Could space be the next daily commute?
Summary
Host Matt Galloway interviews space architect Ariel Ekbladh, founder of Aurelia Institute, following the Artemis 2 mission. Ekbladh discusses her company’s self-assembling "Tesserae" technology, which uses modular components to build large-scale structures like a "buckyball" station in orbit. The conversation explores the economic viability of space travel, the potential for off-world data centers, and how zero-gravity research benefits Earth through innovations in medicine and energy. Ekbladh advocates for using space technology to improve life on Earth before expanding to other planets.
Topics discussed
Promo: Ed Sheeran and McElmore controversy
Intro: Jeremy Hansen's Artemis 2 return
Ariel Ekblah: Defining space architecture
Personal history: Pilots and zero-G flight
Explaining zero-gravity and 3D space
Tesserae: Self-assembling space structures
Applications: Solar arrays and Buckyball design
Replacing the ISS and future careers in space
Proximity of LEO and the space economy
Ethics: Colonization vs. public good
Regulation and governance of space
Space debris and de-orbiting protocols
Promo: Ed Sheeran and McElmore controversy
Feasibility of orbital AI data centers
Biotech: Cancer drugs and zero-G manufacturing
Balancing space investment with Earth's needs
Philosophy, humanism, and the future of humanity
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