240 - Canada’s NASA (with Trevor Kjorlien)

In this episode of Off-Nominal, host Jake welcomes Trevor Kjorlien, a Canadian space enthusiast and former communications officer at the Canadian Space Agency, for a deep dive into Canada's space achievements and his personal journey from moon-watching hobbyist to space educator. Trevor recounts his life-changing moment watching the moon rise over Montreal, which sparked a passion for astronomy and eventually led him to build mobile planetariums for schools. He shares the story of his 'space nerd one-night stand' with Jake in Nashville during the 2017 solar eclipse, where a spontaneous national anthem singalong introduced him to American culture and solidified his love for space. The conversation explores the cultural significance of Canada's space program—often referred to as 'Canada’s NASA'—and highlights the unique Canadian touches during the Artemis II mission, such as multilingual communications and Indigenous land acknowledgments. Trevor also discusses the technical and emotional challenges of organizing mobile planetarium shows, using affordable, DIY setups with software like Stellarium and Gaia Sky. The episode ends with reflections on the perfect timing of space missions for public engagement, the importance of hype cycles, and the joy of sharing wonder with children through accessible science education.