Episode 1504: Space Debris Risks – Perception vs. Reality With a Little Human Nature Thrown In

Talk about risky! This time around, the two cousins are being left alone to see what mischief they can get up to. Good thing there’ll be an adult in the room. Mark Ratterman and Larry Herrin are joined by our guest, NASA’s Dr. Mary K. Kaiser, to discuss the omnipresent issue of space debris. We are “flexing” once again from our usual format to bring you a wide-ranging discussion that will cover how scientists objectively calculate risk versus subjective risk perception; dealing with Low-Probability/High-Consequence Risks; and the realities of basic human nature. How does all this relate to the issue of space debris and the world’s willingness to do something about it? We’re about to find out! Amazon. Then, see and hear Dr. Kaiser’s NASA NESC Academy presentation on “Miserable Risk Estimation: "Managing" Low-Probability, High-Consequence Risks" here. If you want to hear even more about Dr. Kaiser’s very interesting career, keep listening after the main podcast for a big Easter egg’s worth of conversation we left there for you! Let us know what you think of our new “flexible” format and your thoughts on this week’s show. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com . Show recorded 5-15-2023. Host: Larry Herrin Panelists: Mark Ratterman Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin Gene Mikulka, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will be back.