Small Steps, Giant Leaps

Small Steps, Giant Leaps

NASA’s technical workforce put boots on the Moon, tire tracks on Mars, and the first reusable spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. Learn what’s next as they build missions that redefine the future with amazing discoveries and remarkable innovations.

Episodes

Fighting Wildland Fires with Drones

July 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Fighting wildland fires by air at night is especially hazardous. NASA’s ACERO Project aims to make firefighting safer, day or night, with drones and smarter airspace management.
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A New Era of X-ray Astronomy with IXPE

June 25, 2025 • 26 mins
IXPE, or the Infrared X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, is NASA’s first space telescope dedicated to studying X-ray polarization from extreme objects like black holes and quasars.
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Risk Management at NASA

June 11, 2025 • 33 mins
Big or small, we all take risks nearly every day. But how does NASA manage it? Dr. Mary Skow, NASA’s first agency risk management officer, explains.
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NASA's Air Traffic Management-eXploration Project

May 28, 2025 • 30 mins
NASA’s Air Traffic Management-eXploration Project aims to accommodate the growing demand of traditional and emerging aircraft that share the friendly skies. 
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The Universe in Living Color with SPHEREx

May 14, 2025 • 27 mins
NASA's SPHEREx mission will map 450 million galaxies like we’ve never seen before.
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Episode 152: EZIE Does It

April 30, 2025 • 15 mins
What can the auroras tell us about our planet’s relationship with the Sun? NASA’s EZIE mission looks into it.
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Episode 151: Designing Missions

April 16, 2025 • 16 mins
NASA’s design labs are where engineers develop concepts for missions and scientific instruments.
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Episode 150: Urban Air Taxis

April 4, 2025 • 18 mins
Flying taxis? NASA is working on it.
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Episode 149: Spacecraft Thermal Blankets

March 19, 2025 • 13 mins
Originally a fashion designer, Paula Cain is a NASA thermal blanket technician, working to protect spacecraft from the extremes of space.
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Episode 148: Celebrating NASA's Engineers

March 5, 2025 • 29 mins
NASA engineers turn dreams into reality, solving complex challenges to push exploration forward. From landing rovers on Mars to advancing deep space missions, their ingenuity makes it all possible. This episode with Chief Engineer Joe Pellicciotti and Deputy Chief Engineer Katherine Van Hooser celebrates the innovation, dedication, and impact of NASA’s engineering community.
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Episode 147: NASA Photography - Visual Storytelling

February 19, 2025 • 16 mins
Ever wondered what it takes to capture NASA’s most breathtaking moments? From rocket launches to behind-the-scenes astronaut training, Bill Ingalls, senior contract photographer for NASA Headquarters has spent decades framing history through his lens. In this episode, we dive into his journey, how he and his team prepare for assignments, and the importance of visual storytelling.
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Episode 146: Space Medicine: Body and Mind

February 5, 2025 • 27 mins
What if we could get rid of lengthy waitlists for organ transplants? Well, imagine 3-D printing a kidney from your own stem cells. That would reduce the chances your body rejects it. That’s the sort of groundbreaking medical research astronauts are conducting aboard the International Space Station. Other research includes understanding the stress spaceflight places on not just the body, but also the mind. There’s a plethora of huma...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps - Pam Melroy: Behind the Strategy

January 18, 2025 • 22 mins
We’re kicking off 2025 with NASA’s deputy administrator Pam Melroy, who wraps up her tenure at NASA this month. As a former astronaut with three space shuttle flights under her belt – including one flight as commander – Pam has made lasting contributions to human spaceflight. She’s also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force as a retired colonel. In her most recent role, Pam helped shape the NASA’s focus on long-term strategies, including...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 144: Mining the Moon with NASA’s IPEx Robot

December 11, 2024 • 28 mins
What does it take to mine the Moon? Engineers behind NASA's ISRU Pilot Excavator, or IPEx are digging into the answers. The robotic excavator is designed to unearth lunar regolith and extract oxygen for fuel. In this episode, Jason Schuler, IPEx principal investigator, and Drew Smith, IPEx lead design engineer, explore the engineering challenges, innovative solutions, and the groundbreaking implications of IPEx for future lunar mis...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 143: NASA Training Simulators

November 27, 2024 • 23 mins
Before leaving the ground, astronauts prepare for spaceflight by immersing themselves in life-like training simulators. This is done with the help of NASA’s Simulation and Graphics Branch. Branch Chief Michael McFarlane leads a team of experts who use cutting edge technology to create digital environments, tools and visualizations that support nearly every aspect of human spaceflight. In this episode, we discuss how simulations hel...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 142: Europa Clipper: Voyage to a Water World

November 13, 2024 • 22 mins
Europa Clipper is NASA’s first mission dedicated to studying an icy ocean world. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on October 14, 2024, from Kennedy Space Center, the spacecraft is set to arrive at Jupiter in April of 2030 to conduct sweeping flybys of Europa. Europa is one of Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons. It’s roughly the size of our own moon, but what’s most is intriguing is that it may harbor the conditions for...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 141: Planetary Defense at NASA

October 30, 2024 • 22 mins
Ever wondered how NASA monitors asteroids? In our latest episode, we go behind the scenes with Dr. Kelly Fast, NASA’s acting planetary defense officer, to discuss efforts to detect, track, and mitigate threats from near-Earth objects, or NEOs. From asteroid early warning systems to a new spacecraft that will find and track NEOs, learn how NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is at the forefront of keeping Earth safe from co...
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 140: Artificial Intelligence at NASA

October 16, 2024 • 18 mins
NASA has a long history with AI, using it in various applications like autonomous Mars rover navigation and detecting planets in other solar systems. Today, NASA is embracing AI for more members of the workforce, enabling innovation.
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 139: NASA's Cosmic Origins Program

October 2, 2024 • 24 mins
NASA’s Cosmic Origins Program seeks to understand the origins of the universe, including the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and planets. In this episode, Dr. Swara Ravindranath, deputy chief scientist, and Dr. Ron Gamble, a theoretical astrophysicist, discuss their research and the program's goals. They also highlight the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences.
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Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Episode 138: The Sun, Star of Our Cosmic Show

September 18, 2024 • 21 mins
The Sun is the ultimate source of life in our solar system, a radiant powerhouse that bathes Earth in the energy necessary for everything from photosynthesis to weather patterns. Its warmth and light sustain us. However, the Sun’s influence isn't always benign. Its solar wind—a stream of charged particles—can disrupt our technology, causing communications blackouts and GPS glitches. In this episode, Dr. Joseph Westlake, director of...
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