His first launch ended in catastrophic failure. At 30 miles up and traveling 4,000 mph he reached the edge of space only to come crashing down. And then he launched two more times! In this episode of Vytal Sines, we go inside the Pentagon to sit down with U.S. Space Force Brigadier General Nick Hague — former NASA astronaut, International Space Station veteran, and survivor of one of the most dramatic Soyuz launch aborts in history.

From Kansas farm country to the edge of space, Hague walks us through:

The moment the cockpit flashed "Rocket Emergency" at 30 miles up

What it really feels like to be ripped off a failing rocket and slam back to Earth

How his family endured 20 minutes not knowing if he was alive

Getting a second chance to reach orbit and serve aboard the International Space Station

The overview effect: seeing the world as one fragile, borderless home

Launching once again as commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 'Rescue' mission

What Space Force Guardians actually do—GPS, missile warning, and tracking deadly orbital debris

This is a masterclass in resilience, risk, leadership, and calling—from a man who has stared down failure, gone back to the launchpad, and now helps shape the future of space and national security.

If you care about human spaceflight, courage under pressure, or leading through uncertainty, this story will stay with you.

Learn more about Brigadier General Nick Hague:

• https://x.com/astrohague

• https://www.spaceforce.mil/Biographies/Display/Article/4236061/nick-hague/

Timestamps

0:00 – Rocket Emergency at 4,000 mph

0:42 – Welcome to Vytal Sines from Inside the Pentagon

3:01 – From Kansas Night Skies to the Edge of Space

7:31 – Turning a Childhood Dream into a Real Flight Plan

10:54 – Chasing NASA and Getting Rejected Three Times

18:25 – How to Fail Forward: Checkrides, Humility, and Asking for Help

23:06 – The Call from NASA That Changes Everything

27:45 – Day One at NASA: You’re Not a Hero, You’re a Rookie

32:33 – Inside the Soyuz: Anatomy of a Russian Rocket

39:23 – Riding a Fueled Soyuz for the First Time

48:19 – 7 Gs, No Altimeter, and Hoping the Chutes Open

53:36 – Shock, Survival, and Letting the Emotions In

1:00:21 – 20 Minutes of Not Knowing: His Family’s Side of the Story

1:03:58 – “You’re Going to Get Your Chance”: Why Matters More Than Risk

1:07:33 – Resetting for Round Two and Flying Again in Five Months

1:23:14 – What Space Teaches You About Humanity

1:25:02 – From Soyuz to SpaceX Dragon: Two Very Different Paths to Orbit

1:32:55 – Operating Dragon as a “Single‑Crewed” Launch

1:36:09 – EVAs with Crowbars: Fixing Stubborn Hardware in Space

1:37:57 – Splashdown, Dolphins, and Coming Home

1:38:45 – Becoming the First Space Force Guardian in Orbit

1:40:23 – What Do Space Force Guardians Actually Do?

1:52:26 – Final Reflections: You Don’t Do This Alone

Vytal Sines is co-hosted by Paul Wizikowski & Ryan Cristelli. Recorded here on Earth with stories from the edge of absurd. Media production by Vytal Space LLC.

Have a mission that requires excellence? We often serve as an agency of record or strategic extension of internal communications and marketing teams. Please email or call us to start a conversation.

go@vytalspace.com

(321) 800 3789

Follow Vytal Sines on Social Media:

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Website - https://www.vytalspace.com/

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In this electrifying episode, Dr. Peggy Whitson – record-shattering astronaut, biochemist, and ISS commander – takes us from a tiny Iowa farm town to the very edge of uncertainty in space. She reveals how Apollo 11, Star Trek, and stubborn grit turned a “flash in the pan” dream into nearly 700 days off the planet. From tense negotiations in bugged Russian rooms to a violent ballistic Soyuz reentry, Peggy breaks down what it really takes to lead, to get the job done when everything goes sideways, and to persevere when the experts tell you you’re wrong. This is human spaceflight, unfiltered.

Learn more about Dr. Peggy Whitson:

• https://x.com/astropeggy

• https://www.nasa.gov/people/peggy-a-whitson/

Timestamps

00:00 – You've Found Vytal Sines

00:06 – Introducing Peggy Whitson: The Record-Breaking Astronaut

02:40 – Apollo 11, Star Trek, and a Farm Kid’s Space Dream

04:04 – Chickens for Flight Time: Earning a Pilot’s License

08:32 – Iowa Roots: Hard Work, Improvisation, and Getting It Done

11:31 – First Steps at NASA and the Shuttle-Mir Assignment

13:21 – Bugged Rooms and Russian Respect: Learning to Negotiate

17:20 – Culture Shock in Russia and Standing Your Ground

21:39 – Walking Out of Negotiations and Doubling the Science

25:30 – Ten Years of Rejection and Finally Getting “The Call”

35:13 – Astronaut Training: EVA Suits, Russian, and Orbital Mechanics

45:28 – Riding the Space Shuttle: 4.4 Million Pounds of Thrust

51:29 – Comparing Launches: Shuttle vs Soyuz vs Dragon

54:04 – Complex ISS EVAs and Sporty Repairs in the Dark

1:00:40 – Soyuz Goes Sideways: The Start of a Ballistic Reentry

1:05:39 – 8+ Gs After Six Months in Space

1:12:22 – Crash, Fire, and Kazakh Locals at the Capsule

1:29:05 – Leaving NASA, Then Returning via Axiom Space

1:57:10 – Spaceship Earth: How Space Changes the Way You See Us All

Vytal Sines is co-hosted by Paul Wizikowski & Ryan Cristelli. Recorded here on Earth with stories from the edge of absurd. Media production by Vytal Space LLC.

Have a mission that requires excellence? We often serve as an agency of record or strategic extension of internal communications and marketing teams. Please email or call us to start a conversation.

mailto:go@vytalspace.com

(321) 800 3789

Follow Vytal Sines on Social Media:

X – https://x.com/vytalsines

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/vytalsines

Facebook – https://facebook.com/vytalsines

YouTube – http://youtube.com/@vytalsines

Website - https://www.vytalsines.com/

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For more on our hosts follow them at:

Paul Wizikowski

Facebook - https://facebook.com/wizikowski

Ryan Cristelli

Instagram - @rynosu

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cristelli.1

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome!

My name is Paul Wizikowski and I am a storyteller at heart.

But my good friend Ryan Cristelli, he’s the real talent.

For the better part of a decade he and I worked at the same ad agency and found ourselves chasing stories and highlighting the humanity around this planet. We’ve wandered through the rainforests of South America, stumbled through the frozen tundra of, well, mostly North Dakota, and navigated miles of highway in between.

At the end of our run together, I accepted an appointment at NASA and Ryan opened the doors to his own creative agency.

Today we find ourselves surrounded by incredibly talented folks who live fast, seek truth, and make those around them better …and we’d like to share some of that goodness with you.

This is an endeavor to see the two of us get back in the saddle, poke holes in each other’s alibi and share a new season of life seeking out moments of humanity in the most unlikely of situations… we’re calling it Vytal Sines!

Why Vytal Sines?! Well, naturally it's a great term for ‘Proof of Life’ but also my company Vytal Space is bootstrapping this whole thing. So, there’s some connective tissue there…

But in all honesty… this is a new video podcast series where we sit down with those who’ve pursued the absurd, survived the unexpected and learned a thing or two along the way …and we’re starting with some of my friends in human spaceflight!

Ryan and I believe we all, each of us, have greatness in us. That there is a potential in you… that can be unlocked and sharpened through these conversations.

If you like what we’re doing please consider subscribing! As much as I enjoy a good side quest with my buddy Cristelli we’re really doing this for you. Hoping that the tales of adventure and the truths we unpack along the way, add a little pepper to your world and stick with ya for what ever’s on the horizon.

This is Vytal Sines… Proof of life lived on the edge of absurd.

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