Remember that time you were in a whiteout in deep playa? That prepared you for a NASA mission to space, maybe.
Andie Grace sits down with Samuel M. Coniglio, aka Ranger Spacecat, and Spaceman Sam. He isn’t just a ten-year Black Rock Ranger and a veteran of the legendary Neverwas Haul (that three-story Victorian house on wheels); he’s a writer, inventor, and futurist who worked on the Space Shuttle and the ISS. From his Zero-G cocktail glass, to his book about making offworld living worth living, he studies the creature comforts that keep us sane in extreme environments. Sam bridges the gap between the Black Rock Desert and the final frontier.
Stuart Mangrum opens the show with a look at the Lunar Codex, an ambitious project placing the art of 50,000 Earthlings (including Burners!) into permanent archives on the Moon.
Then, Sam and Andie spacewalk into why “civilizing a barbaric situation” is a human need, whether you’re serving fancy tea in a mud storm, or grilling chicken on a space station.
It’s a conversation about radical self-reliance, orbital infrastructure, and why—if we’re going to Mars—we’d better bring decent coffee… and a bucket.
“Burning Man is just like going to Las Vegas on Mars. You have to learn how to live on Mars first before you enjoy the parties. It’s survival first, party second… The Burning Man org learned we have to have toilets, roads, and support systems. NASA probably should learn from you guys.”
retro-futurist.com
spacemansam.substack.com
obtainiumworks.net
nss.org/book-review-creature-comforts-in-space
youtube.com/@spaceman.sam.coniglio
