Vytal Sines

In this episode of Vytal Sines, Paul Wizikowski and Ryan Cristelli sit down with Michael López-Alegría (MLA) – U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee, former NASA astronaut, and Axiom Space Chief Astronaut – to unpack a lifetime of extreme moments:Surviving the “nightmare scenario” of free-flying in space with only a SAFER pack10 spacewalks building the International Space Station (and why Russian EVAs are “single A vs. the majors”)The Overview Effect and how seeing Earth from orbit permanently changes youWhat it was really like living through Mir’s fires and collisions in Russia’s Star CityHow he went from being against commercial human spaceflight to commanding AX‑1, the first private astronaut mission on SpaceX DragonWhy commercial partners like Axiom Space, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic are now essential to NASA’s futureThe future: commercial space stations, moon missions, AI companions in deep space, and maybe even testing a new spacesuit on orbitIf you care about space exploration, ISS, Artemis, commercial crew, Axiom Space, and real astronaut stories—this is your episode.Learn more about Michael Lopez-Alegria: • https://x.com/CommanderMLA• https://www.axiomspace.com/team/michael-lopez-alegriaTimestamps00:00:00 – Cold open: “Nightmare of all nightmares” EVA scenario00:00:25 – Intro: What is Vytal Sines & who is Michael López-Alegría?00:03:38 – Apollo 11 on the beach: the childhood spark for spaceflight00:04:59 – From Naval Academy to test pilot: the path to NASA00:07:11 – Not selected the first time: why “rejected” astronauts may be better00:10:33 – Flying the U‑2 and seeing Earth’s curvature in a pressure suit00:16:01 – First shuttle mission lessons: lens caps, time pressure, and humility00:28:09 – The Overview Effect: how space changes how you see humanity00:31:37 – Mir, fires, collisions, and living on a former “enemy” base00:36:25 – NASA vs. Russian spacewalks: “Single A vs. the majors”00:39:30 – SAFER jetpack: testing the rescue system and IMAX shot from orbit00:47:01 – Life on ISS: weekends, movies, family calls, and future Mars isolation01:01:40 – Leaving NASA & fighting for commercial crew in Washington, D.C.01:04:37 – Building Axiom & commanding AX‑1: the first private astronaut mission01:18:48 – The future: commercial stations, the Moon, suits, and “feeling lucky”Vytal Sines is co-hosted by Paul Wizikowski & Ryan Cristelli. Recorded here on Earth with Stories from the edge of absurd. Media production by Vytal Space LLC.Have a mission that requires excellence? We often serve as an agency of record or strategic extension of internal communications and marketing teams. Please email or call us to start a conversation.go@vytalspace.com(321) 800 3789Follow Vytal Sines on Social Media:X – https://x.com/vytalsinesInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/vytalsinesFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/people/Vytal-Sines/61588712127793/YouTube – http://youtube.com/@vytalsinesWebsite - https://www.vytalspace.com/

His first launch ended in catastrophic failure. At 30 miles up and traveling 4,000 mph he reached the edge of space only to come crashing down. And then he launched two more times! In this episode of Vytal Sines, we go inside the Pentagon to sit down with U.S. Space Force Brigadier General Nick Hague — former NASA astronaut, International Space Station veteran, and survivor of one of the most dramatic Soyuz launch aborts in history.From Kansas farm country to the edge of space, Hague walks us through:The moment the cockpit flashed "Rocket Emergency" at 30 miles upWhat it really feels like to be ripped off a failing rocket and slam back to EarthHow his family endured 20 minutes not knowing if he was aliveGetting a second chance to reach orbit and serve aboard the International Space StationThe overview effect: seeing the world as one fragile, borderless homeLaunching once again as commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 'Rescue' missionWhat Space Force Guardians actually do—GPS, missile warning, and tracking deadly orbital debrisThis is a masterclass in resilience, risk, leadership, and calling—from a man who has stared down failure, gone back to the launchpad, and now helps shape the future of space and national security.If you care about human spaceflight, courage under pressure, or leading through uncertainty, this story will stay with you.Learn more about Brigadier General Nick Hague: • https://x.com/astrohague• https://www.spaceforce.mil/Biographies/Display/Article/4236061/nick-hague/Timestamps0:00 – Rocket Emergency at 4,000 mph 0:42 – Welcome to Vytal Sines from Inside the Pentagon3:01 – From Kansas Night Skies to the Edge of Space7:31 – Turning a Childhood Dream into a Real Flight Plan10:54 – Chasing NASA and Getting Rejected Three Times18:25 – How to Fail Forward: Checkrides, Humility, and Asking for Help23:06 – The Call from NASA That Changes Everything27:45 – Day One at NASA: You’re Not a Hero, You’re a Rookie32:33 – Inside the Soyuz: Anatomy of a Russian Rocket39:23 – Riding a Fueled Soyuz for the First Time48:19 – 7 Gs, No Altimeter, and Hoping the Chutes Open53:36 – Shock, Survival, and Letting the Emotions In1:00:21 – 20 Minutes of Not Knowing: His Family’s Side of the Story1:03:58 – “You’re Going to Get Your Chance”: Why Matters More Than Risk1:07:33 – Resetting for Round Two and Flying Again in Five Months1:23:14 – What Space Teaches You About Humanity1:25:02 – From Soyuz to SpaceX Dragon: Two Very Different Paths to Orbit1:32:55 – Operating Dragon as a “Single‑Crewed” Launch1:36:09 – EVAs with Crowbars: Fixing Stubborn Hardware in Space1:37:57 – Splashdown, Dolphins, and Coming Home1:38:45 – Becoming the First Space Force Guardian in Orbit1:40:23 – What Do Space Force Guardians Actually Do?1:52:26 – Final Reflections: You Don’t Do This AloneVytal Sines is co-hosted by Paul Wizikowski & Ryan Cristelli. Recorded here on Earth with stories from the edge of absurd. Media production by Vytal Space LLC.Have a mission that requires excellence? We often serve as an agency of record or strategic extension of internal communications and marketing teams. Please email or call us to start a conversation.go@vytalspace.com(321) 800 3789Follow Vytal Sines on Social Media:X – https://x.com/vytalsinesInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/vytalsinesFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/people/Vytal-Sines/61588712127793/YouTube – http://youtube.com/@vytalsinesWebsite - https://www.vytalspace.com/

In this electrifying episode, Dr. Peggy Whitson – record-shattering astronaut, biochemist, and ISS commander – takes us from a tiny Iowa farm town to the very edge of uncertainty in space. She reveals how Apollo 11, Star Trek, and stubborn grit turned a “flash in the pan” dream into nearly 700 days off the planet. From tense negotiations in bugged Russian rooms to a violent ballistic Soyuz reentry, Peggy breaks down what it really takes to lead, to get the job done when everything goes sideways, and to persevere when the experts tell you you’re wrong. This is human spaceflight, unfiltered.Learn more about Dr. Peggy Whitson:• https://x.com/astropeggy• https://www.nasa.gov/people/peggy-a-whitson/Timestamps00:00 – You've Found Vytal Sines00:06 – Introducing Peggy Whitson: The Record-Breaking Astronaut02:40 – Apollo 11, Star Trek, and a Farm Kid’s Space Dream04:04 – Chickens for Flight Time: Earning a Pilot’s License08:32 – Iowa Roots: Hard Work, Improvisation, and Getting It Done11:31 – First Steps at NASA and the Shuttle-Mir Assignment13:21 – Bugged Rooms and Russian Respect: Learning to Negotiate17:20 – Culture Shock in Russia and Standing Your Ground21:39 – Walking Out of Negotiations and Doubling the Science25:30 – Ten Years of Rejection and Finally Getting “The Call”35:13 – Astronaut Training: EVA Suits, Russian, and Orbital Mechanics45:28 – Riding the Space Shuttle: 4.4 Million Pounds of Thrust51:29 – Comparing Launches: Shuttle vs Soyuz vs Dragon54:04 – Complex ISS EVAs and Sporty Repairs in the Dark1:00:40 – Soyuz Goes Sideways: The Start of a Ballistic Reentry1:05:39 – 8+ Gs After Six Months in Space1:12:22 – Crash, Fire, and Kazakh Locals at the Capsule1:29:05 – Leaving NASA, Then Returning via Axiom Space1:57:10 – Spaceship Earth: How Space Changes the Way You See Us AllVytal Sines is co-hosted by Paul Wizikowski & Ryan Cristelli. Recorded here on Earth with stories from the edge of absurd. Media production by Vytal Space LLC.Have a mission that requires excellence? We often serve as an agency of record or strategic extension of internal communications and marketing teams. Please email or call us to start a conversation.mailto:go@vytalspace.com(321) 800 3789Follow Vytal Sines on Social Media:X – https://x.com/vytalsinesInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/vytalsinesFacebook – https://facebook.com/vytalsinesYouTube – http://youtube.com/@vytalsinesWebsite - https://www.vytalsines.com/Add Vytal Sines to your Podcast Feed:Get our RSS Feed – to be updatedApple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vytal-sines/id1895656938Spotify – to be updatedFor more on our hosts follow them at:Paul WizikowskiFacebook - https://facebook.com/wizikowskiRyan CristelliInstagram - @rynosuFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cristelli.1

Hello and welcome!My name is Paul Wizikowski and I am a storyteller at heart.But my good friend Ryan Cristelli, he’s the real talent.For the better part of a decade he and I worked at the same ad agency and found ourselves chasing stories and highlighting the humanity around this planet. We’ve wandered through the rainforests of South America, stumbled through the frozen tundra of, well, mostly North Dakota, and navigated miles of highway in between.At the end of our run together, I accepted an appointment at NASA and Ryan opened the doors to his own creative agency.Today we find ourselves surrounded by incredibly talented folks who live fast, seek truth, and make those around them better …and we’d like to share some of that goodness with you.This is an endeavor to see the two of us get back in the saddle, poke holes in each other’s alibi and share a new season of life seeking out moments of humanity in the most unlikely of situations… we’re calling it Vytal Sines!Why Vytal Sines?! Well, naturally it's a great term for ‘Proof of Life’ but also my company Vytal Space is bootstrapping this whole thing. So, there’s some connective tissue there…But in all honesty… this is a new video podcast series where we sit down with those who’ve pursued the absurd, survived the unexpected and learned a thing or two along the way …and we’re starting with some of my friends in human spaceflight!Ryan and I believe we all, each of us, have greatness in us. That there is a potential in you… that can be unlocked and sharpened through these conversations.If you like what we’re doing please consider subscribing! As much as I enjoy a good side quest with my buddy Cristelli we’re really doing this for you. Hoping that the tales of adventure and the truths we unpack along the way, add a little pepper to your world and stick with ya for what ever’s on the horizon.This is Vytal Sines… Proof of life lived on the edge of absurd.