involved. I was skeptical when NASA shut down the shuttle program and handed crew transport over to SpaceX.

DA: You were one of the skeptics?

TH: Yeah, I was skeptical and concerned. We had that hiatus when we could only reach the Space Station using Russian Soyuz rockets, which was unfortunate. But the progress SpaceX has made is impressive — and continues to be. I hope the safety culture is strong there. Many of my former students work at SpaceX, and I think they take that seriously. Profit also motivates safety — just like Boeing and Airbus focus on safety because you can't sell airplanes that crash. SpaceX and Blue Origin need that same focus, especially when humans are aboard.

Listen to the whole conversation.

On our next episode, David Ariosto sits down with Doug Hendrix, CEO and co-founder of ExoAnalytic Solutions. Subscribe to Space Minds on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you watch or listen to shows.

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