Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Monday, 5-13-13 May 14, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, Apollo, asteroid retrieval, asteroids, China, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, genetic modification, Hawaii, India, Inspiration Mars, International Luna Development Corporation (ILDC), ISS, leadership, LEO, Leonard David, Mars, Mars Cycler, Moon race, NASA, national security issues, NEOs, One way Mars trips, Phobos, PISCES., pre-positioning supplies on Mars, private-public teaming, Return to the Moon, SLS, space policy, space tourism, technology development, Unified Space Vision, United Strategic Space Enterprise (USSE)
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Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Monday, 5-13-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2007-BWB-2013-05-13.mp3
Guest: Dr. Buzz Aldrin. Topics: Buzz talks about his Unified Space Vision, Mars settlement and his new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.” Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed back Buzz Aldrin to discuss his Unified Space Vision (USV) including Martian settlement, plus his new book, “Mission To Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.” Leonard David was the co-author of the book. Visit www.buzzaldrin.com for more about the book and new, upcoming projects related to the book and the Aldrin vision. The book is available as hardback and as an e-book. If you use either of these links with Amazon to buy the book, Amazon will make a donation to The Space Show/OGLF: (hardback) www.amazon.com/Mission-Mars-Vision-Space-Exploration/dp/1426210175/ref=onegiantlea20 and (Kindle) www.amazon.com/Mission-Mars-Vision-Exploration-ebook/dp/B008EDPMB2/ref=onegiantlea20. During our 94 minute program in one long segment, Buzz started out by describing his Unified Space Vision (USV) and its five main components, exploration, science, development, commercial, & security. Buzz also introduced us to the United Strategic Space Enterprise (USSE) which forms a integral part of his Mars vision. We discussed the role of China, India, Russia, the ISS, and why we should not engage in a Moon race with China. In fact, part of the USV includes an international lunar post but not publicly funded by American taxpayers. John in Hawaii asked about PISCES validating INSITU technologies, then Buzz was asked to explain his Mars cycler concept and orbits. Following this discussion, Dr. Rowe called in to raise specific human factors health concerns regarding dust issues, Moonwalker astronauts EKG results, and down the road genetic modification for long duration spaceflight and settlement. I then asked Buzz about the role of space tourism in his vision as well as the need for SLS. Dr. Paul Deer called in from Cambridge in the UK to ask Buzz about risk taking. Listeners emailed Buzz about the proposed NASA asteroid retrieval mission which Buzz said was a distraction. Don’t miss his comments on this issue. Another listener wanted to know why Phobos rather than Mars. We talked about the ILDC and the concept of the international lunar base as a stepping stone for going on to Mars. We also talked about more uses for the ISS, including inflatables, to support the USV. Near the end of the show, John called Buzz to inquire about the space exploration contribution to student7 youth inspiration, STEM, and science development. Buzz confirmed all of these as beneficiaries of space exploration and development. I urge you to read this book and check back at the Buzz Aldrin website for updates and book/USV related projects.
If you have comments/questions from this show, please post them on The Space Show blog above.
Marc Fusco, Sunday, 4-28-13 April 28, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Saturn V, " University of North Dakota Space Studies, "Presidents, 1960 election, And Policy: How The Apollo And Shuttle Decisions Shaped NASA, Apollo, Bay of Pigs, Cold War, JFK Rice University Speech, Marc Fusco, NASA, NASA Administrators, Politics, President Kennedy, President Lyndon Johnson, President Richard Nixon, risk taking, Skylab, Soviet Union Space Program, Space Shuttle, Space Task Group 1970, The Great Society., Vietnam War, Walter McDougall, Werner Von Braun, Yuri Gagarin flight
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Marc Fusco, Sunday, 4-28-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1997-BWB-2013-04-28.mp3
Guest: Marc Fusco. Topics: Space history and presidential politics with JFK, Presidents Johnson & Nixon. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed Marc Fusco to the program to discuss his masters thesis analysis of space history and presidential politics with JFK and Presidents Johnson and Nixon. His analysis for his masters thesis earned him his MS degree at UND Space Studies. In the name of full disclosure, Marc was one of my students and I served on his thesis advisory committee. You can email Marc to get a .pdf of his thesis, “Presidents, Politics, And Policy: How The Apollo And Shuttle Decisions Shaped NASA.” Please use stentor@mindspring.com. During the first part of our 1 hour 50 minute discussion, Marc talked about the early years of our space program, President Kennedy, the Cold War, NASA Administrator James Webb, risk taking, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and the Soviet’s space program. We moved around a bit in history, also talking about LBJ and President Nixon, but the first half of our discussion centered on President Kennedy and the Moon program, as well as the early days of NASA. Listeners asked Marc about different historical perspectives about Apollo and he talked about the period, letting us know the perspectives from the best known of the space and policy historians. Marc also started comparing the policy and the appreciation of space by JFK, Johnson, and Nixon. We also talked about the early days of the Space Shuttle program and OMB compromises in its design, plus the early expectation of up to 50 flights per year.
In our second segment, we talked about the waning public support for the Moon program, JFK and Nixon dynamics, and the fact that nobody wanted to be the one to pull the plug on the Moon program or human spaceflight though the costs were hard to absorb as there was competitive economic pressure from other priorities in the nation and government. Marc spoke about the impact of both Vietnam and The Great Society on the space program in this segment. Marc had much to say about Nixon’s main advisors and space as well as the NASA Administrators of the time. He talked about the famous Earthrise photo taken on Apollo 8 and the start of the ecology movement which became the environmental movement. This picture also helped frame the new way of selling the space program which was to go to space to make a difference and improve things here on Earth. The Space Shuttle program was a significant part of our second segment. Mr. Fusco led a very interesting discussion on The Space Show today. His thesis is excellent and I suggest you contact him for a .pdf copy of it.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above.
Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 1, Friday Morning, 3-22-13 March 30, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo, aviation, commercial space, deep space exploration, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Loren Acton, fusion, human spaceflight, ISS, leadership qualities, Mars, mentorship, risk taking, Rocky Mountain College, space exploration, Walter Cunningham
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Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 1, Friday Morning, 3-22-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1984-BWB-2013-03-30.mp3
https://vimeo.com/62994325 Panel 1 Video
Guests: Astronaut Panel 1: Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Walter Cunningham, Dr. Loren Acton. Topics: Astronaut Panel 1 focused on leadership issues & the importance of spaceflight. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels and websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. The copyright for this program belongs to Dr. John Jurist and Rocky Mountain College. The Space Show has permission from the copyright holders to archive both video and audio formats on Space Show websites, video channels, blogs, and podcasting sites. . In addition to the audio format on The Space Show, blog, and podcasting websites, you can instead view the panel video at https://vimeo.com/62994325 which is on our Vimeo private Space Show channel.
During our nonstop 1 hour 34 minute panel discussion before a live audience at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT consisting of students, faculty, community leaders, and interested people, as moderator, I asked our panel members about leadership, what it takes to be a leader, leadership qualities, and mentorship. I also asked about human spaceflight, Apollo, going to the Moon, and lots more. Risk taking, regulatory risk, exploration characteristics, and economics were also talked about by our panel members. We took audience questions dealing with the Apollo program, the Moon, the Saturn V rocket, commercial space, private space, NASA management, SLS, NASA’s current mission, and issues pertaining to our congress and NASA funding/policy. Each of our panel members addressed most all of the questions and each brought to the table his unique perspective on the issue or subject at hand. For those of you watching the panel video on our Vimeo channel, you will see students leaving the room around the top of the hour to take exams. Some things never change on campus, do they?
Please post comments and questions on The Space Show blog for this program. For those of you wanting to email our panel members, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward your note to the person(s) of your choice.
Dr. Bruce Cordell, Friday, 3-29-13 March 29, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 21st Century Waves, : Dr. Bruce Cordell, Apollo, Cuban Missile Crisis, Curiosity Rover, Dennis Tito, ebullience, economic booms, financial panics, Geopolitical events, Inspiration Mars, Iran, LEO, Mars, Maslow Window, N. Korea, NASA, Panama Canal, Pioneering Spirit, President Kennedy, Private Commercial Space, Return to the Moon, Sputnik, technology led boom, U.S. energy resources, U.S. launch license
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Dr. Bruce Cordell, Friday, 3-29-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1983-BWB-2013-03-29.mp3
Guest: Dr. Bruce Cordell. Topics: Space Trends for 2013 & the coming period of Ebullience for grand space projects. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed back Dr. Bruce Cordell to discuss the ten major space trends for 2013 and the Maslow Window forecast for a coming period of ebullience, economic boom, and large space projects. For more information, visit his website, www.21stcenturywaves.com. His article titled “10 Space Trends for 2013 – Featuring the Approach of the New International Space Age can be found at http://21stcenturywaves.com/2013/02/13/state-of-the-wave-10-space-trends-for-2013-featuring-the-approach-of-the-new-international-space-age. During the first half of our two hour discussion, Dr. Cordell took us through the history of his development of fractal Maslow Window forecasts, plus the historical data used to predict a Maslow Window. After his introduction, we then talked about Mars and the excitement surrounding Mars with the Curiosity rover and the newly announced Inspiration Mars HSF mission Mars flyby per Dennis Tito. Dr. Cordell spent considerable time connecting the dots for us to the importance of the Inspiration Mars mission & the coming predicted boom and period of ebullience. Michael Listener called in to suggest the possibility of the government not providing a launch license for the Inspiration Mars launch. This sparked an intense discussion regarding the likelihood of the government blocking such a mission.
In our second segment, Dr. Cordell talked about the space relationship to the war threats made North Korea and Iran. Here, he connected the dots to the U.S. B2 Korean flyover and the Iranian and N. Korea threats to precursors that show up before the boom and period of ebullience. He cited the Cuban Missile Crisis as an example prior to Apollo. Again citing the precursors, he suggested that the “bumpy road” most always led to the boom period. Several email listener questions came in regarding the U.S. & global economic condition & how it impacted his forecast. Here, he referenced panics before each boom. Bruce suggested we would be entering the period of ebullience around 2014 or 2015 but he also cited some reasons why the period could possibly be delayed, thus appearing much later. But he definitely cited periods of financial panic as precursors to the boom periods. He also talked about geopolitical events & their influence, including the role of conflicts. Near the end of our program, he talked about the importance of the 2014 elections & our then had more to say about the Tito Mars flyby mission.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Dr. Cordell through his website or drspace@thespacesow.com.
Dr. James (Jim) Wertz, Sunday, 3-17-13 March 17, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: AMSAT, Apollo, budget issues, civil space., commercial space, composite tanks, Continuing Resolution, Dr. James Wertz, high speed turbo pumps, ISS, launch rate, low cost space launch systems, Microcosm, NASA, pressure fed rocket systems, private sector, reducing mission cost attitudes, Reinventing Space Conference, rocket reusability, Scorpius launch vehicle, sequestration, Small Satellite Conference, small satellite launcher, space mission engineering, student space projects, Surrey Satellite, U.S. congress, USC Astronautics
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Dr. James (Jim) Wertz, Sunday, 3-17-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1975-BWB-2013-03-17.mp3
Guest: Dr. James (Jim) Wertz. Topics: Reducing space mission launch costs, changing space industry attitudes. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed back Dr. Jim Wertz, President of Microcosm, to continue our discussion on lowering total space mission costs. For more information, visit the company website, www.smad.com/ie/ieframessr2.html. Make sure you check out the Scorpius launch vehicle link on the website as this launcher could be a model for what Dr. Wertz talked about during the program. In the first hour of our 100 minute program, Dr. Wertz identified sequestration and the government response to it as a big problem for the space industry, specifically the smaller companies and financially vulnerable projects. Also, the fact that we are still on CR with the budget adds to the stress. Despite the problems, Dr. Wertz did say throughout our discussion that it was possible for something good to come out of all of the problems in that we might actually start focusing on lowering total space mission costs. During much of the first hour, Dr. Wertz discussed the way the industry works, some of the challenges to lowering mission costs, and the need for lots and lots of attitudes to change to embrace the lower mission cost goals rather than the status quo or holding on to thinking that the rough times will pass and then we will be back to normal. We talked about choke points in the strategy, the challenges, the hurdles. I asked if NASA and Congress were the obstacles. Dr. Wertz mostly said it was a collective attitude throughout the industry with all of us and all sectors that prevents the broad scale creation of the low cost mission environment. He cited many examples, including a ten year spacecraft build out with a 15 year life such that when done, its 25 years behind the times. He talked about advancing & new technology and the need to stay current, to keep replacing the old with the new. We also talked about the value & economics of having hardware & component backups on a shelf ready to go when needed. Reusability came up & I used Doug’s email as the poster question on the subject. This turned into an detailed discussion about the both the upside and downside of reusability. As you will hear, economics don’t favor reusability unless there is a dramatically higher launch rate. Dr. Jurist called in to talk about student projects & the need to launch them while the students are still in school. He also talked about this in the context of keeping young people interested in space. He asked Jim for solutions and Jim suggested simpler designs. For example, pressure fed systems rather than using high speed turbo pumps with thousands of parts, plus the use of more composites, especially in the tanks. Jim was asked about the minimum possible launcher size and he said about 100 kg or 220 lbs. to LEO.
In our shorter second segment, Dr. Wertz was asked about the commercial private ventures announced in 2012 and so far this year. He though we were technically capable of doing most of them but that the track record for the private sector in reducing total space mission costs was not that much better than the public sector track record. He went back to saying the main driver was attitude and that changing attitudes within the industry in the public and private sectors was key to reducing space mission costs. He cited yet another example, this time the idea to use AMSAT for space communications. Dr. Wertz added that we need to convey urgency to the policy makers in getting them to change their attitude as other nations are moving forward with space and in many ways we are in retreat. Claudia in Memphis sent in a note asking if classes were taught in aerospace engineering programs on how to change attitudes within the industry. Dr. Wertz liked the idea but was not aware of classes of that kind. As the program was ending, he talked about how and who to influence and used the Rachel Carson environmental book “Silent Spring” as an example. He concluded the discussion by mentioning the Reinventing Space Conference in Los Angeles, Oct. 13-17 (see www.responsivespace.com). He repeated his hope for a positive outcome from sequestration which would be a renewed focus on the need to actually develop systems & the environment to enable reduction of space mission costs, including launch costs.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Dr. Wertz at jwertz@smad.com.
Dr. Duane Graveline, Friday, 1-25-13 January 24, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Alexei Leonov. animal studies, Apollo, astronaut, astronaut water return, bed rest studies, bone density, commercial space, complete adaptation to zero gravity for mission duration, Dr. Duane Graveline, Galactic Cosmic Radiation, Group 4- The Scientists, Heather Archuletta, HSF to Mars, hydro pod, hydropod for astronaut Earth return, immersion tank, in-flight microgravity countermeasures, ISS, Laika, long duration spaceflight, Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP device), mice/animal centrifuge studies, MIR, on orbit exercise, post landing gravity readaptation on Earth., private sector astronauts, Soviet space program, test pilots, tilt studies, USAF Flight Surgeon, water immersion., Zero G, zero gravity
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Dr. Duane Graveline, Friday, 1-25-13
Co-Host Heather Archuletta
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1936-BWB-2013-01-25.mp3
Guests: Dr. Duane Graveline, Heather Archuletta. Topics: Bed rest microgravity simulation studies. Dr. Graveline is the father of this research. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. We welcomed Dr. Duane Graveline to the program to discuss bed rest simulation microgravity studies, the early days of pioneering of his having pioneered this research, aerospace medicine and much more in our 1 hour 23 minute discussion. Dr. Graveline is the father of this research dating back to the late 1950s. Please visit his website, www.spacedoc.com. Heather Archuletta, the Pillownaut Astronaut, returned to co-host with me for this important discussion. Check out Heather’s blog posts about Dr. Graveline and his work at http://pillownaut.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-bed-pilot-pioneer.html. Dr. Graveline has allowed us to use two specific pictures referring to his pioneering work and both are on The Space Show blog per the above URL. Picture 1 is Dr. Graveline’s water immersion tank and Picture 2 is the LBNP device. He discusses both of these in the program’s first segment. Dr. Graveline started out with an overview of his early work, how he got into the field, his decision to join the Air Force and why this area of medicine interested him. He explained his early bed rest tests and talked about the challenges with the test subjects. Heather and Dr. Graveline compared those early tests to those of today that Heather has participated in. It was a fascinating compare and contrast, especially regarding the discipline of test subjects then and now. Dr. Graveline talked about water immersion, the aerospace lab he used, and his water immersion tank. Don’t forget to check out the picture of it on the blog. Dr. Graveline is looking through the window at the floating test subject. Would you like to float as Dr. Graveline explained for one full week nonstop? Throughout our discussion, Dr. Graveline told us many interesting and sometimes funny stories from his past like his visit to the Today Show and their wanting him to wear “flippers!” Our guest described the low body negative pressure device (LBNP) which you can see in the second photo on the blog. He talked about it, the old Soviet program, Mir and tilt table tests. Dr. Graveline talked extensively about the Soviet program, how he was able to monitor much of their data, & he told us about Alexi Leonov when he had serious problems when caught outside his spaceship. Many questions were asked about early animal studies, Laika, and more. He told us how they were able to do blood pressure readings on dogs & the Soviets bragged about it since Dr. Graveline was able to figure out, copy, & improve the Soviet system. Mice and centrifuge studies were discussed in some detail & Heather and Dr. Graveline had comprehensive discussions about exercise in the bed rest studies of today as compared to none in the early days of the studies. Dr. Graveline talked with Heather about his idea to abandon exercise in space so the astronauts could concentrate on their work, then return in a hydropod and rehab completely back on Earth for a few months. You don’t want to miss this discussion or explanation from Dr. Graveline as to why this approach should be considered and tested by NASA.
In the second segment, we talked about bone density issues and the applicability of space research and findings to terrestrial medical issues for people with this medical problem. He was asked about a long duration HSF to Mars and he said the bigger problem was galactic radiation which he talked about in some detail. He said that as of today, there are no mitigation tools for this problem. The discussion went back and forth about water immersion and the use of the hydropod for returning astronauts & Heather talked about prohibitive costs & that immersion is not used today. One of our UK listeners asked Dr. Graveline about his being part of Group 4 – The Scientists. As this was the first astronaut group that was not composed of test pilots, our listener wanted to know about the selection process & getting more scientists to the Moon & on missions. Dr. Graveline had much to say about this subject & shared with us some terrific & historical stories from the past. He talked about Spacelab, astronaut Bill Pogue, & shared science stories with us. During our program, Heather, with her bed rest study experience & her recruiting work (listen to her Space Show program on the studies she has recent completed at http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1926-BWB-2013-01-08.mp3 from Jan. 8, 2013), contributed greatly to the discussion and Dr. Graveline was equally interested in talking with her about the program today as compared to the program he started decades ago. Dr. Graveline’s book, “From Laika With Love: Secret Soviet Gifts to Apollo,” is still available. If you order it from Amazon using this link, Amazon will make a contribution to The Space Show/OGLF: http://www.amazon.com/From-Laika-With-Duane-Graveline/dp/1424338700/ref=onegiantlea20. Dr. Graveline was also asked about the use of his research today and if young scientists & researchers interested in the field still study his early work. He said yes and talked about how much easier it was to do that today due to the internet.
If you have questions/ comments for Dr. Duane Graveline or Heather Archuletta, post them on The Space Show blog per the URL above. If you want to email Dr. Graveline or Heather, you can do so through me. You can also comment and contact Heather through her blog which is mentioned earlier in this summary.
Here are Dr. Graveline’s photos discussed above:
Graveline Immersion Tank
Graveline LBNP Device
Dr. Robert Brodsky, Friday, 12-7-12 December 8, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, "Catch A Rocket Plane: More talks From the Cutting Edge, aerospace engineering academic programs, and Beyond, Apollo, Apollo 17, Cold War, commercial space, cost plus contracting., Dr. Robert Brodsky, Endeavour, international space cooperation, launch industry, Link Trainer, NERVA, Pearl Harbor, Space Shuttle, space tourism, STEM, The Greatest Generation
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Dr. Robert Brodsky, Friday, 12-7-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1909-BWB-2012-12-07.mp3
Dr. James (Jim) Vedda, Friday, 9-28-12 September 28, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "Becoming Spacefarers: Rescuing America's Space Program, Apollo, Augustine Committee, Cislunar space, congressional funding, DARPA, Dr. Jim Vedda, expansion in the solar system, human spaceflight, ISS, LEO, lunar mining, Moon, NASA, NASA as a jobs program, Obama Space, Orion, proximity operations, public/private space partnerships., robotics, science missions, SLS, space destinations, space inspiration, space policy, space settlement, space telescopes, space training ground, STEM
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Dr. James (Jim) Vedda, Friday, 9-28-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1861-BWB-2012-09-28.mp3
Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Friday, 8-24-12 August 24, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: age & science research, Apollo, Apollo mission polar orbit, Apollo university research projects, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, asteroids, astronaut training, bi-static radar, Cis-lunar economic development, climate change, cubesats, Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Earth imaging, Earth movement, Egyptian geology, GPS, ISS, lunar exploration, lunar ice, Lunar Landing Site Selection, lunar orbiter, lunar titanium, Mars analog desert research, Moon rocks, NanoSats, NASA risk averseness, Remote Sensing, Sahara Desert, sand-buried rivers and streams, Sea of Tranquility, Star Trek shuttle craft., UN space treaties
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Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Friday, 8-24-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1839-BWB-2012-08-24.mp3
Guest: Dr. Farouk El-Baz. Topics: Apollo lunar landing site selection, lunar geology, Mars-desert analogs and more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Dr. Farouk El-Baz to The Space Show. Please visit his website for lots more information on the topics we discussed, lots of great pictures, plus many additional important topics, www.faroudelbaz.com. We started our discussion with Dr. El-Baz having a Star Trek shuttle craft named in his honor. Its a great story you will enjoy hearing. From Star Trek, we got down to business and wanted to know about the Apollo lunar landing site selection process. Dr. El-Baz told us how they did it, especially given the absence of any real information about the lunar geology and surface. Three of the concerns he mentioned included the site being free of rocks, absolutely flat, and making sure the Lunar Lander would not sink in the lunar dust. What’s more, Dr. El-Baz was 29 years old when he was in charge of doing this. As you will hear, age is an important part of this discussion in the second segment near the end of the program. I did ask Dr. El-Baz about selecting sites using Egyptian mythology as conspiracy theories suggest, plus his response to those who do not believe we ever went to the Moon. With the latter point, he had much to say about Moon rocks as proof of our lunar visits. His comments on Orion and mythology were very interesting. Another question asked him dealt with the shutting down of the program. NASA risk averseness was the top reason. Nels asked many questions about a possible Apollo polar orbit and lunar ice. Our guest had much to say about this, the sun angles needed for landing, lighting, and more. As we moved to lunar commerce, our guest talked about mining titanium and HE3 but not at this time. I asked Dr. El-Baz about the Apollo-Soyuz Test Flight (ASTF) and working with the Soviets, then we returned to the plausibility of lunar commerce at this time.
As we started the second segment, we talked about commercial ROI opportunities for cargo to the ISS by the private companies but he suggested everything else was more distant and would probably need testing & seeding by the government. I then asked him about his work studying deserts and using Earth deserts as analogs for studying Mars. Dr. El-Baz had much to say about deserts, Mars, about their formation by rivers that had dried up & were buried under sand and how they know that. We talked about Earth movement, especially the SaharaDesert, and the impact of natural geological events on climate change. Imaging satellites were discussed & I asked our guest if we would have been able to have today’s knowledge were it not for the space program. Don’t miss his fascinating answer. At another point in our discussion, Dr. El-Baz mentioned 126 separate university research projects during Apollo. The last listener question asked our guest about the extremely young age of the Apollo scientific & work force. Dr. El-Baz had much to say about this, said that the work could only have been done by people in their 20′s and 30′s. He said the older folks need to step aside and let the young people go forward, make the mistakes & solve the problems. In the end, age made a huge difference for the good of the Apollo program. Our guest also commented on our present day aging space & technology workforce.
Please post your comments/questions on the blog. If you want to email Dr. El-Baz, send your note to me & I will forward it to him.
