Space Migration & the Next Frontier: Insights from Tyler Bender, Beyond Earth Institute

Susan Wise:
Hi, and welcome to Stars Launch Pod, Space Technology and Research Sciences, brought to you by StarSciences.org, where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. I’m your host, Susan Wise, and joining us today is Tyler Bender, Policy Analyst for the Beyond Earth Institute.
Hi, and welcome to the program! I’d love to hear a little bit more about you and what you do with Beyond Earth, and what you’re doing to further the space industry.

Tyler Bender:
I guess you could classify us as a startup think tank focused on space migration — people living in space at a mass scale, much larger than the International Space Station. We’re talking thousands to millions of people eventually, in the future.
The Beyond Earth Institute is really trying to move the needle on making that a possibility. Even though we’re probably generations away from having a fully sustainable settlement in space, we won’t get there unless we start doing the work now to move things in the right direction.

Susan Wise:
That’s true — that’s the plan. First, we’re going back to the Moon, then hopefully Mars, and who knows what else.

Tyler Bender:
There’s a lot we don’t know about people living in space. We know that, based on 20 years of research on the International Space Station, microgravity is terrible for the human body. Any idea of living in outer space is going to require at least some portion of gravity — but we don’t know how much is enough.
Maybe it’s one G minimum — perhaps you can’t do anything in space, even reproduce, without one G of gravity. The Moon has one-sixth gravity, Mars has about one-third. So there’s a lot of research that still needs to be done on how different environments affect the human body, and how much we need to adjust our way of life if we’re going to live off Earth.

Susan Wise:
Is that your main focus at Beyond Earth, or just one of the many areas?

Tyler Bender:
That’s the main focus of the Beyond Earth Institute — eventual space settlement.
More specifically, my work involves managing our Beyond Earth Symposium. That’s a conference we host in Washington, D.C., every year, bringing together policymakers, people from academia, and industry leaders to talk about the policy and technical challenges of establishing large settlements — or “communities,” as we like to say — beyond Earth.
The term settlement can be a bit contentious, and colonies is definitely a loaded word because of colonial history on Earth. So we use communities — because that’s the idea: not just researchers in space, but legitimate communities that look as similar to life on Earth as possible.

Susan Wise:
That sounds warmer and friendlier.

Tyler Bender:
Yeah, exactly.

Susan Wise:
That’s what we want! Looking back, what has been one of your biggest “aha” moments — that moment where you thought, “Oh yes, that’s it, I’ve figured it out”?

Tyler Bender:
Well, I was in the military — in the Marine Corps — and I’m sure you can see the banner in the background.

Susan Wise:
Thank you for your service.

Tyler Bender:
Thank you. I worked in telecommunications, and later, in my mid-thirties, I did a career transition. I wanted to study international relations with the goal of joining the State Department or the Foreign Service, doing something related to U.S. foreign policy.
I had an interest in space, but no plans for a space career. Growing up, watching space shuttle launches, it seemed like you could either become an astronaut — which felt totally unachievable for a kid from rural northeast Indiana — or an engineer. My dad was an engineer, and I didn’t want to follow exactly in his footsteps.
So, the idea of a space career just seemed out of reach.

But in grad school, I had my “aha” moment: Oh, duh — space is totally related to geopolitics! The original space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was all about geopolitics, and now we’re entering what people call Space Race 2.0 — with China becoming a legitimate competitor in space in ways they weren’t before.
So I realized, maybe I could combine space policy and international relations.

Outside of my volunteer work with Beyond Earth Institute, my paid job is as a contractor with the FAA, in their Office of Commercial Space Transportation. I do research on space policy and industry activities in various countries. So in a way, I’m working in both international relations and space policy — through both my paid work and Beyond Earth.

Susan Wise:
That’s amazing. A lot of people don’t realize how the work they’re already doing on Earth can overlap into the space industry — how their skills, whether in plant science or food research, can apply to this growing, booming field.

Tyler Bender:
Exactly. Eventually, we’re going to try to make life in space look as much like life on Earth as possible. That means we’ll need far more than just engineers — we’ll need people who understand things like agriculture.
For instance, people knowledgeable about growing food on Earth will need to help us figure out how to grow food in space — on the Moon, for example. It won’t necessarily be “space experts” solving that problem — it’ll be people who know how to grow food in the first place.

Susan Wise:
Right — and that’s just one small area. There are so many different fields that can contribute.
Tyler, what’s one of your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome it?

Tyler Bender:
My biggest challenge would probably be that career transition. I moved to D.C. in 2018 hoping to find a job that combined space policy and international relations. But D.C. is a very tough nut to crack, especially in the policy world.
It took a lot of talking to people, networking, and applying for jobs before I finally landed the position I have now with the FAA.
For a few years, I worked in the service industry, and then the pandemic hit — which was a huge challenge for everyone globally. That, on top of job hunting in D.C., was tough. But I overcame it.

Susan Wise:
Awesome. Do you have any advice you’d like to share with our listeners?

Tyler Bender:
If you’re struggling to find a job in the space industry — don’t give up. That’s my first piece of advice.
Second, don’t be afraid to ask people for help.

Susan Wise:
As they say — if you don’t ask, the answer’s always no.

Tyler Bender:
Exactly. The worst that can happen is they ignore you or say no — and that’s okay. You just move on to the next person.

Over the past few years that I’ve been involved in the space community — especially in D.C. — I’ve found it’s actually a pretty small, close-knit group. Everyone’s a bit of a space geek, and that passion draws people together.
People are genuinely excited to help you out, to help you navigate the job search process, whether in Washington, D.C. or across the broader space policy field. So don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Susan Wise:
What’s something big and upcoming with Beyond Earth that you’d like to share?

Tyler Bender:
I mentioned our symposium earlier — it’s coming up February 24th and 25th in Washington, D.C., at American University’s Washington College of Law. I’d encourage people to check it out at beyondearthsymposium.org.
And to learn more about the Beyond Earth Institute in general, visit beyondearth.org.

Susan Wise:
Before we wrap up, do you have a passion project — past or present — you’d like to share?

Tyler Bender:
Beyond Earth Institute is definitely a passion project — it’s a volunteer position. My draw to space, beyond just the wonder of what’s out there, is the belief that humanity’s job is to figure out how to live off Earth.
And separate from space — I’m also a musician. I have an album coming out soon — it’s in post-production right now. That’s a big passion of mine, too.

Susan Wise:
Wow, that’s cool!

Tyler Bender:
Yeah, it’s almost done. I don’t have a release date yet, but once it’s out, it’ll be on Spotify and all the major platforms. You can just search my name.

Susan Wise:
That’s so cool — it’s nice to learn that about you. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m looking forward to the symposium, and after that, I’d love to have you back for an update on what’s next for Beyond Earth.

Tyler Bender:
Sounds great.

Susan Wise:
Awesome. Thank you so much for being with us, Tyler. I really appreciate it.

Tyler Bender:
Of course — thank you, Susan.

Susan Wise:
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