DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Malcolm Gladwell introduces the season finale of Smart Talks with IBM, where he interviews NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. Vande Hei shares his experience of spending 355 days in orbit on the International Space Station, breaking the record for the single longest spaceflight undertaken by an American.
Vande Hei describes the thrilling moment of re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, where the heat shield was melting away, and the overwhelming relief when the parachute opened, ensuring their survival. They also discuss the science behind growing chili peppers in space, which were found to be remarkably spicy due to the stress response in the space environment.
Gladwell humorously suggests that NASA could sell these ultra-spicy space chili peppers to fancy restaurants, coining the term 'celestial pepper soup' for a potential dish name.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Mark Vande Hei spent 355 days in orbit on the International Space Station, setting a new record for the single longest spaceflight undertaken by an American.
- Re-entering Earth's atmosphere is an intense and emotional experience, with the heat shield melting away and the parachute deployment being a crucial moment of relief.
- Chili peppers grown in the space environment exhibited a heightened stress response, resulting in significantly increased spiciness.
- NASA could potentially market these ultra-spicy space chili peppers to high-end restaurants as a unique and novel ingredient.
- The interview provides insight into the experiences and scientific experiments conducted during extended spaceflights.
- Gladwell's humorous suggestion of 'celestial pepper soup' adds a lighthearted touch to the discussion of the scientific findings.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We grew hatched chili peppers. They warned us that the stress response to the space environment that these peppers have, they're more potent. And I think they were more potent. They were shockingly spicy.“ by Mark Vande Heij
- “NASA could sell those chili peppers to some fancy restaurant, and it could be, you know, celestial pepper soup or something.“ by Malcolm Gladwell
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Episode Information
Smart Talks with IBM
Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts
2/7/23
On the season finale of Smart Talks with IBM, host Malcolm Gladwell and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei discuss conducting experiments in space, the impact of extended spaceflight on humans, and the spiciness of space chili peppers.
Listen to the season finale of Smart Talks with IBM on Tuesday, February 14th.
This is a paid advertisement from IBM.
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