Now I can feel that I am getting a part of this lovely company; my routine has been set up and I know what I am supposed to do even it has been only 2 weeks. I have mostly dealt with our DareGreatly Podcast shows which were the episodes of Raphael, James Buck and Michale Doyle. While I had edited them, not only I have been getting used to a tool for editing, but also I was able to be exposed some interesting stories which were their magnificent backgrounds, how they have been chasing their own dreams for a long time and obviously, space lectures that I could have not taken if I had not been here.  As a person who has not been familiar to these sort of space science for a whole life, it was truly thrilled to eavesdrop how huge space business are in the US.

​​    Leaving all the good memories in San Diego behind, I started my internship as a video editor at LiftPort Group. Unlike Southern California, the weather has been a little bit chilly and rainy which I have been accustomed gradually. To be honest, I felt butterflies in my stomach at the beginning. But as soon as I got used to the atmosphere and people over here, now I am able to be relaxed more.

    I have not done much work this week but I can say it was a necessary process to prepare the whole period of this internship program; Figuring out editing directions and characteristics from previous projects and videos, learning new scientific knowledges and basic physics associated with the space elevator between the Earth and the Moon, organizing my prospect routines through 16 weeks, etc. I am not a person who worries too much, but still, I have had some concerns about how I can fit this area and the company.

    Fortunately, thanks to Michael and YuJin, I feel I am doing better than I expected. I can not wait to contribute my abilities to this company as much as I can. And after 16 weeks, I definitely guarantee myself that I will have experienced my life changing moments.

​  We had Formal Monday on 27th. Because I was sick last week and had a Formal Monday 2 weeks ago, I had nothing to share with team. However, I learned many thing from others and showed my personal project document to Michael Laine. He really liked it and gave some advice to me. 

  Then, we went to bellvue to meet James at his office. It was first time meet him in person. I really like the office there and look forward to see him again. After leaving the office. I went to Washing University. Spring is the perfect time to visit Washington University's beautiful campus, especially during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Every year, the university welcomes visitors from around the world to enjoy the stunning pink and white blooms.

  The festival typically takes place in late March or early April, when the cherry blossoms are at their peak. This year, it started on March 24. During this time, the campus is transformed into a breathtaking sea of pink and white, with thousands of trees bursting into bloom. I strolled through the campus, took pictures, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of spring. It was perfect place for me to take some time to relax and enjoy the beauty of spring!

  The weather is changing, and many of us are susceptible to catching a cold. Unfortunately, I am no exception, and this week I found myself dealing with the familiar symptoms of a cold. Despite the inconvenience and discomfort, I tried to force myself to work on my tasks. However, it went bad, so I changed my plan. I made sure to rest as much as possible, drink plenty of fluids, and take some over-the-counter cold medicine to alleviate my symptoms.

  One thing that can be frustrating about having a cold is feeling like I’m not able to be as productive as usual. As someone who takes pride in being able to work efficiently, it can be hard to accept that sometimes our bodies need us to slow down. But I tried to reframe my mindset and remind myself that taking care of myself is a form of productivity too.
​
  I stopped feeling guilty about taking some time off to get healthy. Hope to get back to full strength.

    This week makes me look back my internship. The first big deal was that the new westie intern came to our company. Since Michael was busy on that day, I showed him a 'Checklist for New hire' page on Notion which i made 3 days ago before he came here. All of them on the list are important, but I emphasized the use of notion. We had a chat a little bit about it, when he had any questions.
 
  Looking at him, it reminded me of my very first day at LiftPort. I'm pretty sure that I was eager to learn something new and get a useful skill so much(and still I am). I feel like I'm still newbie here. Sometimes, the fact that I've worked here over 4 months makes me weird but amazing at the same time. I currently have less than 60 days to work at Liftport and to stay in Tacoma. I definitely should plan what to do to spend meaningful time here.

  Plus, I had a Formal Monday on Tuesday. I prepared my presentation about what I've done last a month to build an elevator on the moon. In short, I made an 1500 database finally and finished the introduction part of my personal project. I would like to say both are the giant progress to myself. I'm so excited to see how it would be seemed after finishing these tasks.

​  Anyway, the weather is getting better and my task goes well. Everything is terrific now!

This week at Liftport we helped with the Mars Society reboot of their monthly podcast, RedPlanet Live.  We had a few technical hiccups, otherwise it was a success.  Mars Society marks our first client for our new service, “Podcasts as a Service”.  Ashton Zeth is the new host of Mars Society podcast which will regularly feature the people in space, and her proposed lineup is super exciting! Their first guest was Dr. Sarah Milkovich from NASA/JPL who is a technical engineer for Mars Rover program, and specifically the Perservance rover.  

The interview had many highlights, but my favorite was Dr. Milkovich’s remarks about Mars.  She made quite an impression when discussing her thoughts on Mars exploration - namely that it wasn't as exciting because of all the ways one could die on Mars!

​On Wednesday, our Better Futures brand hosted our own podcast and added some new dynamic features into our podcast, including live videos, and special reporting from our own Rachel Brooks!  We are still working the kinks out and trying to find the right mix to engage the audience but I am confident we will find the right formula. 

It's a new year and the future looks brighter than ever.  We're excited to continue our journey in 2023 with ambitious plans, including hosting 4 quarterly conferences around money in space. Join us on this adventure as we explore new opportunities and create Better Futures!  

 ---- > www.DareGreatly.space

Everyone is busy in their respective roles, and we are toiling away to build out processes internally for future ease.  

All for now, back to building events, graphics and planning programming.

​(˵╹◡╹)━☆

 -- Leah Malmos

Communications are like electricity. You need a current responsive dialogue between leaders, ops managers, and teammates to make a project work. 
I only joined LiftPort Group a short time ago, but already I’ve seen my team take great strides toward building an immersive media arm for finances. 
​
When I Joined 
I have a Substack about Space. Ever since I was small, I was obsessed with Space exploration. A few years ago, I went to the Space museum in Huntsville, Alabama, and renewed that obsession. 
I first approached Michael Laine for an interview in my newsletter. To my great surprise, he flipped the script on me, agreeing to do the interview but on camera on his show Dare Greatly. 
As we talked, Michael gave me a chance to make the jump from Space innovation-obsessed journalist to an active member of his team. To say I am grateful for the opportunity is an understatement. 

What I Did To Make It Happen 
It is my great honor to build a comprehensive communications system to help their efforts launch. 
First, I began by organizing a communications strategy. Our strategy will use a system of four words, beginning with the letter “r” for refinement. Our 4Rs policy: 
After I put this refinement strategy in place, I started work on organizing mission-critical materials. 
I built a Mission Operations Center or a MOC in Notion to focus all our project documents, tasks, and notes in one central living document. 

What I Learned 
I was new to the idea of a Space Elevator when I came on board. For me, jumping on board with the Lift Port Group was a crash course in 20+ years of innovation. The Space elevator is perhaps the most ambitious feat of engineering in Space to date. While the math works, I learned there are a lot of physical challenges ahead. Such as finding the right material for the string that will lift the Space elevator through the void of Space.

What I Hope To Learn
My hope shortly is to dive headfirst into understanding the role Space elevator-specifically the Lunar elevator project-will play in putting humans closer to Space resources. I see this Lunar elevator as being one of the great architectural projects. Like the Pyramids of Giza, Petra, and Stonehenge, the Space elevator will be a bridge in the universe that will show the creativity and resourcefulness of humankind. I am proud to be part of that effort.

​ -- Rachel Brooks

I learned a lot from your patience and responsibility. 

You would always try to do your best in everything. You have grit, the tendency I have to get from you. Memories of seeing that kind of person from a close distance will last. And people trust you because of it, and that includes me.
I would call it a master level of 'manipulating,' making people rely on and put faith in you.

But at the same time, I am concerned your tenacious mind is starting to impact your physical self.
I hope you find a habit of exercising regularly. Fewer hamburgers and coke if possible. 


Thank you for bearing with me, and thank you for confronting me.
You were just and fair even though I wasn't.

This relationship may not meet your expectations, but you have impacted me in a way. I will try not to make the same mistakes.

Thank you for your blessings and criticisms. 
Thank you for caring.

Now, I set thee free. Time to go home to be my parent's pain in the ass.

This Friday is my end-date of my internship, so this is my last blog. I can not believe that I’ve worked here for 4 months. Time flies. Now I get closer with my roommates and get used to this work, but I have to leave. It took a long time to soak up this culture for me (in perspective of relationships), so 4 months is short to experience American culture. However, I know many people are friendly because I am leaving soon. There is an old phrase in Korea “Leave when people are clapping”. It means that even though you are sad to leave, it is the best time to leave when people have good memories of you. Therefore, I will enjoy this last week without any regret and leave!


Last Friday and Saturday, I managed my last events successfully; Living in Space 2022. As I mentioned before, I made event pages on Linkedin and Facebook and uploaded a promo video and images that I made. Even though It was not that powerful to attract many audiences but I think if we advertise with them 2 weeks before the event, it would work. We didn’t have enough time to prepare for this event. All the things were processed in 2-3 days. We had problems with some speakers and it made us devastated. But we solved problems very well and no one recognized that there were problems. I know it could sound weird but I was happy to be busy those days. I felt like a talented intern! I would be happier if there were more events. Anyway, I’m leaving and just hope the following events be prepared in advance for everyone!


After work, I took a short nap and did volunteer work for Tacoma Pride Festival. I really wanted to volunteer work in the U.S. for human rights. Finally, my dream came true! I picked up trash and looked around the vendors. I was surprised because there were so many Christian booths. Unlike in Korea, many Christians support LGBTQ rights. I saw a conflict between pro-choice and pro-life and it was impressive too. Even though, the pride festival and my volunteer work ended well.


On my last Sunday, I rode a boat🚢 and saw orcas with Young-Eun and a roommate. My roommate invited me to this event. I didn’t expect that I could ride a boat in the United States! It was a fancy and exciting experience. All the views, breeze, and food were perfect. I made a new friend called Jim who owns a boat. He was a nice guy who has been to Korea when he was in the navy. To talk with him about his journey and life was interesting. We promised to meet again if I visit here someday.


The most interesting thing that day was definitely seeing orcas🐋! I’ve heard this area is famous for orcas, but I thought seeing orcas would not happen to me. They were huge and their body looked smooth. They seemed to move somewhere. I hope they had a good journey like us. This day is one of the most perfect days of my life! I hope the rest of my days would be perfect!


JIYEON GO