The Everyday Astronaut "It's okay to get really technical with people"

The Everyday Astronaut turns out to be a not-so-everyday kind of person. Here he reveals his one on ones with Elon Musk and how he brings space down to Earth for everyday people

- Leonard David

It seems like your passion for space evolved rapidly. How did your show come to be?

I’m a bit of a college dropout and ended up being a professional photographer for eight years or so. I’ve always liked mechanical things and enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles growing up. My dad was an engineer, so I always had my hands dirty, building and fixing things. I got really interested in turbochargers and performance cars that had turbochargers. I like things that go fast, and nothing goes faster than a rocket. It’s kind of the ultimate version of horsepower and power. It was a photo assignment to shoot the SpaceX CRS-3 [Commercial Resupply Service mission] that got me up close and personal to the hardware. It kind of hit me across the face. I was inspired and excited.

Is there a message in your show that you want audiences to appreciate?

I think people get excited about things when they are educated about things, when they get their questions answered. And that’s when they get their curiosity going. That little light bulb goes off in their head. I’m still learning as fast as I possibly can each day. I still feel like I have a million things to learn.

Just how technical can you be for your audience?

What I’ve found is that it’s okay to get really technical with people. My audience loves that. They love when I dive in deep. Appreciating some of the small details can lead to even bigger questions – more technical questions. The trick is that you’ve got to make a story out of it.

Your one on ones with Elon Musk were greatly received.