5 minute summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
__________
6 Apr 2021
1hr 23mins
FEATURING
Owltail Summaries
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from each episode
_________
#108 Thomas Zurbuchen: Adventures in Astrophysics
6 Apr 2021
1hr 23mins
Quote
"The answer to most questions that we ask in science is I don't know or I don't yet know. But that's ok, that's always been the case, look how far we've already come though."
Ideas
1
Thomas says: The hardest part of research is always to find the edge between safe and impossible.
For Thomas, it's like walking in the mountains on that ridge, on the one side, it's the irrelevant, where things are already proven, where it's easy to do research there, it's safe, you get tenure and can make a lot of money there.
The other side is the impossible. Where it's not only about asking the right questions, but also whether it's the right time.
For Thomas, the hardest part is to set the program at the right speed of innovation and allow for experimentation, for iteration, as opposed to kind of being that colossal kind of that kind of slow organization that only wants to make everything safe.
The other side is the impossible. Where it's not only about asking the right questions, but also whether it's the right time.
For Thomas, the hardest part is to set the program at the right speed of innovation and allow for experimentation, for iteration, as opposed to kind of being that colossal kind of that kind of slow organization that only wants to make everything safe.
1
Thomas says: The hardest part of research is always to find the edge between safe and impossible.
For Thomas, it's like walking in the mountains on that ridge, on the one side, it's the irrelevant, where things are already proven, where it's easy to do research there, it's safe, you get tenure and can make a lot of money there.
The other side is the impossible. Where it's not only about asking the right questions, but also whether it's the right time.
For Thomas, the hardest part is to set the program at the right speed of innovation and allow for experimentation, for iteration, as opposed to kind of being that colossal kind of that kind of slow organization that only wants to make everything safe.
The other side is the impossible. Where it's not only about asking the right questions, but also whether it's the right time.
For Thomas, the hardest part is to set the program at the right speed of innovation and allow for experimentation, for iteration, as opposed to kind of being that colossal kind of that kind of slow organization that only wants to make everything safe.
2
Everything off the critical path is what you're going to lose sleep over one year from now if you're not watching it.
[01:03:30]
And it's not that you're divert attention from the critical path, but you also need to focus off the critical path and pattern match.
Thomas says he listens really carefully to what you're not talking about, as opposed to only what you're talking about.
And it's not that you're divert attention from the critical path, but you also need to focus off the critical path and pattern match.
Thomas says he listens really carefully to what you're not talking about, as opposed to only what you're talking about.
2
Everything off the critical path is what you're going to lose sleep over one year from now if you're not watching it.
[01:03:30]
And it's not that you're divert attention from the critical path, but you also need to focus off the critical path and pattern match.
Thomas says he listens really carefully to what you're not talking about, as opposed to only what you're talking about.
And it's not that you're divert attention from the critical path, but you also need to focus off the critical path and pattern match.
Thomas says he listens really carefully to what you're not talking about, as opposed to only what you're talking about.
3
When things get complicated enough, when organizations get big enough; you're not going to be the person solving the problem, so you have to create the environment where people can learn, iterate and improve.
Thomas believes that, one of the reasons our air borne travel is so safe is because of the mechanisms that were put in place on safety.
Any pilot can say, we almost made a mistake. And for Thomas, that almost made a mistake mechanism is so important for big projects. because talking about the almost mistakes will help lead to focusing and hopefully fixing them.
Talking about mistakes is better than not. Talking about things that were almost mistakes is even better.
Any pilot can say, we almost made a mistake. And for Thomas, that almost made a mistake mechanism is so important for big projects. because talking about the almost mistakes will help lead to focusing and hopefully fixing them.
Talking about mistakes is better than not. Talking about things that were almost mistakes is even better.
3
When things get complicated enough, when organizations get big enough; you're not going to be the person solving the problem, so you have to create the environment where people can learn, iterate and improve.
Thomas believes that, one of the reasons our air borne travel is so safe is because of the mechanisms that were put in place on safety.
Any pilot can say, we almost made a mistake. And for Thomas, that almost made a mistake mechanism is so important for big projects. because talking about the almost mistakes will help lead to focusing and hopefully fixing them.
Talking about mistakes is better than not. Talking about things that were almost mistakes is even better.
Any pilot can say, we almost made a mistake. And for Thomas, that almost made a mistake mechanism is so important for big projects. because talking about the almost mistakes will help lead to focusing and hopefully fixing them.
Talking about mistakes is better than not. Talking about things that were almost mistakes is even better.
Questions
1
Can you think of something that you learnt by looking at was omitted (or not talked about)?
1
Can you think of something that you learnt by looking at was omitted (or not talked about)?
What else is in the episode
1
What the biggest concerns are for what's happening in space.
1
What the biggest concerns are for what's happening in space.
2
Why Thomas doesn't want his employees to be calm when talking about what they're working on.
2
Why Thomas doesn't want his employees to be calm when talking about what they're working on.
3
How the privitization of companies like SpaceX has impacted NASA.
3
How the privitization of companies like SpaceX has impacted NASA.
Who is Thomas Zurbuchen?
1
Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, managing a 7 billion dollar budget for space projects.
- His research is mostly in in solar, experimental space research, space systems, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
1
Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, managing a 7 billion dollar budget for space projects.
- His research is mostly in in solar, experimental space research, space systems, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
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