Episode Details

Cinematographer Kevin Curran has captured extraordinary stories through his lens for close on three decades. But when COVID brought the world—and his career—to a sudden pause, Kevin began reconsidering what he wanted to do with the time he had left. A lifelong fascination with aerospace provided the answer: use his skills as a filmmaker to document this remarkable chapter in human spaceflight.

In this episode, Dr. Eiman Jahangir sits down with Kevin for a conversation about finding purpose in capturing history, and the people pushing humanity beyond our atmosphere. Kevin shares what it was like filming historic moments for Blue Origin, SpaceX and Artemis I, including capturing the reactions of astronauts like Jeff Bezos and William Shatner just moments after their flights.

Kevin and Eiman go on to explore Kevin's documentary Beyond Blue Sky, which preserves the remarkable story of SpaceShipOne and the pioneers behind the first privately funded human spaceflight. Kevin reflects on the five-year journey of bringing the film to life and what he's learned from spending time with aerospace visionaries, as well as why pursuing your passion one step at a time can ultimately lead somewhere greater than you ever dared imagine.

Learn more about Beyond Blue Sky at https://beyond-blue-sky.com/

00:00 Welcome to A Heart for Space
00:51 Meeting Kevin Curran: From Electrical Engineering to Cinematography
03:05 The Creative Spark: Taking Things Apart and Putting Them Together
04:42 Finding Purpose in Space: The 2020 Turning Point
05:36 Capturing History: Blue Origin and the Closest Camera
09:24 The Story of Spaceship One: First Private Astronauts
09:46 The $28 Million Miracle: Building a Private Space Program
18:25 Five Years to Tell the Story: The Making of Beyond Blue Sky
20:23 Sitting Across from Legends: Burt Rutan and Brian Binnie
23:17 The Sidewinder Solution: Engineering Under Pressure
25:16 Mike Melville at 64: The First Private Astronaut
27:13 Age Is Just a Number: Human Capacity and Courage
28:07 Brian Binnie's UAP Encounter: A Courageous Disclosure
32:08 The Stigma and the Truth: UAPs in 2020
36:37 What We Lose Without These Stories
38:13 The Power of Parenting: Early Sparks That Drive Greatness
41:14 Advice for Dreamers: Identify Your Passion and Protect It
42:40 NS-16: The Most Meaningful Moment
47:01 Behind the Lens: Capturing Emotional Reactions
48:29 The Overview Effect: Processing the Experience
54:32 The Space Still Worth Reaching For
56:07 Beyond Blue Sky: Where to Watch

Discover more about Dr. Eiman Jahangir, and preorder your own copy of A Heart for Space, now at https://aheartforspace.com/