Dayna Steele is a Rock Radio Hall of Famer who made an unexpected transition to the world of space retail!

In this episode Dayna shares her journey from being a radio DJ to creating TheSpaceStore.com, the first NASA e-commerce operation.

Her story highlights the power of listening and embracing serendipitous moments.

Listen in as Dayna recounts her unexpected journey into NASA through her marriage to a NASA pilot and, how it led to building a business around space merchandise.

Along the way, she became an aerospace executive and a passionate advocate for the benefits of space technology in everyday life.

Dayna illustrates how space influences our daily lives, from communication devices to medical breakthroughs, encouraging listeners to keep exploring the boundless possibilities in the business of space.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How Dayna transitioned from rock radio to founding TheSpaceStore.com.
• The role of NASA merchandise in popular culture and the business of space.
• Dayna's experience as an aerospace executive and her unique perspective on the space industry.
• Common misconceptions about space exploration and the actual benefits derived from space technologies.
• Dayna's outlook on the future of space exploration and why dreaming big is crucial.

Quote:

"When it comes to the business of space, the biggest misconception is that your tax dollars are being wasted. The reality is that even a minuscule amount of taxes dedicated to space does a tremendous amount of good." - Dayna Steele

Episode Links:

• Connect with Dayna Steele on LinkedIn
• Follow Dayna Steele on Instagram
• Follow Dayna Steele on Facebook
• Follow Dayna Steele on X
• Follow Dayna Steele on Tic-Tok
• Find Dayna Steele on YouTube
• See where TheSpaceStore.com is today
• Listen to Dayna's interview in conversation with Astronaut Kathy Sullivan on 'Kathy Sullivan Explores...'
• Get more from Dayna (books, rock 'n' roll, podcasts, play...)

Credits:

Production by CxS Partners LTD

Executive Producer: Toby Goodman

Audio & Sound Design: Lee Turner

Artwork: Ryan Field

Explore the business of space with us:

https://interastra.space/

That technology comes from space, and we are humans. And if we don't explore and learn and move forward, we cease to exist.

Hi. I'm Dayna Steele, and you are listening to your business in space.

I am a rock radio hall of famer who happened to have a blind date with an astronaut, scared him to death, but met a wonderful NASA pilot and married him 32 years ago.

So I guess you could say I started my NASA journey by marrying into, the program and eventually became the creator of the spacestore.com, the very first NASA e commerce operation. That I ended up selling to a NASA contractor and I became an aerospace executive. You know, when I look back, I never thought about being a DJ.

I never thought about getting into the space business. I just knew I wanted to make a difference. I knew I was gonna do something. I was gonna be somebody. I was gonna go somewhere. How and when and with who? I didn't know. But I think at an early age, I listened. I listened to everybody around me, always looking for that opportunity that was gonna take me where I was destined to be, whatever it was.

I didn't know if it was gonna be a rock star, an astronaut, a doctor. I didn't know. I didn't know. But I was constantly listening to figure out what my next opportunity was. One of the first things I did was I figured out how to graduate from high school a year early. I was done. I was ready to get out. I was ready to attack the world.

And I went off to Texas A&M University when I was 16 years old to be a doctor. I thought that sounds impressive. People will like that. I'll go be a doctor. And for the next year and a half, I changed my major and my living arrangements every couple of months. But I literally met a top 40 DJ from Bryan, Texas, the big the big town next to College Station, probably the most famous person I'd ever met. And any it didn't hurt that he was cute. And I thought, well, if I audition for the student radio station, he will ask me out.

And so I did. I auditioned, and I got the job, and he never asked me out. But, you know, the minute I put on those headphones, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I could be anybody in that room behind a microphone, and it gave me it gave me a creative outlet, gave me probably a little bit of power, and I was no longer that geeky, bullied Dayna from Dallas High School.

All of a sudden, I was Dayna Steele. I was I was somebody behind that microphone, and I could use that to make a difference, not only entertain people, but make a difference in other people's lives. And I never looked back. I got a call from David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

David Crosby, a huge space fan, huge sci fi fan. And when he got out of prison in Texas and was straight for the first time in his life, straight and sober, he threw all of his energies into learning more about NASA and the space program. There were quite a few astronauts who befriended him. And when he found out I was born and raised in Houston and had never been to NASA, David Crosby made arrangements for me to go to NASA and spend the day with astronaut Bonnie Dunbar. Had an amazing time. It was so cool. And, you know, fast forward to Crosby, Stills, and Nash are on their first tour after this little prison stint that David had. And David called me and said, there's a bunch of astronauts who wanna come to the show.

I don't have time to deal with this. Can you take care of this for me since you're right there in Houston? Yeah. How cool would that be? Well, I'll tell you right now. They're engineers. It's like herding cats. They can get to space, but they cannot find the will call window. So the, the record company got me a limo. I invited everybody to meet at my apartment, and we'll just drive up there.

I'll take everybody with me. I'll get the tickets. I'll get everybody seated. And everybody was late. That's another thing I've learned about astronauts. They are never anywhere on time, except for this one guy, this really cute pilot. Drove up. I was standing on my 3rd floor balcony.

I looked down. This guy got out of his POS Honda and his starched jeans and his white shirt and his Tom Cruise Aviator glasses. And I said, excuse me, probably a little exasperated because everybody was late. Excuse me. Are you with us? And he turned around and he looked up and he dropped those glasses down his nose a little bit and looked at me over the top of those aviators and said, I certainly hope I am. I literally went inside, called a friend of mine, said, I just saw the man I'm gonna marry. She said, what is his name? I said, I have no idea. I'll let you know when he gets upstairs.

I mean, I was Dayna Steele. I was one of the highest rated rock DJs, not only in the city, but in the country. I was cool. And I get thrown into this world of NASA and astronauts and engineers. And, you know, even though it's not a military, it feels like it.

It's like got that, you know, that military camaraderie. I mean, it was a totally different world for me. I I might as well have been on another planet. They were so welcoming. They were so happy to meet somebody in rock and roll. I was having fun learning about space, and it just sorta grew from there. I I married Charlie Justiz. I became ensconced in the whole, NASA world, sort of like a, you know, a NASA wife.

Astronauts hung out at our house. Everybody was at our house every weekend because most of our friends were still single and didn't have kids and didn't know how to cook. And so I would cook these huge meals every weekend, and everybody would come and just kinda hang out at our house. And it just grew and grew, and people started calling me. Can you go to the gift shop and get me this? Can you go get me that nasty astronaut ice cream? That's not what they said. That's just what I call it. Can you go get me a hat? Can you go get me? Because the only place to get these things were at the NASA gift shop, which was on-site at KSC or on-site at JSC, which was by us. And I was badged.

I had a parking pass. I mean, I could do all I was, like, backstage. I could get on-site to go buy these things. And I remember my agent called me one day from LA and said, I need to get a bunch of hats and things, patches and stuff for a client. How do I do that? And I said, well, just tell me what you want. I'll go buy it, and I'll ship it to you. He goes, oh, no. Just tell me where I can go.

And I'm like, there's nowhere you can go. And if you remember what I said earlier about listening for that opportunity, for the next few months, I found myself waking up at 2 o'clock every morning thinking I need to do something.

I need to create a gift shop. I need to create something online. Now this was early, early on. There were no there was no Amazon. You couldn't just open up a store like you can now. I literally sat down and made notes.

I went to the gift shop at JSC hoping no one would recognize me. Well, of course, again, I'm not the highest rated female DJ in town. Of course, they recognize me.

Minute I opened my mouth, they recognize me. But I was, like, clandestine looking in the T shirts and looking in the hats and trying to find out who made the patches.

And then I started researching, how much are they, and how do you buy them, and what are the rules? And once I started my store, I remember a vendor saying to me, do you have a PO number? And so many people had asked me that. I was like, no. I finally looked it up, you know, a purchase order.

I had no idea. Again, a world I knew nothing about.

But fast forward, I created thespacedore.com. I found a banker in Cleveland, Ohio who was moonlighting by building shopping carts for porn sites, literally. And I talked to him into building me this shopping cart and this site so that I could sell these 9 products I started with. And it just took off from there. I I owned thespacestore.com. It got to the point where these parties we were having, these dinner parties, not even dinner parties.

I was just cooking for everybody every weekend. People would come over, and the store was, like, in the basement of our house. So they would go shopping. And at Christmas, all the astronauts would come over because they didn't wanna go to the gift shop because they would be recognized.

And if you came to our house, you got dinner and, you know, scotch with it. So they would come over and drink and eat and shop at the space store, and it just, it grew from there. So that's kind of how I got into space.

My passion for space comes from learning how much the business of space does for people.

Your phone, medicines, breakthroughs in technology, the helmet you put on your kids before you let them ride off on a bicycle. That technology comes from space, and we are humans. And if we don't explore and learn and move forward, we cease to exist.

When it comes to the business of space, the biggest misconception is that your tax dollars are being wasted. And first of all, it's a very, very, very minuscule amount of your taxes are going to the space program. And that little amount that is being used to do such a tremendous amount of good from satellites to technology to new medicines to so much more.

To be successful in space, I believe we must continue to dream and not be afraid to speak up no matter how crazy the idea might seem because that very first person who said, hey, let's walk on the moon, probably got a lot of flack for that.

The best bit of advice I can give about the business of space is it's not old hat.

It's not boring. People do care. People are still excited. Kids are still fascinated. Let's keep that going.

I've always said the opportunities I am the most excited about in the business of space are the things we haven't even thought of yet, that that we land on Mars and discover that that that, you know, the cure to cancer is on Mars, or we go back to the moon and discover there's this incredible energy source. There is so much out there that we don't know yet, and it's just there for us to find it.

Right now, I have 2 passion projects.

The first one is Alzheimer's. I lost my wonderful mom to Alzheimer's, ended up writing a book called 'Surviving Alzheimer's with friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine'.

That became a play called 'The Woman in the Mirror'. It is going to have a new name soon and will be going to off Broadway in the spring.

We're very excited about that. And, I am running for political office because I do feel like I can make a difference in this world. And if I win my race, I would be a representative for NASA.

I'm Dayna Steele, and you've been listening to Your Business in Space.

All the ways to connect with me are in the links in the show notes.

And to discover more, head over to interastra.space