{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Burner Podcast: From Earth With Love","description":"Ben Haldeman is backing up our collective memories across the stars Published [3\/31\/26] Ben Haldeman is an engineer, explorer, and the visionary founder of LifeShip \u2014 designing pyramids filled with DNA archives and cultural time capsules to send to the Moon and beyond. A former early employee at Planet Labs, Ben left to follow a calling that crystallized during a vision quest through the forests of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. In this conversation, Arash and Ben look past technical specifications to explore the existential heart of why we document ourselves as a species. If the Burn is an exercise in the ephemeral, building a temporary city only to let it go, Ben's work represents the ultimate counterbalance: a community-driven effort to ensure the human story survives among the stars. From his hippie parents' Volkswagen van in Nova Scotia to landing a pyramid on the Moon in March 2025, this is an audio memoir of a man following the signs through ayahuasca ceremonies, dusty sunrises at Robot Heart, and asteroid missions - dedicated to preserving the seeds of Earth and spreading life into the cosmos. Episode Info Burner Podcast | Episode B161 Recorded at Emerald Village on 3\/19\/26 Featuring: Ben Haldeman LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/benhaldeman Black Velveteen \u2013 DJ whose session was recorded live on the AirPusher art car at Burning Man 2025: https:\/\/linktr.ee\/blackvelveteen Full set: https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/blackvelveteennow\/burning-man-2025-airpusher-on-the-playa AirPusher Collective \u2013 The art car and community behind Black Velveteen\u2019s set: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/airpushercollective\/ Connect & Learn More LifeShip \u2013 Organization sending biological and digital archives to space: https:\/\/lifeship.com Planet Labs \u2013 Earth-imaging satellite company where Ben designed the initial camera systems: https:\/\/www.planet.com Firefly Aerospace \u2013 Built the Moon lander for the Life Ship mission: https:\/\/fireflyspace.com AstroForge \u2013 Asteroid mining company focused on reducing destructive mining on Earth: https:\/\/www.astroforge.io AstroLab \u2013 LA-based company building the Moon rover "Flip": https:\/\/astrolab.space Places & Events Burning Man \u2013 Annual event and the "capital city" of our global community: https:\/\/burningman.org LA Tech Week \u2013 The default world collision point where Arash and Ben first met: https:\/\/www.tech-week.com\/la Svalbard Global Seed Vault \u2013 The "Doomsday" seed bank referenced in Ben's work: https:\/\/www.croptrust.org\/work\/svalbard-global-seed-vault\/ Key Topics & Concepts LifeShip Moon Pyramid \u2013 The cultural time capsule and DNA archive that landed on the Moon: https:\/\/lifeship.com\/pages\/mission-updates Asteroid Mining \u2013 The process of utilizing space resources to protect Earth's environment: https:\/\/www.astroforge.io\/mission Egypt Solar Eclipse 2027 \u2013 Total solar eclipse event near Luxor: https:\/\/www.eclipse2027.org \ud83c\udf1f Standard Boilerplate About the Show Burner Podcast is an independent gift to the community, not a PR wing for the Org. We are an artist-documentarian project dedicated to capturing the stories and heart-centered truth of our global population. Reality is a conversation, and the conversation must continue. The project serves the community through three distinct channels: Burner Podcast: The original traditional interview show featuring audio memoirs and deep-dive conversations. Alkaline: The DJ mix show and sonic documentation of the global Burner community\u2014the soundtrack to your Burn. The Dispatch: A space for remote check-ins, time-sensitive updates, and direct addresses to the international burnersphere. Opening theme by Joman https:\/\/jomanmusic.com Closing sets: https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/burnerpodcast\/sets\/burner-podcast-closing-sets About the Host Arash Afshar (aka Mira\u1e21e the Pluronaut) is an Iranian-American, SoCal-based artist and oral historian. He champions Artist Consciousness and views his mission as facilitating radical humanization through the medium of recorded conversations, written words, and photography. \ud83d\udd17 Explore projects: http:\/\/arashafshar.com \ud83d\udcf8 Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mrarash Support the Gift This show is a decommodified project. We grow only through your word-of-mouth\u2014if this story resonates with you, please share it with a friend. You can also support the continuation of this conversation on Patreon. \ud83d\udd17 Patreon: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/c\/mrarash   ","author_name":"Burner Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/www.burnerpodcast.com","html":"