Adam dances through the floor of this year’s Silicon Valley Comic Con as Star-Lord! From the boots to the blasters, there’s a story about the origins of each piece that makes up this awesome cosplay. And staying incognito among the crowd proved challenging! Stay tuned for build videos about the making of this costume!
Episode 514 – The Matrix (Part 4) Has You – 8/22/19
Kishore & Jeremy are joined by special guest Trace Dominguez to geek out about Spider-Man’s breakup with the MCU, a new Matrix film, the web’s longest running web cam going dark, and the science of popular music charts. Plus, a smattering of Apple news, the VR Minute, and yet another amazing outro by Wo Hawk!
Adam Savage Learns About Preserving Alan Eustace’s StratEx Suit!
When Alan Eustace donated his historic StratEx spacesuit, life support, and balloon equipment module to the National Air and Space Museum, he asked for a dynamic display. Objects conservator Lisa Young explains to Adam Savage why she originally resisted that request, and how they eventually found a balance between preservation and display needs.
Tested: Piloting NASA’s Vertical Motion Simulator!
Tested recently spent the week at NASA Ames Research Center in silicon valley, the campus where NASA performs research and development into technology and science supporting future satellites, robots, and crewed missions to space. Ariel, Simone, and Norm test pilot the Vertical Motion Simulator that trained Space Shuttle astronauts and visit the awesome 20G centrifuge!
Offworld: Asteroid Exploration and Mining
Asteroids have been the subject of numerous science fiction stories, in both destructive and constructive depictions. Joining Ariel to set the record straight on asteroids are Michael Busch of SETI and planetary astronomer Sondy Springmann. They discuss the form and composition of asteroids, the state of asteroid mining, and why there are so many misconceptions about asteroids in pop culture.
Tested: Deploying Ocean Sensors from a Plane!
We tag along with the engineers at Sofar Ocean Technologies to watch a test of their Spotter Buoy–an ocean sensor that collects data about the weather anywhere it’s deployed. The idea is to put enough of these sensors around the world to gather marine data on an unprecedented scale. Today’s test: deploying these from an airplane!
Episode 513 – Cetacean Ops – 8/15/19
This week, we talk about Samsung’s new Note phones, the Star Trek universe falling under one umbrella, and telepresense with RC cars. There’s also new Snap Spectacles, shakeup in VR, and yes, Barbie to discuss. Plus, Kishore grosses us all out with video of a particular snail. We can’t unsee that!
Adam Savage Visits National Air and Space Museum’s Restoration Hangar!
This was one of the MAJOR highlights of our DC trip: the National Air and Space Museum’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where objects conservator Lisa Young gives Adam Savage a tour of the artifacts currently being preserved! In addition to geeking out over an LM cockpit simulator, a “lunar rover, qualification test unit” and the Skylab 4 command module, Adam learns a LOT about the craft of conserving such historic pieces. (We had to practically drag him out.)
Antiques Roadshow – Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project – 8/13/19
We’re joined in the cave this week by special guest Sam Farrell, a friend of Adam’s and the Senior Producer on Antiques Roadshow! We have a great chat with Sam learning about how the show is made, the appraisal process, and other questions we couldn’t wait to ask about this beloved series.
Inside Adam Savage’s Cave: Ryan Nagata’s First Spacesuit!
While visiting Adam’s cave to collaborate on a project, spacesuit replica builder Ryan Nagata brought a blast from the past: the very first spacesuit he made when he was 14 years old. Adam and Ryan pore over the details of this suit, which includes snoopy cap, gloves, and helmet. It’s a testament to Ryan’s obsession, ingenuity, and attention to detail, all qualities which have carried trhough to his newest spacesuits.