Shawn Ryan Show
#185 Scott "Kidd" Poteet - SpaceX Polaris Dawn Astronaut on Spacewalk, Moon Landing and Mars
24 Mar 2025
Scott “Kidd” Poteet is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and highly experienced pilot who served more than two decades in the military. Over the course of his Air Force career, he flew F-16s in multiple combat deployments and held roles in leadership and training, earning a reputation for his strong work ethic and focus on mission excellence. Poteet’s dedication to both teamwork and mentorship helped guide the next generation of pilots, showcasing his commitment to service and the advancement of aerospace. Since retiring from active duty, Poteet has remained deeply involved in pioneering space initiatives and operational leadership. He served as the Mission Director for Inspiration4—SpaceX’s first all-civilian orbital mission—and continues his journey into human spaceflight as a pilot for the Polaris Dawn mission, part of the groundbreaking Polaris Program. Through these endeavors, he exemplifies a passion for pushing the boundaries of exploration and technology, reflecting both his military heritage and forward-thinking vision for space travel. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://ShawnLikesGold.com | 855-936-GOLD https://patriotmobile.com/srs | 972-PATRIOT https://cozyearth.com/srs https://ziprecruiter.com/srs https://roka.com - USE CODE "SRS" https://tryarmra.com/srs https://identityguard.com/srs https://boncharge.com/srs This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. Scott "Kidd" Poteet Links: Website - https://www.kiddpoteet.com X - https://x.com/KiddPoteet IG - https://www.instagram.com/kiddpoteet Polaris Program - https://polarisprogram.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
scott poteet welcome to the show thanks for having me this is this is quite a quite an experience so thank you yeah you know we uh been looking forward to this we met at inauguration and um had a quick i don't know maybe 15 minute conversation there and I've always wanted to have an astronaut on the show. So yeah, thank you for coming.
Absolutely. There's only like 650 astronauts that have gone into space. So blessed to have that opportunity and just excited to talk about it.
Yeah, me too. Me too. So I want to do a life story on you and talk about your time in the Air Force, your childhood, get into space. And then who knows what kind of rabbit holes will go down here. But yeah, like I said, thank you for coming. And I'm looking forward to this. So everybody starts off with an introduction here. Scott Kidd Poteet, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
You grew up in New Hampshire, earning a bachelor's in outdoor education from the University of New Hampshire before diving headfirst into the Air Force. You're a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years of service where you logged more than 3,200 flight hours in aircraft like F-16s, A-4s, and T-38s.
Over 400 of those hours were in combat supporting operations like Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Joint Guardian, Freedom's Sentinel, and Resolute Support. You commanded the 64th Aggressor Squadron, graduated from the Elite USAF Weapons School, basically the Air Force's version of Top Gun, and even flew as the No. 4 Demonstration Pilot with the Thunderbirds.
You then went into the private sector serving as Director of Business Development at Draken International and later as Vice President of Strategic at Shift 4 Payments. You were the mission director for Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian spaceflight in 2021.
You also suited up as the mission pilot for Polaris Dawn in 2024, a SpaceX mission that took you nearly 900 miles above Earth, the farthest humans have traveled since Apollo, and included the first ever commercial spacewalk. You're a triathlete who has competed in 15 Ironman races, including four world championships in Kona.
Now you live in New Hampshire with your wife, Kristen, and your three children. And most importantly, out of everything we mentioned, you're a Christian. Amen. So welcome to the show once again. If you watch, you know everybody gets a gift. Use these on your next Ironman. I will.
I appreciate that.
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