Former space shuttle astronauts Mike Massimino and Garrett Reisman are pretty sure their new podcast titled "2 Funny Astronauts" is, well, pretty funny.
At the outset of a recent interview with FLORIDA TODAY, Reisman turned the tables on this reporter and asked a dangerous question of someone (hopefully) tasked with interviewing other astronauts in the future: "You can back us up on this. Not all astronauts are funny, right?"
Everyone agreed that not all astronauts are funny. But even if they were, Massimino and Reisman's humor certainly rockets them toward the top of the list.
The duo, both two-time NASA astronauts and longtime friends who flew separate missions between 2002 and 2010, recently teamed up to start recording their experiences, recall stories, and discuss the latest happenings in space. The open-ended discussions that first debuted in May are each about 40 minutes long and available on major platforms ranging from Apple's native app to Spotify to YouTube. New episodes are released every week.
That's not to say there isn't a common thread. Massimino and Reisman agree that beyond being a great way to preserve stories for their families and future generations, "2 Funny Astronauts" offers a fresh perspective of what it was like to ride the 184-foot shuttles from Kennedy Space Center to Earth orbit.
"Back in our days, I felt that we presented this whole human spaceflight endeavor in a kind of antiseptic way. We were pretty good at taking the humanity out of the human spaceflight program," Reisman said. "It would just get really into all the technical stuff and not convey all the human emotions and human experience."
He said recalling those rides to orbit – and countless stories from training, traveling, mission objectives, and even pranks – helps bring their human experience into the mix.
"The opportunity that both Garrett and I received was extraordinary," Massimino said. "I want to describe those experiences and also tell people we're just regular people."
He recalled a pre-launch press conference during which a reporter asked when NASA would start sending "regular people" to space. The example used was Oprah Winfrey, presumably in the sense that her complete lack of spaceflight experience made her more "regular."
"Before they asked that question, I had just been thinking about what I was going to do later because it was toward the end of the day. I was thinking I have to mow the lawn and finish other things I needed to get done," Massimino said. He took the question.
"I'm a big fan of Oprah," he recalled, "but I don't think she's mowing the lawn today. We're just regular people."
Their experiences do include some behind-the-scenes stories and reactions likely unsuited to younger ages. Reisman said the series can sometimes teeter on the brink of "PG-13" in its language.
The stories
The stories – from navigating the astronaut application process to full-fledged missions to fix the Hubble Space Telescope – are rife in "2 Funny Astronauts."
Before his NASA selection in 1998, Reisman said, he thought he had blown his chance at becoming an astronaut when he laughed at Bob Cabana, then chief of the astronaut office at Johnson Space Center in Houston. They had just been discussing leaks related to the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.
Reisman recalled Cabana saying not to worry because they had found "a very high-tech, space-age material to seal the leak called RTV."
Reisman started laughing and was quickly prompted by Cabana to explain why.
"I told him RTV is like duct tape," Reisman said. "That's what we use in the lab whenever there's a leak. We would cover the whole thing in RTV just to make it go away."
"He got very serious with me" and defended the use of RTV, Reisman said. "But I learned a very important lesson that day: never insult a man's spaceship."
Cabana would eventually go on to become director of Kennedy Space Center and, as of May, take on the role of NASA associate administrator.
Massimino had his own Cabana story: during a visit to KSC for the release of his book titled "Spaceman," Massimino was told he could use a parking spot normally reserved for the center director. This permission had allegedly come from Cabana himself.
"I told them I don't give a crap what he said," Massimino recalled. "I don't believe what you think he said. He probably said don't let him park there and if he didn't, he's going to change his mind once he sees the car there. We're going somewhere else."
"But I think we might have parked there anyway."
To listen to "2 Funny Astronauts," visit:
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly. Support space journalism by subscribing at floridatoday.com/specialoffer/.
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The Link LonkJune 15, 2021 at 02:40AM
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Are NASA astronauts funny? New '2 Funny Astronauts' podcast is pretty convincing - Florida Today
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