 Hello everyone, welcome to tomorrow. Today we have a very special space pod for you. We wanted to discuss the origins of our space story and ask you what your space story will be. As a kid I was a huge fan of Star Trek the next generation. My family would watch it every week and I was also a huge fan of movies like Space Camp. But as a kid I felt like NASA was nowhere near the Star Trek adventures that I wanted to have in space. So I lost interest. Many years later as I was experimenting in college and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I was asking the big questions of myself like who am I, what am I, where am I, and how did all of this come to be? And I had that cosmic realization of just how small I was on a tiny speck of dust hurtling through an enormous universe. And as I learned about our home and the planets around us that Star Trek adventurism came back and I shifted my focus towards the vehicles and spaceships that would take us to those cool places in space. As an adult I had a profound appreciation for the complexity and ingenuity of the space shuttle, the International Space Station, the Apollo program, and a passion ignited inside me that has led me down a path of meeting my astronaut heroes and spreading my enthusiasm for space like a disease. Growing up I remember scribbling notes down in my front yard as I was camping out to watch a lunar eclipse or waking up at 4am to watch a space shuttle launch on NASA TV. And I used to go to Australian space schools where Australian astronaut and one of my heroes, Andy Thomas, told me to study hard to reach the stars. Then I realized I wasn't born in a country where I had a defined path to becoming an astronaut. So I felt lost and well I did study hard anyway just in case there are alternative opportunities to becoming an astronaut in the future. At the very end of 2014 I discovered tomorrow where I was bombarded with information about all the cool things happening in space today and my passion for space was reignited. So I enrolled in International Space University and I'm now committed to figuring out how to grow plants on Mars. And I'm spreading the flames of space excitement hoping to ignite or reignite that passion for space in the rest of humanity. When I was a kid my dad worked as a materials analyst for Northrop on the B2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Project. And that really got me interested in aerospace. I mean being a little kid and seeing this flying wing go past you multiple times as an air show, I don't think there's anything more exciting than that, well except for a rocket launch. But in going through school I really did want to be an astronaut. That was my ultimate dream. But as I started going through school I realized that there was this thing called math and it's a little bit more difficult than I thought it would be for me. So unfortunately in middle school I kind of lost my interest in spaceflight and went into theater. Now I continued with theater through high school and even into college a little bit. But it was really when I got hired at a science education center in my town here that I really started to take off in wanting to get into a scientific field. And even though I'm not sure about which specific scientific field I want to get into right now, the inspiration of helping inspire other people drives me to do that. And even though I've got a lot of challenges like having to deal with being bipolar and certain other things that come with that, I'm still up to it and I hope that we can continue to help inspire people and especially hear the other stories from people as well. And just to add on a little bit, because you're disabled like with me with bipolar disorder or you have some kind of issue that you feel like will prevent you from being able to be a part of aerospace or spaceflight or humanities exploration of the universe, do not let that stop you. I've tried my hardest to not let it stop me and I'm succeeding so far. I just want to let you know that you can and you will overcome any obstacles that get in your way. So what we hope that you'll take away from this today is that it's never too late to get started on your path to space. But maybe you're not sure where to start. Well, there's a lot of organizations and clubs that you can get involved with today. Are you a college or high school student that's interested in space? Why not consider joining SEDS or Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, which is a 501C3 nonprofit organization that aims to inspire young people to get involved in and make an impact in space exploration. They do many educational and engineering projects around the globe. There are chapters mostly in the United States, but some internationally as well. And if there isn't one near you, why not consider contacting them to start your own? If you're not a student, a group that is open to all people worldwide is the NSS, the National Space Society, which is a 501C3 educational and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. Their vision is to have people living and working in thriving communities beyond the earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity. They are a very good group to be involved with, from the casual space enthusiast to the passionate space advocate. They even have a conference every year where members can gather and be presented with the latest and greatest of the space industry. Another amazing group to be a part of is the Planetary Society. They're deeply invested, not just in the scientific research, but also the political aspects of fighting for scientific research. Also, they do public outreach, they get the word out to everybody, they also do their own technological development with a project like Lightsail. The Planetary Society is a little more broad in their topics than, say, someone focused like the Mars Society, but they still do a fantastic job, and let's face it, they're ran by Bill Nye, so it doesn't get much more awesome than that. So because of that wide range of topics, no matter what you may be into in terms of spaceflight or exploration of the universe, there's probably something in the Planetary Society for you. One of our favorite groups is Yuri's Night, which is an international celebration held every April 12th to commemorate milestones in space exploration. People who participate are encouraged to organize their own parties, which link up to each other via the internet, or to attend organized scheduled events that other groups sponsor. The Planetary Society's Yuri's Night Party, for example, was off the hook this year, raising the bar for what a Yuri's Night Party should be. International Space University, or ISU, is an educational organization that provides interdisciplinary space education. They have a number of courses including a short executive space course, a five-week-long Southern Hemisphere Space Studies program, a two-month-long space studies program, and a master of space studies. For me, ISU was like a pressure cooker that teaches you not only about space but about yourself and leaves you feeling as if you can change the world. ISU has over 4,000 alumni from over 100 countries, including current NASA astronaut Jessica Mir and Vice President of Special Projects at Virgin Galactic, William Pomerance. I recently did a space pod talking about how to build your own high-power rocket. You really want to get involved with high-power rocketry in the United States, you're in luck, because you have two groups that you can choose to join. You have the National Association of Rocketry or the Tripoli Rocketry Association. Now, they both are relatively the same, although I would say the Tripoli Rocketry Association a little more experimental than the National Association of Rocketry. They both look at each other and respect each other and say that your certification levels will work within our own group as well. So it's not like there's some kind of fierce rivalry happening. They both work for the greater good. And the nice thing about having a rocketry association like NAR and Tripoli is that they both provide the expertise and the safety that you need as an amateur rocketeer. Now, outside of the United States, it gets a little bit more complicated, simply because, well, there's not many groups outside of the United States. Canada does have a rocketry association, as does the United Kingdom, and also Tripoli does have rocketry associations throughout the world as well. And in fact, if there's no rocketry association in your country, I'd encourage you to start one. Just be prepared to work with your government very closely. Now, maybe you're an entrepreneur or maybe you have a great idea for some space hardware. If only you had the money to build it. Well, the Space Frontier Foundation might be your answer. They're a nonprofit corporation organized to promote the interests of increased involvement of the private sector in collaboration with government to develop space. What that means is that since 2005, they hold a business competition for people like you at their new space conference, with the competition awarding as high as $100,000 US dollars for the winning bids. Some space and aerospace companies got their start from this very competition, and we definitely need more groups doing stuff like this. The Space Generation Advisory Council, or SGAC, is a platform for young people to have their opinions on space policy. The SGAC has permanent observer status at the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, allowing them to have speaking time at the meetings of this committee. The SGAC is free to join and each year they host their own gathering, the Space Generation Congress, directly before the biggest space conference of the year, the International Astronautical Congress. And in terms of astronomy clubs, usually you have a local club in the town that you live in. You may not know that it's there, but I'm sure that it probably is. I know here in the Los Angeles area, we have somewhere between 8 to 10 clubs locally. So, look for a local club where you live. They're all over the world, and if there is no local club, start it yourself. Now that we've talked about some organizations that can help you get your path on your way to space, what's your space story going to be? We know that lots of you who watch us are already involved in the spaceflight industry or are very big space enthusiasts. And we want to know what your space story is, and here's how we would like you to share it with us. We invite you, know, challenge you to either write up a blog post, take a series of pictures, or create a video response and share with us what your space story is or will be. For the month of July, we want to highlight the best part of tomorrow, which is you, our citizens. Check out the description below for instructions on how to submit your space story. And together, we can grow as a community and get the planet excited about living among the stars. In closing, we hope that you'll accept our challenge and that you'll share your story with us. And until the next time that we see you guys, don't forget, keep moving onwards and upwards. Keep on discovering. And keep exploring. We did it! Superpod! Yeah!