Miscellaneous
In the 50 years since the moon landing, human beings have yet to go beyond the moon. And, if you would’ve asked our host Matt Hooper a few weeks ago, he would’ve said with a heavy heart that we look poised to stay that way too. But, luckily enough for him, he’s gotten the chance to speak with Naeem Altaf, IBM Distinguished Engineer and CTO for Space Tech! The incredible work Naeem is doing shows not only the possibility of commercial space travel — but the arrival of it. And the most exciting part of it all? Blockchain is poised to help with some of the most ambitious aspects of it all. Tune in to hear all about how blockchain could help simplify the process of building and preparing the ways in which we will get to space, how soon we can expect commercialized space travel to happen, some of the recent exciting breakthroughs in the industry, and much more! The stars are within our grasp — and blockchain will help us get there! Key takeaways [:55] Matt Hooper introduces this week’s topic and guest. [2:30] Mat welcomes Naeem to the podcast! [3:17] Naeem shares what he does in his role as IBM’s CTO for Space Tech Industry. [4:14] What is Space Tech? [5:10] What was Naeem’s introduction to blockchain? [6:15] Naeem recently wrote that we are in an entrepreneurial space age that will “change the course of human history” on the IBM Blockchain Pulse blog. What’s happened to enable such an age? And how soon can we expect commercialized space travel to happen? [9:25] Naeem shares his ideas on how we can ensure these ideas of space travel can become reality by lowering costs and increasing opportunities. [13:00] When should we be buying our tickets to the moon?! [13:21] Naeem provides some background on the recent huge announcement from NASA. [15:23] Naeem speaks about some of the important commercial breakthroughs over the past decade that have enabled cheaper satellite production. And have the costs come down across the board on all manner of space hardware? Or just satellites? [18:14] What does blockchain have to do with commercial space travel? [23:25] About Blockchain for Dummies! [24:05] Naeem explains the history between IBM and NASA. [27:08] Naeem explains what IBM is building now with the Cloud Constellation Corporation. [33:07] What will the Space Tech Hub look like that Naeem is planning on building? And who would he need to impress from IBM (and beyond) to continue receiving financing and support for this vision? [37:13] What is the timeline looking like for this Space Tech Hub project? [37:46] Matt thanks Naeem for joining the podcast! Sources mentioned Space tech: Transforming satellite launches with blockchain Blockchain for Dummies — Free download! Cloud Constellation Corporation Follow-up with our guest Naeem Altaf’s LinkedIn Looking for More Episodes? Visit IBM Blockchain — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain on Twitter!