GREENFIELD — In 2011, space enthusiast Chuck Fields took his youngest son to the Kennedy Space Center to see the last of the space shuttle lift-offs. He recalls the somber atmosphere among the crowd.
“People were really worried about the future of the space program,” Fields said.
But with the advent of commercialized space travel, the energy is back, Fields said. Technical entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Space-X, have opened up the possibility of space travel through the pursuit of rocket reusability. The United Launch Alliance website talks of unlimited space travel. Boeing is at work on a crew spacecraft to send Americans back into space from U.S. soil.
“There are plans to get back to the moon by 2024, serious plans to get to Mars,” Fields said. “I just think we’re at a pivotal time right now, and I just want to do everything I can to get the word out.”
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With all of the excitement surrounding space travel and exploration, Fields, already in his third year of his bi-weekly podcast, “Your Online Coffee Break,” will launch a new series — “Your Space Journey” — on Nov. 14.
There’s something about the space program, Fields believes, that stirs up the passion in people. He especially enjoys interviewing people.
“The ones that are making incredible leaps in this field,” he said. “I want to find out what makes them tick and what they are picturing for the future.”
Fields’ current ongoing podcast “Your Online Coffee Break” opened some doors for him. With listeners in all 50 states and 116 countries, he’s chalked up more than 100,000 downloads. “Your Online Coffee Break” was also a top 10 finalist in the 2019 People’s Choice Podcast Awards in the Science category.
The series, with its frequent focus on space, caught the attention of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has allowed him to be behind the scenes at NASA during such an exciting time
Last week, Fields interviewed NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine for “Your Space Journey” podcast. Fields was able to talk with him plans to send humans back to the moon and Bridenstine’s firm position on Pluto as the ninth planet in our solar system.
Fields has several episodes of “Your Space Journey” in the can and ready to go. In follow-up to his interview with Bridenstine, Fields has also interviewed Peter Beck, a New Zealand engineer and CEO of Rocket Lab, Dr. Nathalie Cabrol from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, and Brian May, lead guitarist for the British rock group Queen. In addition to being a musician, May is also an astrophysicist and author of the PhD. Thesis “A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.”
Fields plans to continue with his original series, “Your Online Coffee Break,” but he’s not sure in which direction to take it right now. So far, Fields has kept his day job in web application development. With more than 100,000 views of “Your Online Coffee Break” — and more to follow with “Your Space Journey” — Fields has yet to take on sponsors.
“Everyone has hobbies,” Fields said. “I just love sharing the stories.”
His enthusiasm is contagious.
“It’s more than just rockets,” Fields said. “It’s a commercial space industry, satellites for broadband wherever you are, it’s hotels in space. The future is on the way. It’s not as far away as we think it is.”
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You can listen to Chuck Fields’ podcasts any time at:
YourSpaceJourney.com and OnlineCoffeeBreak.com
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