John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13 May 16, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: : John Batchelor, Ammonia cooling loop, Atlas 5, Falcon 9. , GPS, ISS, John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Kepler Space Telescope, ULA, William Harwood
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2009-BWB-2013-05-15.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, William Harwood, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: ISS ammonia repair, Kepler Space Telescope problems, GPS, Atlas 5, Falcon 9, NASA mood. 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. Written 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 do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce. This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com.
During our 11 minute plus discussion with William (Bill) Harwood, CBS space news space reporter at the Cape, we discussed the recent ISS problems with the ammonia cooling loop and the space walk repairs, the new problems with the Kepler Space Telescope which may suggest an ending of this marvelous planet finding tool, and the ULA Atlas 5 GPS launch. I also asked Bill to compare an Atlas 5 launch to a Falcon 9 launch. As our discussion was ending, John asked Bill if he thought NASA was becoming more accepting of private space and commercial crew efforts. Bill talked about this for a few minutes, summarizing with his take of the NASA mood as a result of challenges facing the organization.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13 April 2, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Saturn V, " SpaceX, Areas 5, Ares 1, Atlas 5, Bigelow, boosters, chemical propulsion, commercial space, Constellation, cubesats, Delta 4, electric propulsion, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, fuel depots, GEO orbital satellites, Golden Spike, high speed rail, human spaceflight, hybrid rocket engines, Inspiration Mars, international space venture cooperation, liquid rocket engines, lunar space elevator., NACA, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NewSpace, North Korean rockets, nuclear propulsion, public/private partnerships, Robert Sackheim, robotic missions, rocket propulsion, Russian rocket engines, satellite propulsion, SLS, solid rocket boosters, space advocacy, Space Shuttle, space tourism, spaceports, SSP, TRW Corp.
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Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1986-BWB-2013-04-01.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Sackheim. Topics: Commercial space, propulsion, U.S. space policy & more. 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 Robert Sackheim to the program to discuss NASA, commercial space, the current state of rocket propulsion and advancements in the field. During our first segment of this 1 hour 47 minute discussion, Mr. Sackheim talked about his background and experience at TRW, NASA MSFC, and his current consulting. I asked him several questions about the current state of rocket propulsion. Bob had much to say about this, focusing on chemical rocket propulsion, satellite propulsion, electric propulsion, and the need for nuclear propulsion. He talked about booster rockets, various rocket stages and their propulsion, rocket engines, and even SRBs. Several questions came in asking him if we had the current technology for HSF to Mars or even the Inspiration Mars flyby mission talked about so much in the recent press. Listeners wanted to know if our current levels of propulsion were up to the task. After a rather thorough propulsion discussions, Bob turned to commercial space, lowering total space mission costs, regulatory policy, and commercial spaceports. He also talked about budget issues and raised the question a few times as to why ten NASA centers were needed given their often overlapping, competitive, and duplicate work.
In our second segment, commercial space took the lead with a discussion on public/private partnerships & the belief that Americans can do anything if we set our mind to it, including space travel. Of course here the problem as we know lies in leadership and today it appears that leadership in space & other areas is sparse at best. Bob then focused on geo satellites and the increasing development and capabilities applicable to cubesats. HSF came up for discussion as did the robotic missions. You might be surprised by what our guest had to say about HSF. Other issues in this segment included the lunar space elevator, the congressional and NASA track record in canceling ongoing projects & taking lessons from history, SSP, & ways to reform & move NASA forward. Bob spoke about evolving toward the old NACA model. I asked about the impact of space advocacy from his perspective given his leadership experience and past positions in leading organizations and projects. We also asked him about space tourism and hybrid rocket engines. He had much to say about hybrids, don’t miss the discussion. Bob talked about the Falcon rockets, testing including static fire tests, and SRBs as related to the Constellation project and safety. Toward the end, our guest was asked about NewSpace, fuel depots, & cryo transfer. For closing comments, he talked about commercial space being the way to go & the path to our space future.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Mr. Sackheim through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Jim Muncy, Sunday, 1-20-13 January 21, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 2013 Congress, Atlas 5, Bigelow Aerospace, BLEO, Boeing CST 100, budget cuts, Cis Lunar Gateway, Commercial Crew, commercial launch indemnification, commercial space, Falcon Heavy, FY 13 NASA budget, human spaceflight, ISS, ITAR, James Webb Space Telescope, Jim Muncy, NASA, New Mexico spaceport liability issues, Orion, PoliSpace, sequestration, SLS, space advocacy, space race, Spaceport America, tort reform, U.S. space policy, Virgin Galactic, weather satellites
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Jim Muncy, Sunday, 1-20-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1933-BWB-2013-01-20.mp3
Guest: Jim Muncy. Topics: Comprehensive space policy & commercial space discussion. 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 Jim Muncy back to the show for this comprehensive space policy and commercial space two hour plus discussion. While many topics overlapped both segments and we went back and forth on several topics, this summary will be a two part summary. Jim started the discussion with a look at new space legislation kicking off the year. After a short summary of several items and their impact on commercial space, we talked about the makeup of the new Congress and how it might view civil and commercial space. Jim then started addressing specific projects including Orion and its expansion to include ESA, SLS, the Boeing CST100, Atlas 5, and more. A listener asked about the Space Settlement Act and the Space Foundation Pioneering White Paper. We then turned our attention to Cis-lunar space as a commercial gateway and Jim mentioned new commercial opportunities such as Golden Spike. We also talked about the recent study on NASA by the National Academies. Other topics included the need to do exploration, to take risks and NASA acting more like the old NACA with aviation. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was brought up by a caller and we started talking about large program expenses as compared to smaller, less costly, & more frequent programs that fly much more often. In response to another listener, Jim said SLS was not in competition for funds with commercial crew as one was near term & the other long term. Falcon Heavy was brought up, especially as an alternative to SLS.
In our second segment, Jim was asked about how best to influence congress. Later on, Jim was asked to comment on the liability indemnification issue surrounding Spaceport America & Virgin Galactic. Our domestic economic situation came up many times in both segments but in this segment, it was applied to problems with our weather satellite system & infrastructure needs as opposed to flying missions. This included mention of the Hurricane Sandy relief package just passed by Congress. Other issues talked about included the aerospace skilled workforce, parochial congressional interests, the NASA bureaucracy, & the role of space advocacy.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. You can email Mr. Muncy through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12 January 1, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Neil Armstrong, " SpaceX, 3 D Printing, Arianne 5, Atlas 5, Boeing CST 100, Chinese Space Program, CubeSat, Curiosity, cyber warfare, Dragon, economics, EML2 missions, entrepreneurial space, ESA, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, Golden Spike, human spaceflight, IAC in Beijing, ISDC, ISS, ITAR modification, Japanese space program, Jesco von Puttkamer, liability laws, lunar base, Mars one, Messenger, MSL, NASA budget, NewSpace Business Plan Competition, North Korean space program, NSS, on orbit fuel depots, Planetary Resources, Reda Anderson, Russian launchers, sequestration, SLS, space capsules, Space Review for 2012, space robotics, Space Settlement Act of 1988, space settlement policy, space shuttles, Spaceport America, Stratolaunch, suborbital flights, Tom Olson, ULA, Virgin, Warp Drive, winged spacecraft, XCOR
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Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1921-BWB-2012-12-31.mp3
2012 Year End Review & Analysis for Space Development
Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: The year 2012 is reviewed from the space perspective and we look forward to space development in 2013. 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 Tom Olson for his annual Space Show year in review analysis with a look forward to 2013 for space development. We started our discussion by remembering those in our space community that are no longer with us. We specifically mentioned three dear friends though we know that others have also left us. Our program was dedicated to Neil Armstrong, Jesco von Puttkamer, and Reda Anderson. We certainly miss our friends but space development marches on like everything else in life. A few of the early issues Tom brought up in the 2012 annual overview of space included the Falcon 9 launches and Dragon missions. He also talked about ISDC and birthing of Dragon during the keynote by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. While on the subject of SpaceX and its mission to the ISS, Paul sent in a question asking if SpaceX dropping out of the Stratolauncher project indicated that perhaps they had “bitten off more than they could chew.” Tom and I have no inside information about SpaceX and Stratolaunch but we both thought that Paul’s comment was reasonable as SpaceX is certainly busy enough with game changing projects & technology. Cubesats were discussed given their rise in popularity and importance in 2012. It seems as if their potential is more than on the rise! Cubesat growth also cuts across many diverse space industry segments and niche markets. Bev asked about the future of 3-D printing and its potential impact on future human spaceflight (HSF). 3-D printing is certainly experiencing space industry growth & there will soon be a small 3-D printer on the ISS. Heavy lift came up and much was said about the Falcon Heavy and SLS, both looking back over 2012 & forward to 2013.
In our second segment, I asked if fuel depots would evolve from the Power Point & rhetoric stage to something more tangible in 2013. We talked about depots as many of the projects announced in 2012 use depot technology to enable their plan. Tom talked about warp drive becoming more possible due to the 2012 work of Dr. Sonny White. Dr. White will be a guest on The Space Show Friday, January 4, 2013. Tom next brought up NASA budget issues & possible cuts. He talked about science mission cuts, the JWST, and on the HSF side, SLS eating up much of the budget with commercial crew still needing funding. I asked Tom how he thought space advocacy made out during 2012. Mixed was a one word summary of this discussion. Next, we talked about space settlement being made part of the U.S. space policy in 2013. Tom went over the pros & cons surrounding this effort. Doug called in about space settlement & I referred him to earlier programs with Steve Wolfe who authored the Space Settlement Act of 1988 which is part of public law. Tom said space settlement was SLS dependent & that makes the potential policy controversial to many space enthusiasts since many oppose SLS. Tom said 2012 was a good year for new commercial space grandiose missions such as Golden Spike, Planetary Resources, Mars One, a lunar base, Shackleton Energy, even EML2 missions. He kept asking the questions regarding objectives, who pays, the reasons for the missions, and more. He said most of these missions rely on some form of large launcher, either the Falcon Heavy SLS. Tom talked about ITAR reform that has been signed by both houses of Congress & is applicable to the U.S. satellite industry. Human rating of the Atlas came up for a 2012 progress report, then Dave in San Antonio inquired about cyber warfare & the space industry in 2012 & the future. 2012 marked the year the space shuttles went on display in museums & Tom talked about the Russian space program investments for modernization over the coming decade. He also talked about other national space programs. Near the end of our program, we brought up the Spaceport America liability issue & the risks facing the New Mexico spaceport. Tom updated us for 2013 on the NewSpace Business Plan Competition & his work with the Exodus Group for space business consulting.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Tom through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Open Lines, Tuesday, 9-4-12 September 5, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " microbial life, " SpaceX, "Open Air" by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, "Question Answered, Art Association of Philadelphia, Atlas 5, Boeing CST 100, Cis-lunar tug., Commercial Crew, Dark Skies, Dragon, Dream Chaser, ET life, Europa, Falcon 9. , ion propulsion, life outside the solar system, light pollution, NewSpace, Open Lines, Philadelphia public art project, Republican Party Platform space policy, solar system oceans, U.S. economy & NASA
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Open Lines, Tuesday, 9-4-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1848-BWB-2012-09-04.mp3
Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Life outside the solar system, Philadelphia light pollution, ion propulsion, U.S. economy, NASA, space program funding. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be relevant & 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. As Open Lines started, I put two discussion topics on the table. These two topics focused on the Republican party platform & its space policy plus the reaction to it by various sectors of the space community, specifically NewSpace. The second topic I mentioned was the state of the U.S. economy & how it impacts NASA & space funding. My theory was & is that it does impact the state of NASA funding & what happens in the private sector but I asked others who have economic experience & knowledge to tell me why so many talk space policy without factoring in our domestic as well as economic condition. When I opened up the phone line, the first caller was Wade Hobbs who talked about life having developed elsewhere in the solar system, mainly in the oceans of Europa. He said his theory offered statistical proof of life in Jupiter’s moon Europa & he pointed us toward his Kindle book, “Question Answered.” If you purchase his book using this URL, Amazon will donate to The Space Show/OGLF: www.amazon.com/Question-Answered-ebook/dp/B008ZFZ05W/ref=onegiantlea20. He explained his theory & invited comments & questions. His email address is w_hobbs@mail.com. Our second caller was Ed Murray who called our attention to a light pollution public art project scheduled soon for Philadelphia. The project, Open Air” by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer of Canada & approved by the Art Association of Philadelphia is described here: www.knightarts.org/community/philadelphia/preparing-for-open-air-in-philadelphia. Many in the astronomy & Dark Skies fields are objecting to the project which will last nearly two months & probably blot out most of the Philadelphia night sky. Ed & others are seeking ideas & help to minimize the project or cancel it. They have sought help from the International Dark Skies organization & others. If this project interests you, follow up on the suggestions offered on the blog by Ed & others which detail their concerns about the project.
In our second segment, John from Atlanta called in to discuss ion propulsion & fuel plus he wanted to address the economic issues I raised in the introduction to tonight’s program. Regarding the economic issues, John suggested we were still not so bad where the economy would start to impact NASA funding but if thing worsen, it is likely that NASA & all space funding will be impacted. John & I went back & forth for several minutes discussing the economic situation, the national debt, space & more, both from the U.S. domestic perspective as well as the global perspective. We talked about the total budget going to NASA being so small as a factor. John & I talked about the Republican platform suggestion that despite the language, commercial crew to the ISS would continue. John suggested an early down select to SpaceX but I advocated for at least another round of competition with Sierra Nevada & Boeing, possibly others too. Our final call was from Tim who talked about ion propulsion & space nuclear propulsion. He introduced the idea of carbon nano tubes for use in rocket materials & I suggested that was way out in the future. Tim also suggested the private sector bypass NASA & do its “own thing.”
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. If you want to email any of the callers, send your note to me & I will forward it.
Reinventing Space Conference 2012, Tuesday, 5-8-12 May 9, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Atlas 5, Commercial Crew, cubesats, Dr. Jim Wertz, Dr. Richard Van Allen, Dream Chaser, Georgia Tech, Hummingbird - Open Source for Small Satellites, ISS, Jeanne Innis Olson, John London (U.S. Army SMDC)., Larry Martin, low cost space access, Nicole Jordan, Operationally Responsive Space, Radar Calibration Nanosatellite, Reinventing Space Conference, Sierra Nevada, SMDC-One, space tourism, Surrey Satellite, U.S. Army satellite programs, University of Hawaii, University of North Dakota, Wendy Williams, Women In Aerospace Southern California Chapter
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Reinventing Space Conference 2012, Tuesday, 5-8-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1770-BWB-2012-05-08.mp3
Guests: Open Mic at the Reinventing Space Conference 2012. Topics: Responsive space, low cost space access, Army satellite program, university projects, students & education, Dream Chaser, Women in Aerospace Southern California Chapter. 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. This Space Show program was an “open mic” discussion for those attending the Reinventing Space Conference 2012. The Space Show made its microphones available to those in attendance to speak on any topic of interest to them. Our discussion topics included responsive space, low cost space access, pushing technology, the U.S. Army satellite program and the launch of the Army’s SMDC-One satellite, the first Army satellite launch in 50 years. Others spoke about university projects, STEM education, the lack of interest in space /STEM subjects by among the younger population, challenges in the field of education, and the Women In Aerospace Southern California Chapter. We started out with Dr. Jim Wertz providing us with an overview of the responsive space issues and what we can expect in the coming years. George Vamos, Dr. Wertz & as Dr. Van Allen discussed offsets and technology trades in lowering launch costs. Other participants talked about progress they have seen and experienced over their many years of working in the aerospace field. We heard from Charles Kilmer on this subject. He was followed by John London of the Army SMDC/ARSTRAT. He talked about the first Army satellite launch in 50 years, the SMDC-One. We also learned about future plans for Army satellites in support of the warfighter. He talked about the Army launching satellites the size of a loaf of bread and a bread box at 1/2000th the cost of a more traditional satellite. Rachel and Krystal from Sierra Nevada spoke about Dream Chaser. We learned more about their upcoming vehicle testing schedule as well as new agreements with Florida. I also inquired about Dream Chaser for space tourism which as you will hear will follow their priority which is commercial crew to the ISS. Larry Martin talked about his University of Hawaii project but we also had a participant from the University of N. Dakota and a recent graduate from Georgia Tech. I apologize for not getting their names for this program summary. These students talked about the challenges in getting younger students interested and aware of space. Our final participants represented Women In Aerospace and the Southern California Chapter. Jeanne Innis Olson and Nicole Johnson spoke about the organization & their California chapter. Those interested in learning more about the organization should contact Wendy Williams at wendy.williams@atk.com.
Please post your comments/questions regarding this program Space Show blog. I have listed participant bios for those that have a bio on file with The Space Show.