As NASA’s best ambassadors, astronauts do so much more than just train and fly. They also do public appearances and media interviews around the country, in addition to occasionally being deployed on foreign soil to represent the United States. My first such foreign assignment came in the summer of 1985—but it turned out to have an unexpected, spy-novel-like dimension.

In this episode, you’ll hear about my first foreign assignment as an astronaut and the cat-and-mouse intelligence game between the United States and the USSR. I describe the growth of NASA’s space shuttle program in 1985 and the secret meeting we had during the Paris Air Show of that same year. I also discuss navigating sensitive conversations and highlight the importance of having an awareness of other peoples’ agendas.

“These were the Cold War years, of course, defined by the tense superpower standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union; the latter would not stand idly by as their chief adversary developed as novel and versatile a spacecraft as the shuttle.” - Kathy Sullivan

This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:

●     My first assignment to the Paris Air Show

●     The progress of the space shuttle program in 1985 and the Cold War cat-and-mouse

●     The first Soviet Space Shuttle mission and the people to pilot it

●     Our secret meeting with the Russian delegation at the Paris Air Show

●     The intelligence game between the United States and the USSR

Our Favorite Quotes:

●     “You may never be a pawn on the intelligence chessboard, but it’s always worthwhile to navigate difficult conversations with rich awareness of the many agendas that may be in play, the part you play in the agenda of others, and what makes those other parties tick.” - Kathy Sullivan

●     “The trick, then, is arming yourself with awareness: this will help you know how adversarial or collaborative the situation is likely to be, and give you the best chance of achieving your objectives.” - Kathy Sullivan

Spaceship Not Required

I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.

I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.

In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are--spaceship not required.

Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.

Visit my website at kathysullivanexplores.com to sign up for seven astronaut tips to improving your life on earth and be the first to discover future episodes and learn about more exciting adventures ahead!

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