Rice University helped launch a new speaker series spotlighting the human side of space exploration with an appearance by veteran NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson on July 1 at the Ion, powered by Rice University.
The event marked the debut of “NASA Stories at the Ion,” a morning series that brings NASA personnel, including astronauts, leadership and other experts into Houston’s innovation ecosystem for public talks focused on their personal journeys. The series is presented by the Ion and Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, which leads programming for the Ion.
“We bring together the voices of NASA — the astronauts, the engineers, the visionaries — directly into the Ion innovation ecosystem,” said Brad Burke, associate vice president for industry and new ventures at Rice’s Office of Innovation and executive director of the Rice Alliance. “Our goal of the series is simple. We want to inspire.”
Dyson, who returned to Earth in September 2024 after spending six months aboard the International Space Station, reflected on the complexity of life and work in orbit. Her talk emphasized the critical nature of trust and teamwork for the success of the mission, framing space exploration as the kind of endeavor where shared purpose overrides cultural differences, forging a “planetary family.”
“I’m one of about 41 active astronauts, and our perspective is quite unique,” Dyson said. “We really are just that part of the program — the very small part of the program — that sits at the pointy end of the rocket, but it is supported by millions of pounds of trust and hundreds and thousands of people.”
During her talk, Dyson recounted scientific experiments conducted in orbit, including research on stem cells, neurodegenerative disease and microgravity fluid dynamics, as well as her own spacewalk training and an aborted spacewalk due to a leaking suit. She also shared personal memories — including the moment she knew she wanted to become an astronaut.
“It was 1986 and it was because, for the first time, we were going to send a teacher to space,” she said, referencing Christa McAuliffe, who was the first civilian in space as part of NASA’s Teacher in Space Project.
The speaker series builds on the success of the NASA Tech Talks, also held at the Ion, but shifts the focus from technical challenges to lived experience.
In opening remarks delivered at the event, Montgomery Goforth, assistant director of engineering at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and curator of the NASA Tech Talks, said there is “so much more to what goes on at NASA than just the technical part of it.”
“We thought we’d open things up a bit and bring folks in that could talk about their experiences at NASA in a more personal way,” Goforth said.
Future events will include a NASA flight director on Aug. 12 and, organizers hope, a live message beamed from the International Space Station. Two Rice alumnae — NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers and Axiom Mission 4 commander and Rice alumna Peggy Whitson ’86, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space — are currently aboard the station, and event organizers are exploring opportunities to feature them in upcoming talks.
The Ion, located in the Ion District, is the transformative centerpiece of Houston’s innovation corridor, powered by Rice University. Designed to bring our city’s entrepreneurial, corporate and academic communities into collaborative spaces and programs.