Ep7 - Launching to Space with Scott Parazynski
We can learn a lot by exploring the edges of the biosphere, where conditions can just barely support even the most hardy organisms. And by venturing beyond the biosphere– by leaving Earth and traveling into space– we can really test the limits of what our bodies are capable of.
Scott Parazynski is a former NASA astronaut who has flown on five missions to space and completed seven spacewalks. He is also an emergency medical doctor who has climbed some of the highest mountains on Earth, including Everest, a scuba diver, pilot, rock climber, and luge athlete.
Scott describes what it’s like to live and work in space, his journey toward becoming an astronaut, and what being in space and other extreme environments has taught him about Earth and about the limits of the human body.
Scott Parazynski conducting a spacewalk in 2007 to repair part of the International Space Station. Photo: NASA
Scott Parazynski served as a NASA Astronaut from 1992 to 2009. Photo: NASA
Scott and his STS-120 crewmates launch into space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. Photo: NASA
Scott on Mount Everest in 2009. He became the first person to travel to space and summit Everest. Photo courtesy of Scott Parazynski
To learn more about Scott Parazynski, check out his book “The Sky Below” and his website: https://parazynski.com/
You can learn more about space science and exploration at https://www.nasa.gov/
Photo: NASA