S3E13: Cady Coleman: Irish American Astronaut & Musician
In this episode, we reach for the stars with Irish American astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman, a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions and 159 days in orbit on the International Space Station (ISS).
Cady says she’s one-quarter Irish on both sides, but that it adds up to much more than half. When not exploring outer space, she’s exploring Irish music on the flute and tin whistle, even playing with the Chieftains. On St. Patrick’s Day, she live-streamed her playing a tin whistle from Paddy Moloney and an old wooden flute from Matt Molloy while floating in space aboard the ISS as a way of sharing her cosmic experience with them and the entire Global Irish Nation.
We discuss her journey into the exclusive ranks of space travelers, the drama of the mission aborted six seconds before liftoff, the sights and sounds of the International Space Station, and “the grief in leaving” space and adjusting to life back on earth.
As this episode airs, Russia has invaded Ukraine with Putin, even threatening the safety of the ISS, but Cady talks of the cooperation among all nations involved with the space station and the international structures in place to ensure this orbiting outpost remains neutral territory.
Oh, she also was a consultant for Sandra Bullock on “Gravity,” dueted with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull from the ISS, has done several TED Talks, is a successful keynote speaker, hosts the outstanding podcast Mission Interplanetary, and plays with fellow astronauts Stephen Robinson and Chris Hadfield in the musical group Bandella, and is featured on an Irish postage stamp!
Let's light this candle!
Cady's Links:
Website: Cady Coleman
Twitter: Astro_Cady
Facebook: Astrocady
Instagram: astro_cady
Podcast: Mission Interplanetary
Cady Coleman
Astronaut / Scientist/Author
Cady Coleman is a former NASA Astronaut and a retired US Air Force Colonel with more than 180 days in space, accumulated during two space shuttle missions and a six-month expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) as the Lead Robotics and Lead Science officer.
Cady served in a variety of roles within the Astronaut Office, including Chief of Robotics, and lead astronaut for integration of supply ships from NASA’s commercial partners. Before retiring from NASA, she led open-innovation and public-private partnership efforts for NASA’s Chief Technologist.
A popular public speaker and media consultant, she also serves as a research affiliate to MIT’s Media Lab. She is a regular contributor to space exploration news and co-hosted Arizona State University’s Mission: Interplanetary podcast. Cady serves on several boards, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Greenfield Community College, and the ISS National Lab Education Advisory Group.
Cady and her family were recently featured in two documentaries, PBS’s The Longest Goodbye, and The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station.
Her book, Sharing Space: An Astronaut’s Guide to Mission, Wonder, and Making Change, about her NASA experiences and the insights she gained as an astronaut, was recently published by Penguin.
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