Laura Doyle is on a mission to help astronauts exercise in space
BASED IN: NEW JERSERY
ISSIE stands for International Space Station Interesting Exercise. I came up with this project right after my dad came home from the 2015 SpaceApps Hackathon. He was talking about how astronaut Cady Coleman said a big problem with space travel is that zero gravity is not good for your body so in order to stay healthy, you have to exercise. Then, I had an idea. Astronauts need two hours of exercise, very boring, so why can’t they have fun? That was the beginning of ISSIE. At first, my dad and I couldn’t decide on the name, so it was called FEFA, fun exercise for astronauts. I didn’t like that name. Finally after a while of thinking and a couple of other suggestions, I came up with the name I SSIE, which stands for International Space Station Interesting Exercise.
Do you have any other ideas for other businesses or is this one THE one?
Right now I don’t, but as soon as ISSIE is over and on the ISS, I will. The project I am working on right now, ISSIE 1 is a start, not the real thing, and probably ISSIE 7 or 8 will be on the ISS.
Do you have a favorite entrepreneur / scientist that you are inspired by?
Not really, but Cady Coleman said how important it is for astronauts to exercise and that’s when I was really into ISSIE.
What is the best part about starting a project/business from scratch? What is the hardest/scariest part?
The best part is coming up with the awards [for our crowdfunding campaign] and designing them. The hardest and scariest part is contacting the people.
Do you ever set goals for yourself or do you go with whatever ideas you have at the moment?
I do both. Sometimes like ISSIE, I go with the idea I have at the moment, not thinking about it. In other projects, I set goals like “I want to learn how to program.” Then, I would do everything in my power to learn programming.
What advice could you give other entrepreneurs?
I’d say you should work with a partner, try to make friends with as many people as you can, and don’t be shy to contact/talk with others to get information.