Pushing boundaries to open space travel to everyone is a goal of Virgin Galactic. On this episode, Beth Moses, Astronaut and Chief Astronaut Instructor for Virgin Galactic, takes our conversation into orbit to discuss her interest in space as a young girl, the “pure magic” of time stopping in the atmosphere and the future of commercial space tourism. Buckle up for a brilliant ride!
Beth Moses is an American astronaut, aerospace engineer and Chief Astronaut Instructor at Virgin Galactic, a public spaceflight corporation which is developing suborbital space tourism. Beth leads Virgin Galactic’s cabin test program and will train SpaceShipTwo cabin astronauts for their missions. On February 22, 2019 Moses launched to space with pilots David Mackay and Michael Masucci and performed the first-ever test of SpaceShipTwo’s customer cabin. During her test she became the first human to unstrap and float weightless in a stationary spacecraft, hovering completely still inside a spacecraft as it coasted to a stop above the Earth. Ms. Moses is also the world’s first female commercial astronaut and the recipient of FAA commercial astronaut wings #007, having been the seventh person in history to serve on the flight crew of a commercial spacecraft.
Previously, Ms. Moses worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center where she served as the Extravehicular Activity System Manager for the International Space Station from design through on-orbit construction. Ms. Moses received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University.
Grayson Brulte is an autonomous mobility advisor and consultant who provides strategic counsel and political insights to help clients navigate what’s next.
As an SAE strategic partner since 2017, Grayson brings his in-depth industry knowledge to host SAE Tomorrow Today. His unique perspective factors in economics, politics and technology into one-of-kind weekly conversations with innovators changing mobility and its impact on society.
Grayson is a thought-leader who regularly provides insights to publications including Bloomberg, Reuters, The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Forbes. His written opinions and insights have been featured by organizations including the Consumer Technology Association in presentations to the Federal Trade Commission.
