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Open Lines, Tuesday, 5-21-13 May 22, 2013

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Open Lines, Tuesday, 5-21-13

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2013-BWB-2013-05-21.mp3

Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston.  Topics:  Our discussion covered wide range of timely topics per the below summary.  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 started our 2 hour 3 minute Open Lines discussion with a five minute recorded interview with Sarah Cruddas in the UK regarding the UK astronaut Tim Peake who is now scheduled for a mission to the ISS.  Sarah told us about the impact of Tim being the UK’s first government funded and supported astronaut.  You will clearly hear her excitement about this and for sure you will understand the very positive impact of this in England along with national British excitement.  Way to go England and congratulations from The Space Show!  You can find out more about Sarah’s reporting, space, science & film work at www.sarahcruddas.com. Our next caller was Mark Longanbach from Star Systems to tell us about the Hermes spacecraft and their efforts in developing a suborbital spaceship for tourism and cargo.  We also talked about crowd funding and Kickstarter with him.  Next, Nelson called in to talk about the need for long term NASA goals and he outlined his concept for bringing the space community together and making the most out of tight budgets, assets, technology, and capabilities, all in support of repositioning our space program for doing great things in the future. Nelson requested feedback on his idea so post your comments on The Space Show blog.  Nelson’s blog can be found at www.aviationweek.com/UserProfile.aspx?newspaperUserId=219284.  Kelly called next to talk about the upcoming 20th anniversary of DC-X and he compared back then to now.  As you will hear, Kelly saw more positive things back “in the day” than today.  He talked about today’s commercial space industry, NASA, SpaceX, commercial space, etc.  We also talked about the planned commercial Mars missions, the asteroid & lunar missions.  I’m sure you will find his comments interesting & thought provoking.

In our second segment, Tim said Rossi and his E-CAT were validated by a third party.  He then took issue with much of what Kelly had to say, especially around SpaceX and the emerging commercial space industry.  We also talked about the proposed NASA-Bigelow Aerospace project and I read the NASA PR announcement about it on air.  Later in the second segment, Charles Pooley called.  He wanted to talk about the NASA-Bigelow announcement and he said he also disagreed with Kelly, especially regarding SpaceX.  While Kelly was critical of the SpaceX engine design, Charles said it was an excellent design and he told us why he thought so.  I chimed in my support for SpaceX as I think they are doing a very good job and have solved inflight problems in an impressive way.  Also in this segment, we talked some about what constitutes a commercial mission.  I suggested today’s emerging industry is a hybrid but in the end, the companies behave as commercial companies. Pooley also talked about a Scaled CATO engine failure. He later sent us emails which I read on air that described the problem, then Charles called back to explain what I read.  Another topic I mentioned included the problems with the Kepler Space Telescope.

Post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.  If you want to email any of the callers, do so through me.

 

Frank Stratford, Friday, 5-17-13 May 18, 2013

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Frank Stratford, Friday, 5-17-13

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2010-BWB-2013-05-17.mp3

Guest:  Frank Stratford.  Topics:  Commercial space and space travel business models and revenue generation.  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 Frank Stratford back to the program to discuss various commercial space business models, including nonspace revenue generating goals and objectives.  Frank is the founder of MarsDrive so for more information, visit their website at www.marsdrive.com.  During the first segment of our 1 hour 42 minute program, Frank introduced us to the topic in his April 22, 2013 Space Review article, “The Business of Space Travel” (www.thespacereview.com/article/2281/1).  Frank talked about the need to generate nonspace revenue while building up the space company & space revenue R&D, activities, & markets.  He cited SpaceX, Bigelow, & Blue Origins as examples.  This led to a discussion about markets & financing, plus estimated costs for a human spaceflight mission to Mars. Frank compared the Mars One $6 billion estimate to his own estimate from his research to be $15 billion.  Our first caller asked if big name investors associated with these early commercial space ventures created an expectation of success and may in fact turn out to not have been such a good idea.  The detailed discussion included ROI, Stratolaunch and the revenue cycle gap from up front/early capital needs to revenue generation later on in the project’s cycle.  We talked about the nonprofit or charity model and Inspiration Mars came to mind.  I entered the discussion with comments about the need for repeat customers, a commercial space success to model, unrealistic assumptions, the lack of due diligence, and the difficulty in cost estimates, especially when the cost of getting to the destination (the Moon for example) is unknown at this time.  Surrey Space & Technology was also brought up as an example of a good business to model.

In the second segment, our called pointed out a Moon & Back interview with Robert Bigelow in which our caller said Bob said he went into the r/e business to fund his space activities.  Later, he email in additional comments suggesting that just because a space venture or idea is not funded does not mean it’s a bad idea or concept. He then advocated NASA support such as with COTS and Commercial Crew.  Public/private partnerships were advocated as a good way to move forward with space development and exploration.  Frank was then asked if a failed commercial project would hurt the industry.  He said it was possible.  Another question came in regarding paying attention to human factors and if solutions would be available at the same time as engineering technology, financing, and maybe markets.  Frank said only if work moved forward on human factor solutions at the same time and at a similar rate.  He also advocated his own organization working the problems.  Listen to his reasoning behind this.  As the program was nearing close, Frank was asked if Curiosity found proof of life in the past or now, even the most basic life, if it would make HSF to Mars more of a priority.  Don’t miss Frank’s response.  In summary, Frank talked about the need for continuous incremental development.

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above.  If you want to email Frank Stratford, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.

Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Tuesday, 3-26-13 March 27, 2013

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Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Tuesday, 3-26-13

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1981-BWB-2013-03-26.mp3

Guest:  Robert (Bob) Zimmerman.  Topics:  Space news, company updates, and 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 welcomes Bob Zimmerman back for a two hour wide ranging discussion on space news, company updates, sequestration, policy, and more.  Be sure to check out his blog, http://behindtheblack.com.   Bob started out talking about the e-book release of his book, “Genesis, The Story of Apollo 8.”  He then talked about the upcoming Falcon 9 launches, their importance and significance.  Bob mentioned ILS and the Proton rocket which is having its problems causing insurance rates to rise. He said the Russians will absorb all insurance cost increases to keep Proton at a price advantage point.  This opened the door to a discussion about SpaceX and price competiveness in the launch industry.  Bob switched gears to the suborbitals and said we should be seeing Virgin powered tests soon.  He also talked about Stratolaunch per a recent Parabolic Arc article.  Bob was talking reusability and the RLV so I asked him if he was aware of economic analysis and data that was not supportive of an RLV short of a substantial increase in launch demand. Bob had much to say about this with his opinion. The RLV economic issue continued to be discussed in both segments of our program. Tim called in about it as well.  We talked about Sen. Rubio and his budget amendment suggesting NASA divest itself of unused assets & use the saved money for commercial space.  Bob then brought up sequestration and the announcement that NASA will be shutting down all public outreach but they will keep their PR arm going for their projects and missions.  We also mentioned Sarah Brightman and both her ISS and Virgin space tourism efforts.  Near the close of this segment, Inspiration Mars was discussed and as you will hear, Bob is skeptical, citing human factors & other reasons for his opinion.  Larry asked about North Korean rockets and threats to the U.S. west coast.  Bob said he took them seriously though their rocket was not yet ready for prime time. Bob also threw in Iranian rockets and threats and said he was more concerned about advances by Iran than N. Korea at this time.

In segment two, we talked about both the science side of NASA and the HSF side.  I’m sure you will find the comparison and mission summaries of interest.  John called in from Atlanta to raise yet again the question of reusability.  He thought it would be enhanced with the use of orbiting fuel depots. Bob was skeptical.  Don’t miss this discussion.  I asked both Bob and John about Inspiration Mars, Jim emailed in a comment about Falcon 1 relative to comments being made by Bob, and we talked about the upcoming Orbital Sciences Antares launch.  We got into the subject of risk taking and Bob and I talked about mining risks as well as caving risks.  As Bob is an accomplished caver, he had much to say about both mining and caving.  Near the end, we got a call about various spaceports in different states and spaceport commercial success so far.  Bob concluded saying that we are in an unstable world which could absolutely adversely impact all aspects of space and commercial space development and progress.

Please post your comments on The Space Show blog.

Jim Muncy, Sunday, 1-20-13 January 21, 2013

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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.

Dr. George Sowers, Monday, 11-12-12 November 13, 2012

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Dr. George Sowers, Monday, 11-12-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1892-BWB-2012-11-12.mp3

Guest:  Dr. George Sowers.  Topics:  United Launch Alliance, Atlas 5, Delta IV, human rating Atlas and Delta.  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. George Sowers, VP of Human Launch Services at ULA back to the show for a special one hour report on Atlas, Delta, human rating rockets, and much more.  Dr. Sowers started off by letting us know that ULA recently created the Human Launch Services Division with Dr. Sowers as the Vice-President.  Dr. Sowers then updated us on some of their more visible ULA activities since his last visit to The Space Show in January 2011, including probable SLS and Dream Chaser time lines, commercial crew participation and Orion tests in 2014.  We talked about the ULA role in commercial crew and what was needed to human rate the Atlas as well as the Delta IV.  I also asked about needed pad modifications for HSF with an Atlas and Dr. Sowers told us about modifications to Launch Complex 41 at the Cape for the upcoming crewed flights.  Listeners asked our guest lots of questions about safety, pad modifications, range safety issues, and the difference in human rating the Atlas as compared to a Delta.  Another question asked of our guest was to understand the contributing factors to the impressive launch success and safety rate for the Atlas rocket.  Dr. Sowers answered this in some detail with attention being paid to what is known at the 3 P’s.  Charles wanted to know about the Russian RD-180 engines & another listener wanted to know if ULA was feeling competitive “heat” from SpaceX. Yves in Montreal asked about the dual centaur having uses other than for commercial crew and Barbara wanted to know about the role of an Atlas for possible orbital tourism with a Bigelow space station module.  We talked about ULA’s potential interest in new spaceports which seem to be developing around the country, then I asked Dr. Sowers about what constituted a commercial space project. Here, we learned that commercial implies largely financed by private funds, not government money.  He said that EELV was developed by 80% private sector funding.  We also talked about the Arianne family of rockets and their pricing which is subsidized by European governments.  Dr. Sowers explained why it was so hard to compete against government subsidized pricing.  Another topic of interest in our discussion was launch vehicle market and pricing elasticity and how to drive up launch rates and lower launch costs.  We also talked about human spaceflight having the government as the primary leader for the market and cargo as having only an ISS market at this time.  On orbit propellant depots were discussed as was SLS and heavy lift.  As we neared the end of the hour, we talked about SRBs for the human rated Atlas.
     In our brief second segment, I went over the near term Space Show schedule and our last caller John from Florida called in to wonder if a real emergency came up if we would launch a crewed rocket/vehicle to try to save the ISS for example or would we be unwilling to take the risk and let the ISS deorbit in the example given.  Hopefully such a predicament does not arise.
     If you have comments/questions about our discussion with Dr. Sowers, please post them on The Space Show blog.

Dr. Madhu Thangavelu, Perry Edmundson, Monday, 10-29-12 October 30, 2012

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Madhu Thangavelu, Perry Edmundson, Monday, 10-29-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1883-BWB-2012-10-29.mp3

Guests:  Dr. Madhu Thangavelu, Perry Edmundson.  Topic:  The Cosmic Mariner space cruise ship concept developed by Perry Edmundson. 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 using the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies.  We welcomed back Dr. Madhu Thangavelu and our new guest, Perry Edmundson to discuss the Cosmic Mariner space cruise ship concept which Perry developed while a graduate student in Dr. Thangavelu’ s Space Exploration Architectures Concept Synthesis Studio.  You can find Perry’s slides and his presentation paper on The Space Show blog.  Our first segment of this nearly two hour discussion covered the basics of the USC class taught by Dr. Thangavelu, including prerequisites and needed student background.  Madhu talked about class objectives & goals along with explaining his methodology in teaching the class.  We then switched over to Perry who began explaining the Cosmic Mariner concept.  If you follow along with his slide presentation which is on the blog, you will see terrific illustrations plus his comments will be supplemented by important visuals.  Perry explained the concept, talked about his design incorporating inflatable modules, the three main elements of style he incorporated in his design, the role of the ISS, and why he decided to make use of the ISS.  As for challenges to bringing the concept to reality, he talked about radiation issues along with other human factors issues.  One issue he zeroed in on dealt with the psychological issues faced by crews on longer missions.  Life support was discussed along with the need for far more powerful propulsion such as nuclear electric propulsion.  Perry spent some time discussing nuclear propulsion and related issues.  Madhu brought up the benefits of using hosted payloads & both our guests talked about SpaceX & its progress toward human spaceflight.
     In our second segment, Perry talked about bandwidth issues and urged the use of optical transmission as a solution path.  Trent asked about the NASA Gateway Program & we talked about using his cruise ship concept to go to Mars.  Perry explained what some of the modifications would have to include to make his concept viable for Mars.  Again, he stressed the human factors challenges.  John from NJ called in to talk about funding issues & challenges.  He also asked why the ISS was being used given it may meet its end in a few more years.  Perry suggested that his concept would provide a new purpose for the ISS.  We talked about the development of new technology for problem solving & were introduced to the concept of “technology evaporation.”
     Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.
Perry Edmundson Slides
Edmundson Thangavelu AIAA Space 2012-Final

Tim Pickens, Thursday, 8-2-12 August 2, 2012

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Tim Pickens, Thursday, 8-2-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1827-BWB-2012-08-02.mp3

Guest:  Tim Pickens.  Topics:  Pickens Innovations, commercial space, space economics & policy.  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 Tim Pickens back to the program to tell us about his new company Pickens Innovations.  As Tim explained, he has left Dynetics and formed his own consulting business.  Learn more about his new consultancy and activities by visiting www.timpickens.com.  We started our discussion by my asking Tim about some of the comments I made yesterday in a USA Today telephone interview regarding commercial/private space development.  Since I forgot to record the interview (something I have learned to do for my own protection given edit rights are seldom permitted re the articles or programs), I bounced some of my comments off Tim to see if I was drinking my own Kool Aid about the state of the private space industry, its potential, the positive changes I see happening, and more.  Tim confirmed that I was on the right track so now I await the USA Today article.  In the process of this discussion, Tim had much to say about the emerging commercial space industry, the companies involved, the economics and the markets.  We talked about how things have changed for the better over time and in recent years.  I then asked Tim about Rocket City Space Pioneers, his Google Lunar X Prize entry, for which he remains the team leader.  Tim was quite frank in discussing the program with us, the Google Lunar X Prize in general & many of the critical issues facing the contest & all the contestants.  Do listen carefully to what he said as it goes right to the heart of issues facing the broader commercial & private space development efforts/industry.  Part of our discussion focused on the value chain available for sustainable lunar business, the problems with ride sharing at this time to the Moon and much more. We also talked about essential time lines for the contest.  He said many times that affordable systems were needed, viable and sustainable business models were needed, and he was thinking about a merger or joint venture with other contestants to make it happen.  Tim fielded many questions about his new consultancy, Pickens Innovations. We learned that he was getting involved in other areas than space, specifically medical devices.  He described two such devices and why his company was pursuing their development.  How about market size and potential as compared to space?  In fact, cash flow & revenue from these successful non-space businesses are expected to fund many of his space development activities.  Also in this segment, our guest talked about space hardware issues.

In the second segment, he defined the Man Cave which he talks about on his website.  Tim responded to a listener question about the potential of a Netscape Moment re investing in space businesses, plus he talked about the need to have more fun and be less nerdy, referencing conference presentations and similar things space people engage in from time to time.  As an example, he cited the Big Bang Theory TV show and a new show about to start, Top Engineer.  Later, we talked about SLS and its future, its mission, and its likelihood of being funded to completion.  Suborbital space and vehicle issues were a discussion topic followed by Tim talking about the Space & Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville (www.udreg.com/SMD) later this month. His closing comments were positive & upbeat for our future, especially by using disruptive technologies which he talked about at great length throughout the interview.

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.

Brent Sherwood, Tuesday, 7-24-12 July 25, 2012

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Brent Sherwood, Tuesday, 7-24-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1821-BWB-2012-07-24.mp3

Guest:  Brent Sherwood.  Topics: Human spaceflight to Mars: Is it on the path or a distraction?  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 Brent Sherwood back to the show to discuss his GLEX paper and ideas regarding human spaceflight (HSF), Mars, and alternative NASA goals/missions regarding HSF.  His GLEX paper, “Mars-On the Path or in the Way” is posted on The Space Show blog following this program summary.  Please read & review his paper as it contains far more detail regarding his proposal, analysis and his conclusion than what we were able to discuss during our program.  In our first segment, Mr. Sherwood provided us with the background and context for his having written this paper and for his conclusion that HSF to Mars is not the right path. He then outlined alternative paths for HSF missions that he believes can better “regain the cultural centrality of human space flight and grow by attracting private capital.” Our guest talked about the value proposition of a HSF mission to Mars, plus the value proposition of the alternatives he describes in his paper & on this program.  The value proposition is understood to refer to the value received by sending humans to Mars (or the alternative HSF missions) as compared to the value of the mission costs, the opportunity costs, risks, etc.  Mr. Sherwood assesses the value proposition for all of his alternative HSF proposals which include the Explore Mars mission, lunar settlement, space passenger travel, and SSP.  For most of this initial segment, Brent outlined his ideas and explained why he has concluded that HSF to Mars does not measure up as a value promise & why SSP is his first choice.  We began taking listener email questions and phone calls after he summarized his position  & as you can imagine, most all the listener questions/comments were of the challenging nature to his conclusion that HSF to Mars was not in the best interest of our space program.  I urge you read his paper and to pay attention to the technical, cost, time line, and historical information shared with us by our guest.

In the second segment of this nearly two hour program, Brent took questions and expanded more as to why he supports other options than HSF to Mars.  He also explained why he is calling for a debate on this issue within the space community.  At the start of this segment, I asked him if he thought discovering life on Mars would change his opinion and the value proposition.  He said no but did say it would expedite the Martian sample return mission, but would not alter the variables & unknowns involved in the magnitude of technology challenges needing resolution before sending humans safely to and from Mars.  Toward the end of our discussion, I asked how he might move forward to implement the industry debate he has called for on this show & in his paper.  Suggestions on how to do this are wanted so if you have any, post them on the blog.

Brent would like your feedback so after listening to this program and reading his paper, please post comments/questions on the blog.  You can email Brent Sherwood by sending your note to me & I will forward it to him.

Brent Sherwood’s GLEX Paper:

Mars-On the Path or In the Way?

 

Gary Hudson, Tuesday, 5-29-12 May 30, 2012

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Gary Hudson, Tuesday, 5-29-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1784-BWB-2012-05-29.mp3

Guest:  Gary Hudson.  Topic:  Variable gravity research station as a free flyer near the ISS.  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 back Gary Hudson, President of the Space Studies Institute, to discuss the Space Studies Institute variable gravity research station program known as G-Lab.  You can read about G-Lab at http://ssi.org/2012/04/ssi-update-april-2012-introduction-to-g-lab.  To find out more about The Space Studies Institute, please visit http://ssi.org.  In our first segment, Gary Hudson provided us with an overview of the data points we have on the effect of microgravity on the human body dating back from the beginning of the space age.  If the goal is the permanent human expansion and settlement in space, we have very few if any data points, yet we need this information if we are to expand beyond short trips to the ISS or another turnaround lunar mission.  In terms of artificial gravity, we don’t know what levels humans require other than we know we are designed for 1 G.  As Gary pointed out several times during our discussion, the permanent settlement in space implies families, child birth, and the things that we do here on Earth but we are lacking any meaningful and relevant information to make this possible  The G-Lab concept is to be able to do long term properly designed centrifuge research in free flying labs around the ISS, doing animal studies in lunar, possibly Martian, and Earth gravity. The experiments would be long term, properly designed by researchers with NASA as well as other institutions.  Financing the project would be in segments and phases and involve the private sector & the public sector.  Mr. Hudson described five phases with the first three phases being privately funded while the last two a combination of public/private funding.  The Falcon Heavy is a possible launch vehicle but so are other launchers.

In our second segment, we started off with a listener question about a Space Review article suggestion the Dragon be used for microgravity experiments in support of a human Mars Mission.  You can read the article by Tom Hill at www.thespacereview.com/article/2089/1.  Gary commented on this but remained focused on their project supporting permanent settlement in space, not just a trip to Mars.  This is an important distinction so do listen to how Gary explains this difference.  Other listeners asked Gary questions based on other Space Show programs/guests dealing with genetic modification and the need to work with gravity here on Earth as we age.  Listeners suggested simpler experiments.  One person suggested using insects but Gary made it clear that animals with a backbone were essential for these studies.  As the segment was drawing to a close, Gary mentioned a few of the challenges other than funding including power, life support, human crew needs, keeping the lab animals healthy, and being able to carry out all the needed experiments.  We talked about funding and Gary mentioned philanthropic naming opportunities for the centrifuge labs just as donors name buildings at hospitals and universities here on Earth.  If you have comments/questions for Gary Hudson, please post them on the Space Show blog.

If you want to get in touch with Gary specifically for this project, you can e-mail him through their website by using the About tab, then selecting Officers and Board.

Mark Sirangelo, Wednesday, 1-4-12 January 5, 2012

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Mark Sirangelo, Wednesday, 1-4-12

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1682-BWB-2012-01-04.mp3

Guest: Mark Sirangelo.  Topics:  Dream Chaser, hybrid rocket motors, human spaceflight & 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 welcomes Mark Sirangelo of Sierra Nevada Corp Space Systems to the program to discuss Dream Chaser, hybrid rocket motors, human spaceflight, space policy, budgets and more.  You can learn more about Dream Chaser at http://sncspace.com/space_exploration.php.  For those of you interested in learning more on the previous NASA HL-20 concept vehicle, visit www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/HL-20.html.  We started our discussion by asking Mr. Sirangelo for a brief history and overview of Dream Chaser.  He talked about the lifting body design and the capabilities of a lifting body, including costs and reusability.  In response to questions he did say it was meant for LEO though later in the program he discussed the potential to scale Dream Chaser up if markets warranted it.  He was also asked to compare the Dream Chaser style of vehicle to a capsule.  Mark was asked about the choice of rocket, the Atlas V.  While he explained that choice, he also said Dream Chaser was rocket agnostic. Don’t miss his comments on the rocket question.  A listener asked him to clarify the current status with the SAA, the FAR, and a possible CCDEV 3 round of NASA support.  Mark said there would be a round three with a call for awards in February with winners announced later in the summer.  He talked about the companies going to the next level, the Critical Design Review (CDR) and what this means for NASA as well as the companies.  Mark talked about the switch back to the SAA but said at some point down the road, the FAR will likely be used, probably in the acquisition stage.  Again, you do not want to miss what he had to say on this important issue.  Yves from Canada asked about the launch abort system for Dream Chaser and its ability to land in places and the ocean instead of a designated runway.  We talked about test flights, the number of needed flights, and the view that testing is not based on the number of flights but on successfully completing the essential and needed testing/flight protocols.  In our second segment, Trent called from Australia and wanted to know more about the full history and struggles for Dream Chaser up to now.  This time around Mark provided us with a more comprehensive vehicle history.  We also talked quite a bit about the hybrid rocket motor so you will for sure want to hear this segment.  Mark was asked if the Dream Chaser hybrid was the same being used for the Virgin SS2 and he said essentially yes other than for size.  He was asked some more questions about his work on SS2 for Virgin but deferred those questions to Virgin .  Our guest received a few questions about the GAP, buying rides on the Soyuz, recent Soyuz issues, and speeding up the development of Dream Chaser.  Harry wanted to know about using Dream Chaser for various types of orbital space tourism, and much was said about certifying Dream Chaser as safe for human spaceflight.  Near the end, Robert wanted to know if Dream Chaser might be used for Point to Point travel.  John from Jersey City called to ask about multiple markets for Dream Chaser.  As our discussion was drawing to a close, our guest was asked about hypergolic fuels and reaction control systems and again about the thermal protection system.  Please post your comments/questions for Mark Sirangelo on The Space Show blog at the above URL.

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