The Secret Behind NASA's Recent Success with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen

What drives NASA's most successful projects like James Webb, Perseverance, Parker Solar Probe, etc? What's going on with international cooperation? How will future missions be planned and executed? Finding out with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, former Associate Administrator of NASA Science Mission Directorate.
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00:00 Intro
02:00 JWST
09:25 Parker Solar Probe
15:55 Future missions
25:58 International projects
40:06 New job at Zurich Space
41:45 Current obsessions
54:16 Final thoughts and more interviews
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[@markschoenberger7825]

We need more administrators like him ... open, visionary, fearless, thoughtful ... glad NASA had his leadership for a while.

[@miinyoo]

I'm not a fan of the "big companies" idea. I think that is dangerous. Big companies are already a threat. However, consortiums of companies bound not by law but by common purpose is a better idea, pooling resources and dividing tasks. Every big problem is comprised of smaller ones.

[@tycannah4271]

Another 5 star interview. Could listen to Zurbuchen for hours with his fantastic insights.

[@rezen4874]

Well done Fraser! Another great interview with an exceptional guest. Who wouldn't want to enrol at ETH Zürich immediately? I hope you can pick up the conversation with Dr. Zurbuchen again.

[@EarlyRains]

Amazing conversation, thanks to both of you ❤

[@runrin_]

really enjoyed this one. kinda expected him to be pretentious considering his career, but he was very humble and curious. a real scientist mindset.

[@alfonsopayra]

one-third of the interview and it is already the best interview so far, thanks Fraser!

[@nirbhay_raghav]

Had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Thomas a couple of years ago when he came to give a talk at IISc, Bangalore. It was exciting to say the least. Another great video Fraser❤

[@graemethompson6705]

Spoiler alert: The NASA success secret is..... the collaboration of extraordinary men and women of huge intelligence, drive, creativity and persuasiveness.

[@RectalRooter]

Yeap I never know NASA was withholding how and why they do things... Grab the pitchforks and torches -- We're raiding NASA !!

[@user-pf9of8dz8v]

What other things is nasa keeping secret? Ancient fraser cain aliens ?

[@alfonsopayra]

what an amazing human being, it feels so good that someone is pushing the boundaries for all of us, normal mortals

[@AntonioGallo73]

27:45 LOL I love you Thomas "they always come after the fact"

[@NunoPereira.]

Great interview. To include a new technology or innovation in every mission is certainly a way for improvement.

[@joshuaboulee8190]

Absolutey loved this! Thomas is very inspiring!

[@davidwhiteford4936]

Outstanding guest, excellent interview!

[@wombatillo]

That interstellar probe would be quite visionary indeed. Perhaps there is little need for it but it would be amazing if we had a modern probe with colossal ion thrusters and a small nuclear reactor and keep it firing for years on end to achieve insane +1000km/s velocities.

[@andriesv8903]

This is one of the best interview. ty ty ty

[@DanouNauck]

thank you very much for this beautiful talk @fraser . i haven't seen it yet, but just on my way of doing it. thx @ThomasZurbuchen as well.... for your time.. and all these /brain/tiggling/information

[@orlandoerickson2439]

Hope - very inspirational! Find something impossible and work the challenge.

[@nicholashylton6857]

An outstanding interview, Fraser! One of your best! 🙌🙌🙌

[@statebased]

Thank you: great joy to listen to a great person!

[@davemi00]

Another good interview in a long line of informative, inside people. Very appreciated.

[@andreasboe4509]

Great interview. Gives a great behind the scenes perspective. Thanks.

[@Jamin2131]

This was a great interview. Engaging and informative throughout. Thank you both!

[@rJaune]

Fascinating interview! A lot of great ideas.

[@NovaDeb]

Very very interesting!😊

[@vladimircerovic]

Love this guy! So positive and involved!

[@TommySaucierPlourde0]

What a conversation @Fraser Cain, I really appreciate this one! So many concrete and diverse subjects. I appreciate this type of interview so much. Sometimes they are very theoretical, but Dr. Zurbuchen covers many interesting facts and points. I particularly like the subject of aid to farmers and of course the Parkson probe. Great interview!

[@JohnMuz1]

🎉 Thank you 🎉

[@user-ve9xn8do7d]

Fraser, thanks for the videos. I always enjoy them and I can also trust the information. Thanks again, Marcus

[@frasercain]

Thanks a lot, I'm glad you're enjoying them.

[@0The0Web0]

Great Interview with Zurbuchen. Somehow I would like to go back to ETH now and study again 😊

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

Awesome interview Fraser, thank you. Love the future concepts/inspirational cgat. Obsesseion * 2 too. (Not a tu-tu).

[@chris-terrell-liveactive]

Excellent and inspiring interview, Fraser, especially in the present circumstances where we are plagued by corrupt and incompetent companies and governments who have no really coherent vision nor strategy- NASA appears a rare beacon of the hope that Dr Zurburchen talks about, perhaps one of the core secrets of their success. Thank you.

[@I.amthatrealJuan]

Wow, you got to him.

[@cavetroll666]

Cheers from Toronto

[@Hackanhacker]

Awesome

[@music100vid]

Yes - Hope

[@gorgonbert]

3:03 That could have been one hell of an expensive firework display 😅

[@paulkaiser8834]

Can’t wait for this interview - you better not call it quits! You will leave a super massive black hole

[@seae2030]

what happened to the sound?

[@eeroala5132]

Why NASA is so successful? LOL, you made me choke on my coffee with that one.

[@StubbyPhillips]

The folks who do the actual space, science and engineering stuff at NASA are *_absolutely amazing!_* The people involved with education and communicating with the public, however, not so much. It's almost as if they're completely preoccupied with a bunch of unrelated goals and priorities.

[@brucehansensc]

Much better than the other way around don't you think?

[@StubbyPhillips]

@@brucehansensc Indeed, but it's a real shame because SO MUCH amazing stuff goes on at NASA all the time and about all most people ever get to see of it is little bite-sized chunks of dumbed-down, superficial drivel aimed at children and idiots.

[@mach1gtx150]

Never A Straight Answer always make me laugh my ass off

[@TomUlcak]

Artemis?

[@IllumTheMessage]

If we look for the shortcut, we will find it.

[@CapnSnackbeard]

The generous support from the Pentagon?

[@CapnSnackbeard]

"If you want to look at rocks in space, you gotta help psychos liquify a few children in the third world."

[@YousufAhmad0]

How can the solar wind be "supersonic" if there is no sound in space?

[@CyberiusT]

I'm not Fraser (obviously), but I can try to clarify this one for you. Because I don't know how familiar you are with the concepts involved, I'm going to simplify a lot - accuracy of details ,ay suffer. 1. Actually, there /is/ sound in space, but you might not recognise it. Space is not a perfect vacuum - it's just amzingly low-pressure gas. 'Sound' is a just a pressure wave - it's the particles of whatever medium banging into each other, the momentum transferring from one to the other. As those particles get less dense (like Martian atmosphere - or space) that collision becomes more rare, and when your medium is really packed (like inside a piece of steel, say), it happens literally all the time - meaning sound travels at different speeds and efficiencies depending on medium. So...If there was a titanic explosion 100m away from your naked head in space, you might hear a muffled 'thud' just before you died of freezing suffocation. 2. The solar wind is called that because it's an actual wind. Not of the various molecule that make up air, of course, but it's still /stuff/ that's moving - and any material can tranmit pressure waves.

[@YousufAhmad0]

@@CyberiusT thanks. What would be considered the speed of a standard pressure wave in this wind of photons? What generates these pressure waves? And what solar effects could potentially make that wave go even faster than their regular speed to cause them to become supersonic?

[@CyberiusT]

@@YousufAhmad0The wind isn't just photons. It's also ionised hydrogen (H+ ie: protons), and He+, a few other kinds of ions, free electrons (ripped off all those ions), and a tiny amount of recombined atoms. You'd need to specify a distance from the sun to get the speed, because the pressure within it will drop as you get further out; whatever the figure is, though, I don't know how dense the wind is at any distance. :/ Sorry. As to acceleration mechanisms... Well, the sun doesn't really have many toys to play with: just gravity, magnetic fields, and temperature (which is also down to speed, from one point of view). I'm going to put a few bucks on magnetic fields, but I could be wrong.

[@YousufAhmad0]

@@CyberiusT thank you. When I heard "supersonic" I thought of a Mach cone. I wonder what that might look like in the context of solar wind. Fascinating subject.

[@joebloggs396]

JWST isn't just NASA, though it is often reported as such.

[@Objectified]

It's reported as such because NASA is the lead agency and paid $8.8 billion of the project's $9.7 billion lifetime cost. NASA, U.S. labs, U.S. universities, U.S. scientists, and U.S. companies developed and/or played key roles in every instrument aboard the telescope. Euclid, in comparison, is also typically reported as just ESA because ESA is the lead agency. Yet Euclid is a collaboration between ESA and the Euclid Consortium, an array of countries and thousands of international scientists, labs, universities, and companies - including key components provided by NASA, and key scientific and manufacturing expertise from a range of U.S. sources in the development of instruments, tools, algorithms, and data analysis.

[@joebloggs396]

@@Objectified Key roles were also played across instruments by ESA (various different countries) and CSA, even NASA says it's a collaboration but a lot of media doesn't acknowledge that. Euclid isn't comparable because it has had relatively little publicity in comparison.

[@918Boyz]

Got here 28s after upload and still didnt beat the bots.

[@frasercain]

I banned it. But yeah, they work quickly. Beep boop.

[@918Boyz]

​@@frasercainI'm waiting for a browser extension that turns reporting bots into something like guitar hero... Bot Zero: Killing Spam Softly

[@RectalRooter]

@@frasercain Mr. Cain censors comments - Learn new things every day.

[@jblob5764]

​@@918Boyz Come on elon got on this idea

[@frasercain]

Only from porn spammers

[@wolpumba4099]

*Abstract* This video features an extensive interview with Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, former head of the Science Directorate at NASA and now a professor and director at ETH Zürich's space program, where he shares his experiences, insights, and visions for the future of space exploration. The discussion begins with an introduction to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its significant launch, reflecting on the challenges, emotional moments, and notable achievements associated with the mission. Dr. Zurbuchen discusses various topics, including the innovative projects he was involved in at NASA, the impact of the Parker Solar Probe, and the scientific discoveries and future missions that are shaping the field of space exploration. The conversation also delves into the importance of international collaboration, the driving forces behind space exploration, and the potential for future technological advancements, such as nuclear propulsion and quantum technologies. Dr. Zurbuchen emphasizes the role of open data in scientific discovery and shares his transition to ETH Zurich, where he focuses on educational programs and entrepreneurial ventures in space. He expresses a profound interest in discovering life in the universe and the potential for interstellar travel, highlighting the importance of exploring unknown worlds and addressing global challenges such as climate change. The interview concludes with reflections on the power of hope and the role of space agencies in pioneering technologies for the future, underscoring the significance of space exploration in inspiring positive change and expanding human knowledge. *Summary* *Introduction to the Conversation* - 0:00: Introduction to the episode, focusing on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its significance. - 0:18: Introduction of Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, former head of the Science Directorate at NASA (2016-2022), now professor and director at ETH Zürich's space program.

[@wolpumba4099]

*Summary 2/2* *Future Visions and Obsessions* - *45:49* - Expresses a deep interest in discovering life in the universe and the importance of missions like the Europa Clipper. - *46:39* - Dreams of visiting planets outside our solar system and discusses potential mission concepts and propulsion technologies to achieve this. - *48:54* - Hopes for the possibility of finding shortcuts or wormholes to facilitate interstellar travel. - *49:12* - Imagines a future where humanity can explore other star systems, emphasizing the innate human curiosity and the desire to explore the unknown. *Expanding Human Knowledge and Tackling Global Challenges* - *49:58* - Emphasizes the importance of exploring unknown worlds to expand human knowledge and change our perspective on what is possible. - *50:26* - Reflects on personal optimism gained from witnessing teams overcome significant challenges at NASA and beyond. - *50:52* - Raises concern about unprecedented ocean temperature measurements and the urgent need to understand and address emerging environmental challenges. - *51:25* - Stresses the need for massive innovation in addressing climate change, comparing it to the ambitious goal of interstellar travel. - *52:01* - Advocates for a can-do attitude in both the private sector and government to tackle hard problems. - *52:44* - Encourages a sense of inspiration and excitement in facing challenges like reducing greenhouse gases and exploring space. *The Power of Hope and Space Exploration* - *53:10* - Discusses hope as a crucial driver for action in tackling daunting challenges, drawing from experiences with the James Webb Space Telescope. - *53:36* - Argues that hope is a choice and emphasizes the potential of space exploration to inspire positive change in society and beyond. - *54:13* - Concludes the interview with a discussion on finding the next big project to tackle. *Reflections and the Role of Space Agencies* - *54:19* - The interviewer reflects on the insightful conversation and expresses a desire for future discussions as new projects develop. - *55:00* - Highlights the concept of introducing technical risk into projects to advance future technological capabilities and learning. - *56:02* - Discusses NASA and other space agencies' roles in pioneering technologies that address future risks and enable advancements in space exploration. - *56:43* - Cites the success of Mars helicopters as an example of how innovative risks can lead to valuable tools for future missions. Disclaimer: I used gemini advanced 1.0 (2024.03.04) and gpt4-0125 to summarize the video transcript. This method may make mistakes in recognizing words and it can't distinguish between speakers.

[@JamanRooney]

You gonna be towing that behind the bike ?

[@SnackPack913]

It’s always kind of a fart sniffing contest at the upper echelons of academia but honestly I want those confident and capable people leading these massive bastions of science and research. And while in a perfect world I also would like all data to be shared. That is what sets scientists apart, anyone in the world can see how you conducted an experiment, how you collected data and how you analyzed it. And in a perfect world, anyone else could recreate what you did and verify your working theory. Unfortunately, every country wants what’s best for their people and their way of life. Therefore they will keep things secret which might give them an edge and take any free data you can give them so they don’t have to pay to run the experiments. I don’t think it will ever be fully transparent

[@abvmoose87]

The Title, Lol!!! Dude, 😂 I can't even😅😅

[@kostuek]

here is their secret: they actually try to make it right the first time instead of blowing up tax money in the air

[@drunkredninja]

Can't help wondering if his blinds bother him.

[@frasercain]

He apologized after the interview. 😀

[@mrln247]

Totally want some real tests of more propulsion systems, solar sail, nuclear radiation sails, nuclear salt water rocket's, fusion ion drive's. Some way to make more deeper space science much more achievable.

[@evilmage42]

Hi Fraser, I just saw the brightest star ever for 5 mins and that just exploded in the sky but can't see any other star. Am I going crazy or did Betelgeuse just explode?

[@eleklink8406]

Why there is sinnge JWST/Kepler/...? They could build 2- in a row. Cost/mission could be significantly lower

[@rayparent1]

not how funding from congess works

[@uuubeut]

"Green house gas and climate modeling" Do you really believe that cow flatulence is the problem, how about the history of solar cycles?

[@Chris.Davies]

Why is NASA so successful? Because they don't destroy over a dozen vehicles (one after another in succession), and try to call it "success".

[@CaribouDataScience]

NASA wants to be SpaceX when it grows up.

[@codyross5364]

😆

[@briandoe5746]

Successful. When compared to asking nobody else to do the same thing...... I was very successful at feeding four cows hamburger patties yesterday. It may have cost me $700 and another five grand because everything was running late but I certainly fed those cows one hamburger patty a piece..... I think I've made my points

[@RectalRooter]

Uuuum ? I don't get it

[@jblob5764]

Are you having a stroke? Do you smell toast? 😂

[@briandoe5746]

​@@RectalRooterthis is a very softball interview. When Dustin had a chance to talk to these people, he told them they were running into a brick wall and it was obvious that everything was going to be delayed. This interview is asking how many more strokes until climax. The cost overruns on web are actually unexcusable. And it was purposeful. They were actively handing extra money to companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin with no rational reason why. NASA is extremely successful with what they try to do because everything they do costs 10 to 30 times what it should. Web is awesome in the science from it is awesome but for the cost we could have also had submarines under the eyes of Europa, mission sample return from Mars and actually had it returned to Earth, and more! You don't pet the rich spoiled kid on the head for having a successful business when it is the outcome of nepotism. If the kid was given a functioning business that made 100 million a year and his incompetence made it drop to 50 million a year. That does not mean that the kid has successfully run a 50 million a year business. He has lost 50 million a year. You don't give the kid praise you ask questions

[@toriknorth3324]

Weak. Cow cannibalism was already a common commercial practice way back in the 1980's. Nothing about your hypothetical is innovative or ground-breaking. (And that lead to the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease, but that's not relevant to your hypothetical.)

[@RectalRooter]

Maybe a universetoday member secretly drumming up comments ?

[@laladieladada]

Weird start of the video. next time wait 1 or 2 sec before talking or say hi welcome or something.

[@traian2041]

WTF? How is it successful? The James Webb should have been in space a long time ago, the SLS is a wasteful money sink...

[@rayparent1]

Nasa has done asteroid sample return mars helicopter, solar probe. Meanwhile other agencies can't even land on the moon properly

[@dr.merlot1532]

Still no good results by the James Webb... Sure the pictures are sharper but, no fundamental physics has been discovered.

[@rayparent1]

lmao