Ep. 44 | Blue Origin's SVP Brent Sherwood on Engineering to Live and Work in Space

Ep. 44 | Blue Origin's SVP Brent Sherwood on Engineering to Live and Work in Space

Author: All About Circuits April 26, 2022 Duration: 51:34

3… 2… 1… Liftoff! In this episode of Moore's Lobby, a veteran of the aerospace industry, Brent Sherwood, Blue Origin's Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs, discusses the barriers and breakthroughs for all nations, companies, and people to (literally) get outta' this world. 

Sherwood shares how his childhood dream to "build cities on the moon" led him on an unorthodox journey to become an aerospace engineer and one of the world's leaders in the field of space exploration. Sherwood's career has been spent living out his grown-up dreams. First at Boeing, then NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and now Blue Origin. 

Architecting for space exploration and habitation requires a lot of people, money, and resources. It also takes a deep knowledge of hardware, mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering in this new "space architecture" field. Sherwood brings us behind the scenes of both his experiences and Blue Origin's projects and goals.

Sherwood addresses earth's fragility and space's potential for human civilization and the development of new energy and material resources. Blue Origin is looking to dramatically reduce the cost and risk for people to pursue these goals and turn these dreams into reality. 

Science Fiction is Becoming a Science Reality 

Listen in on this great conversation with Brent Sherwood. Highlights include: 

-Why part of space is like "living inside of a VCR"

-How many sunrises and sunsets happen in space each day

-How power sources (e.g., sun and nuclear) will play critical roles in creating and maintaining space architecture 

-Design for reusable liquid rocket engines, microgravity, and timeless aesthetics

-The vision behind Blue Origin's Orbital Reef - a commercially developed, owned, and operated space station scheduled to orbit by the end of this decade (that's 2030—less 8 years away!)

-Sherwood discusses his favorite celestial body (everyone has one of those, right?)


In the world of electronics, the real story is often found in the people who design, innovate, and push the boundaries of what's possible. Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits is a monthly podcast that goes beyond datasheets and schematics to explore the human element driving technological progress. Host Daniel Bogdanoff sits down with a diverse range of guests-from hands-on engineers and visionary technologists to the executives steering major organizations-for conversations that are as much about personal journey as technical achievement. Each episode delves into the practical engineering and the broader industry trends shaping our future, but always through the lens of the individual's experience. You'll hear firsthand accounts of breakthrough moments, the challenges of bringing complex ideas to life, and the philosophies that guide leaders in this demanding field. This podcast from All About Circuits connects a global community of professionals who share a deep curiosity for how things work and who makes them work. It’s a space for nuanced discussion that aims to inform, inspire, and provide genuine insight into the circuit-driven world we inhabit. The dialogue here is for those who appreciate the substance behind the innovation, offering a blend of technical depth and narrative that you can naturally integrate into your own perspective.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits
Podcast Episodes
Sensors Insights: Bridging Hardware Collection and Software Analysis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:31
The "old school" way was simple: a sensor sees a part, tells the controller, and the actuator moves. It was pure hardware logic, and it worked. But in today's smart factories, that's only half the story. Modern sensors a…
Powering EVs: Microgrids & DC Charging Solutions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:25
In this episode of the Moore's Lobby podcast, we sit down with Antonio Di Vaira, Senior VP for Power Product of Schneider Electric to discuss the massive shifts happening in the world of energy distribution. The conversa…
Generative AI for Dirty Jobs—The Next Industrial Revolution? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:05
Christopher Savoie, the founder and CEO of Zapata Computing, has had a fascinating career journey. After beginning as a young programmer working with early computers, he switched gears to immunology and biophysics in Jap…
GaN Powers Up in AI, Robotics, and Our Lives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
In this fascinating interview, Alex Lidow discusses his early exposure to semiconductors through his father and grandfather, who founded International Rectifier. Initially pursuing aeronautical engineering at Caltech, he…