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What Are We Replacing the ISS With? With Ariel Ekblaw

2026-06-06 Science & Technology
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T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. https://T-Mobile.com/HomeInternet Can we put the data centers in space? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly map out the future of human habitation, research, and industry in low Earth orbit with Ariel Ekblaw, founder and CEO of the Aurelia Institute. What does decommissioning actually mean for something as large as the ISS? Learn about the plan to decommission the ISS and plop it in the pacific ocean. We explore NASA's transition plan with new commercial stations attaching to the existing ISS before it's retired. What will new generation space structures look like? Can we do construction in space to create modules larger than a payload bay? Ariel's vision centers on self-assembling modular structures. We explore how biomimicry can inform self-assembling design and how early testing microgravity has gone. What can you actually do in microgravity that's impossible on Earth? We explore making perfect ball bearings, grow retinal tissue without sagging, crystallize cancer drugs, and run biotech experiments without convection or sedimentation interfering with results. Can we put data centers on the moon? What about plans to create solar arrays in space to beam power back down to Earth? We discuss the public-private tension between NASA and SpaceX, and approaches to cleaning up orbital debris. Plus, learn about the timeline for all these low Earth orbit building projects. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Ariel Ekblaw 05:30 - Decommissioning the International Space Station 10:19 - Geodesic Domes, Modular Space Structures, & Biomimicry 17:05 - Rotating Your Space Station 23:43 - Biotech in Space 31:15 - Sealing Air Pressure 34:55 - The Cost of Going to Space 40:44 - The Transition to Commercial Space 45:30 - Can We Move the Data Centers to Space? 48:55 - Space Infrastructure to Support Life on Earth 52:12 - Generating Energy in Space 55:07 - The Dangers of Space Junk 58:26 - The Timeline for the Next Generation of Space Infrastructure Thanks to our Patrons Richard Morgan, Kamila B, Douglas L, Izzi, Robert Lee, Alfredo Giachino, Andy Reinhart, Kacie Blu, Kimberly Freshour, Atmosphere327, Chris Rose, Gsjdhdbdh, Michael Nel, Morgan Shatz, Alfredo Morales, Petr Vlk, FMG, BryN S, Gunner Ford, Ori, Kimberly, David Kříž, Brendan Hanson, Catherine Westbrook, CT Vaughan, Jon West, Luc Gauthier, Smlamartina, DetroitLarry, Dave, Maarten Bakker, Monthen, Alixandria Taylor, Joe Maron, Ben Canty, Stephen Harris, Nandini and Nitin, Angel, Sascha975, Jalene Tangen, Courtney, Marcus, Jorge Coria, Emilio Jaen, Matt Tatro, Nicholas LaLonde, Mark Nicholson, Akira Stiebeling, Brandon Hill, Delphini Papadopoulos, Mauricio Valle, Mark Entel, Leif Callesen, Steven Crofts, Anthony Lofgren, Huzaifa Shabur, Kyle Has the Biggest Shlong in Media, Chase Phyfe, Davin, Greg Gray Lord of Hotdogs, Jeff Kolander, Gosh Dane It 🐍, Lewiathan Godslayer, Eric Tuch, Abiodun Aremu, Krystian Tolloczko, Brad, Ben Weekly, Andor Klomp, CrouchingTiger95, Daniel Wells, Yuki, Kimberly Passick, Zev Clement, Anthony Valle, Titus Clay, Mohsin Khan, Ted McCutcheon, Rudy Cajka, Ronald Nigel McWilliams, Kolten Garrett, Elizabeth Cahill, Joleen Candice, Marion, Lake Whoabegon, K Holzer, Oliver V. Ustinovich, John Ellis, Justin, Stelios Antoniou, Monitor343, M McGa, William Benjamin Broes, Brian Warszona, Lori Peets, Manav Gupta, Marley J. Valdes Toetu'u, Robert Wiscott, Duckie, and Felix Venzor for supporting us this week. Order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the lates StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

Top Comments (10)

@gourdbox 2026-06-06

I enjoy listening to smart people talk, I’ve been underexposed recently.

268 28 replies
@SinfullHero 2026-06-06

Blows me away there are humans like her in the world.

81 1 replies
@censon 2026-06-07

Another superb guest. Bring her back, often!

80
@paulaschneider8883 2026-06-06

What a lovely, brilliant, amazing guest. She is so intelligent. She has the answer to every question right away and explains it very well for the listeners.

71 1 replies
@maxseaborn 2026-06-06

Ariel has a very pleasing voice

60 3 replies
@XXSFA7 2026-06-06

Fantastic Guest!!!

35
@Xeonerable 2026-06-07

Ariel is a great guest and I hope to see her more not in just startalk but in the news. She is very witty and intelligent. Has a great sense of humor. And to top it all off she has a soft voice that is pleasant to listen to.

27
@SilverAlex92 2026-06-06

"And decommission is a code word" "Fiery death" God I love her xD one of the best hosts you have had in a while!

19 1 replies
@mikehodo2967 2026-06-06

im glad this video is over an hour long. i saw a bit of this earlier when, i assume, it was uploaded early & even with that i was hooked. i needed more.

10
@brooksanderson1791 2026-06-06

So cool to hear Bucky Fuller mentioned.

7

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