In this episode of Deep, Ben Kaplan talks with the former NASA astronaut who spent four and a half months aboard the International Space Station, logged three shuttle missions, and later became Chief Engineer for Advanced Capabilities at the U.S. Department of Defense.
Magnus shares what it’s like to move to space rather than just visit, how living off-Earth changes your view of our fragile planet, and why microgravity may hold the key to new markets in biotech, manufacturing, and resource development.
She also breaks down the realities of commercial spaceflight from the economics of lunar mining and private space stations to the tension between safety and profit as companies like SpaceX, Boeing, and Blue Origin push the frontier forward.
If you want to understand where government, defense, and commercial space really intersect and what it takes to turn exploration into industry this episode goes beyond the countdown.
About Sandra Magnus
Sandra Hall Magnus is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.She flew to space three times, as mission specialist on STS-112, as ISS crew member during Expedition 18 and as mission specialist on STS-135. She is also a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign KE5FYE. From 2012 until 2018 Magnus was the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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