T minus 10 interview series by space industry leader Dylan Taylor. This episode features Virgin Galactic astronaut, Yuri's Night co-founder and author, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides.

1. An interview seires
with Dylan Taylor
T-MINUS 10
LORETTA HIDALGO WHITESIDES
with

2. T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor
Having dreamed of space since she was a little girl, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides
wants to use the power of space to shift our perspectives, connect us with
each other and our home planet and become the kind of species we would be
proud to send to the nearest star.Loretta studied astrobiology at Stanford and
Caltech, worked in the Astronaut Office in Houston Texas, did research on plant
life in the Canadian Arctic with NASA, dove to the bottom of the ocean with
Titanic Director James Cameron to film the IMAX Aliens of the Deep, floated
weightless hundreds of times as a Flight Director for Zero Gravity Corporation, studied
terraforming Mars with Dr. Chris McKay of NASA Ames, worked for the X Prize Foundation
during the $10M winning Ansari X Prize flights in 2004, helped launch the Space Generation
Advisory Council in 1999, and Co-Created Yuri’s Night, The World Space Party in 2001. Loretta
Hidalgo Whitesides has been a Founder Astronaut with Virgin Galactic since 2005.She has
written a book called, “The New Right Stuff: Using Space to Bring out the Best in You.”She
currently lives in the desert outside Los Angeles with her husband George and their two kids
and leads leadership development training for Virgin Galactic staff. She continues to give
talks and write to help people fulfill on what they came to Earth to do!
ABOUT
LORETTA HIDALGO WHITESIDES

3. I grew up in Santa Rosa California, a
place that was ravaged by the Tubbs fire
in 2017. Parts of my high school and
grade school burned and many of my
friends lost their childhood homes. It’s an
hour north of San Francisco and full of
wineries and redwood trees! I ended up
at Stanford (because it was close to a
NASA center) and studied Astrobiology
because I wanted to figure out how to
grow our own food while recycling our air
and water in space!
10. WHAT IS YOUR
BACKGROUND, WHERE DID
YOU GROW UP?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

4. When I was 5. I remember my kindergarten class had an
Apollo astronaut on the bulletin board. The teacher said
that anyone who passed the alphabet test would get their
picture up on that bulletin board! I was clear I wanted
that!My cousins and I also played spaceship in the crawl
space under their stairs (complete with silver insulated
ducting!) and looked at the pictures in National
Geographic’s coffee table book “Our Universe” and argued
over who got to be the god of which planet.
9. WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INTERESTED IN SPACE?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

5. 8. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE
INDUSTRY TODAY?
I T H I N K T H E B I G G E S T I S S U E I S A H U M A N O N E . W E N E E D T O M A K E S U R E W E A R E
T A K I N G C A R E O F T H E W H O L E P E R S O N . H A P P Y P E O P L E D O B E T T E R W O R K . I A L S O
W A N T T O S E E U S G E T B E T T E R A T W O R K I N G T O G E T H E R , W H E T H E R A T T H E T E A M
L E V E L , T H E C O M P A N Y L E V E L O R T H E I N D U S T R Y L E V E L . W E A L L L O V E S P A C E A N D
C A N G A I N A L O T B Y B E I N G A B L E T O S U P P O R T E V E R Y O N E I N W I N N I N G . A R I S I N G
T I D E L I F T S A L L S P A C E S H I P S . T O D O T H I S R E Q U I R E S S E L F C A R E ( S L E E P , E X E R C I S E ,
M I N D F U L N E S S ) A S W E L L A S A C O M M I T M E N T T O I M P R O V I N G I N T E R P E R S O N A L S K I L L S
A S W E L L A S Y O U R O W N P E R S O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T . I T H I N K H A V I N G M O R E F E M I N I N E
E N E R G Y I N T H E I N D U S T R Y W O U L D A L S O H E L P A L O T . L O V E , P A T I E N C E ,
C O O P E R A T I O N , W A R M T H , N U R T U R I N G , R E S P E C T F U L C O M M U N I C A T I O N A N D
G E N E R O S I T Y G O A L O N G W A Y A N D W I L L H E L P P U T T H E S P A C E C O M M U N I T Y B A C K
I N T O B A L A N C E .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

6. 7. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO
FOR FUN?
H I K E , R E A D I N S P I R A T I O N A L B O O K S ,
T R A V E L , T A K E T R A N S F O R M A T I O N A L
C O U R S E S , H A N G O U T U N D E R F R E S H
W A T E R , B A C K P A C K , D A N C E , L E A D R O P E S
C H A L L E N G E C O U R S E S , T A L K T O P E O P L E
A B O U T T H E T H I N G S T H A T M A T T E R T O
T H E M M O S T , C O A C H P E O P L E T O L E T G O
O F W H A T E V E R I S H O L D I N G T H E M B A C K .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

7. The Empire Strike Back. I love to listen to
Yoda remind us of important things like “War
does not make one great,” or “You must
unlearn what you have learned,” or “Anger,
Fear, Aggression, the dark side of the Force
are these…”I also really like “Real Genius.” Val
Kilmer’s character is actually exactly what
God looks like to me…and how he talks to
me, irreverent, funny, brilliant and dead on. (I
also really like a Room with a View and 2010).
6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
AND WHY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

8. Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah-
by Richard BachStranger in a Strange Land- by
Robert A. HeinleinThe Overview Effect, Space
Exploration and Human Evolution by Frank
WhiteParable of the Sower, by Octavia
ButlerHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy- by
Douglas Adams
5. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR
FAVORITE BOOKS?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

9. 4. WHAT ARE YOU
READING NOW?
F O R U S T H E L I V I N G B Y R O B E R T A
H E I N L E I N A N D W A R R I O R O F T H E
L I G H T B Y P A U L O C O E L H O
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

10. 3. WHERE DO YOU SEE THE SPACE INDUSTRY
IN TEN YEARS?
( T H I S I S M Y W I S H L I S T A N Y W A Y ! ) T H O U S A N D S O F P E O P L E W I L L
H A V E E X P E R I E N C E D S U B O R B I T A L F L I G H T F O R T H E M S E L V E S . W E
W I L L B E O F F E R I N G P O I N T T O P O I N T S E R V I C E S B E T W E E N T H E
B I G G E S T T R A V E L H U B S P R I V A T E O R B I T A L T R I P S W I L L B E
A V A I L A B L E 1 S T W O M A N W I L L H A V E W A L K E D O N T H E M O O N
A N D T H E 1 S T H U M A N M I S S I O N T O M A R S W I L L B E B E I N G
P L A N N E D . W E W I L L H A V E F O U N D M A N Y C O M P E L L I N G W A Y S T O
U S E S P A C E T O P R O T E C T O U R H O M E P L A N E T ’ S E C O S Y S T E M S W E
A R E M O V I N G O U T M I N D F U L L Y I N T O S P A C E , D R A W I N G O N
L E S S O N S F R O M C O L O N I A L I S M A N D E N V I R O N M E N T A L D A M A G E
T O M A K E S U R E W E B U I L D I N F O R I N C L U S I O N , P R O T E C T I O N O F
T H E P L A C E S W E G O F O R F U T U R E G E N E R A T I O N S , A N D P E A C E .
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

11. Meet as many people as you can. Go to
conferences. Write out your ideas,
values and vision. Dream big, ask for
help and remember that every set back,
disappointment and frustration is the
perfect training for you to fulfill what
you came to Earth to do. Read my book,
“The New Right Stuff, Using Space to
Bring out the Best in You.” Preferably in
a book club with others so you can all
support each other in your missions!Go
to Yuri’s Night near you or plan your
own! Get involved with Space
Generation Advisory Council.
2. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE JUST
STARTING OUT IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

12. Peace, Love, Space
1. WHAT THREE WORDS BEST
DESCRIBE YOU?
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES | Dylan Taylor

13. Have someone to recommend
for an interview? Contact me!
T-MINUS 10 INTERVIEW SERIES
WITH LEADERS OF THE SPACE
INDUSTRY
www.dylantaylor.org