![Small Steps, Giant Leaps Logo](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Small_Steps_Giant_Leaps_Podcast_Cover_V2_300x300-300x300.jpg)
Small Steps, Giant Leaps
Tap into the experiences of NASA’s technical workforce as they develop missions to explore distant worlds—from the Moon to Mars, from Titan to Psyche. Learn how they advance technology to make aviation on Earth faster, quieter and more fuel efficient. Each biweekly episode celebrates program and project managers, engineers, scientists and thought leaders working on multiple fronts to advance aeronautics and space exploration in a bold new era of discovery. New episodes are released bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
![Seen here at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and developed with the same 6061-RAM2 aluminum material used under the RAMFIRE project (Reactive Additive Manufacturing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution), is a vacuum jacket manufacturing demonstrator tank. The component, made for cryogenic fluid application, is designed with a series of integral cooling channels that have a wall thickness of about 0.06 inches. Photo Credit: NASA](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SSGL-124-In-Space-Manufacturing-300x300.png)
EPISODE 124: THE GAME-CHANGING POTENTIAL OF IN-SPACE MANUFACTURING
Dive deep into the world of in-space manufacturing (ISM) with our guest, Zach Courtright, the In-Space Manufacturing Portfolio Manager at NASA. Zach shares his perspectives on cutting-edge advancements and collaborations in the field and the potential of the technology for game-changing impacts on space exploration and resource utilization. Read More
![Aerospace Engineer, Daniel Senai, inspects the completed Ocean Color Instrument Solar Calibration Assembly (SCA) Life Test Unit mechanism. Credit: Henry, Dennis (Denny)](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GSFC_20210916_PACE_94970_2000w-copy-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 123: EXAMINING EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE WITH NASA’S PACE MISSION
Today, we look at NASA’s PACE mission, which seeks to unravel some of the mysteries of Earth’s atmosphere and the vital role played by aerosols and clouds. Join us as we delve into this fascinating journey with atmospheric scientist Dr. Kirk Knobelspiesse. Read More
![At 12:40 p.m. EST, Dec. 11, 2022, NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 25.5 day mission to the Moon. Orion was recovered by NASA’s Landing and Recovery team, U.S. Navy and Department of Defense partners aboard the USS Portland. Credit: NASA/James M. Blair](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Orion-splashdown-recovery-square-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 122: CHARTING NEW HORIZONS: INSIDE NASA’S ORION MISSION
In this episode, we step behind the scenes of NASA's Orion project to explore the remarkable teamwork, leadership, and communication that drive this groundbreaking endeavor. Join us as we sit down with Stu McClung, the NASA Orion Test lead, to talk about the Orion mission and the human side of space exploration. Read More
![Artist rendering the International Habitat module delivery to Gateway on the Artemis IV mission. Credit: NASA](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SSGL-121-Towards-Lunar-Code-Artemis-Ethics-Report-DEC-2023-2-300x300.png)
EPISODE 121: THE ARTEMIS AND ETHICS REPORT EXPLAINED
In this episode, we chat with Dr. Zach Pirtle, a policy analyst for NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy about NASA’s Artemis and Ethics workshop, which explored the ethical, legal, and societal implications of its Artemis and Moon to Mars missions. Read More
![](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SSGL-podcast-120-Fueling-Innovation-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 120: FUELING INNOVATION: HOW NASA SHARES KNOWLEDGE FOR PROGRESS
In this episode, we sit down with Jim Rostohar, Chief Knowledge Officer for NASA's Johnson Space Center, to explore the vital role of knowledge sharing within the organization. Read More
![Lucy Spacecraft Launch](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SSGL-Episode-119-Rocket-Propulsion-Test-Program-square-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 119: ROCKET PROPULSION TEST PROGRAM
Rocket Propulsion Test Program Manager Christine Powell discusses chemical propulsion testing at NASA’s world-class facilities. Read More
![Flight hardware for NASA’s Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, or OSCAR, is in view inside the Applied Physics Lab in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 21, 2022. OSCAR began as an Early Career Initiative project at the spaceport that studies technology to convert trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. By processing small pieces of trash in a high-temperature reactor, OSCAR is advancing new and innovative technology for managing waste in space. Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SSGL-118-Center-Innovation-Fund-and-Early-Career-Initiative-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 118: CENTER INNOVATION FUND AND EARLY CAREER INITIATIVE
NASA SpaceTech's Michael LaPointe and John Nelson discuss the Center Innovation Fund and Early Career Initiative. Read More
![Illustration of IXPE in space with various colors on black background and a section of Earth on the bottom left corner. Credit: NASA](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IXPE-in-space-illustration-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 117: NASA TRADE AND TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS, PART 3
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Engineering Technicians John Hood, Amy Meekham, and Mark Sloan discuss details of their work on the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Read More
![Inside the clean-room "tent" of Building 1555 at North Vandenberg Air Force Base, technicians in bunny suits prepare for the solar array deployment on the AIM spacecraft. Photo Credit: NASA](https://appel.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SSGL-116-300x300.jpg)
EPISODE 116: NASA TRADE AND TECHNICAL PROFESSIONALS, PART 2
NASA Technicians Scott Bartram, Eric Bentley, Maria Salinas, and Phil Steele discuss their hands-on work on a variety of projects and technologies. Read More