The first podcast from space...maybe

Astronaut Steve Robinson recorded an audio entry while circling the earth in the Space Shuttle Discovery yesterday, which NASA is distributing as the first podcast from space. In fact, Robinson was the one who got to repair the underbelly of the shuttle itself, while suspended from its robotic arm. You can listen to the podcast here. The following is an excerpt:

"We've had some surprises. We sure didn't expect that big piece of foam to come off of the tank. Fortunately it missed us. We didn't expect to go outside and get to remove gap fillers from the belly of the orbiter. That was, I would have to say, the most fantastic experience of my life. Just incredible to be way out there on the end of that arm all by myself and see no evidence of humans anywhere. Just me and the Space Station and the Space Shuttle from a view that neither I nor anybody else has ever seen, and watch the sun come up over the bottom of the Space Shuttle, and get to sort of drink in that big view. I'll never forget it, and I'll never be able to describe it adequately, I'm sure. But I feel very fortunate to have been able to get a chance to do that. And also very glad that it worked!" More after the jump.

[Via The Digital Music Weblog]

That really is incredible. However, a minor debate has been stirred up
as a result. Since the Mp3 file is not wrapped in an RSS enclosure, and not subject to subsequent updates (as far as we know), is it still, by definition, a "podcast?" As you may remember, we had a similar discussion here at TUAW recently. While I understand Brad's thinking when he says, "If podcasts are partly defined by the RSS channel, it might be time for that definition to fade away. RSS is just a delivery channel. Movies are still movies even if you watch them at home instead of in a theater," I do think that the definition of "podcast" does in fact specifically hinge on the method of distribution.

For example, I think of the word "album" as referring to a collection of recordings, whether those recordings be distributed via a record, a CD, a cassette tape, an 8 track (did I just type that?) or a series Mp3 files. "CD" has a specific meaning, referring to a collection of recordings distributed via compact disc. In this example, then, "podcast" would refer to a collection of recordings distributed via an RSS feed. What do you all think? Is a podcast a podcast without its RSS enclosure, or is the definition of this new concept destined to change over time?

It's certainly not bad press for Apple when the term "podcast" is popping up again and again in the mainstream press, which seems eager to promote the idea as the next hip thing. Either way, being able to hear a first hand report of the incredible events that took place above our planet is just cool, and I'm glad to have it.