May 25, 2021 The Most Interesting Conversations

The Liberty Gazette

May 25, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: If you haven’t tried the Clubhouse app yet, check it out. It’s finally available for Android users, too. I joined awhile back and am thoroughly enjoying live audio conversations with NASA engineers, authors and publishers, historians, and fellow pilots. There’s something for everyone in the Clubhouse. Hands down, my favorite club is “Small Steps and Giant Leaps,” which they call, “Your home for talks on human exploration of outer space.” Fans and members of the aerospace community tune in for astronaut interviews, discussions about other planets, and debates between CEOs and scientists on everything from astrobiology to asteroid mining. The club’s founder, Alder Riley, is keen on discussing the technology and social implications of spreading humanity to the stars. When he’s not hosting these thought-provoking chats, he’s building factories the size of vending machines that can 3D print, computer-machine (CNC), and laser cut. His plan is to place these factories in every town on the planet, and eventually ship them to the Moon and Mars “so creativity isn’t bound to Earth.”

Meanwhile, Alder opens these fascinating rooms in his club on Clubhouse, from three to five a day, all published on his schedule in the app. Anyone can listen in, and even chat with astronauts and engineers who are right now working on the Mars projects. 

Recently, in the “Space for All Nations” club, I received some enlightening knowledge from Axel Tricaud, a disabled space engineer who spoke on adapted spaceflight for para-astronauts. He’s a pilot and a deep-sea diver as well, encouraging others with disabilities.

Past, present, and future are all represented on Clubhouse. Another of my favorite clubs is “The Tudor History Club.” Wednesday last week marked 485 years since the execution of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. The team of hosts is made up of British historians, and for this special occasion, they met at the Tower of London to produce an hour-long live audio tour. By the way, this is all free. 

I don’t think I was the only one in the audience who felt moved by the respectful way in which the tour was spoken. The four tour guides placed themselves at various locations in and around the tower. They described the scene from where they each stood, and then shared the history of the day in detailed moments – what they saw, and what Queen Anne would have seen as she walked to the scaffold. They painted the picture of the historic, heart-wrenching time so well, it was almost like being there in 1536, remarkably reproducing the sadness of her execution. 

The Tower of London has a brutal past and should be experienced with reverence. So I don’t mean it lightly when I mention how close both Heathrow and London City Airport are to the tower. What a great job these ladies did creating the atmosphere. The essence of the story was present, despite jets flying low overhead and a helicopter from nearby London Heliport. 

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