Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: NASA, Open Lines, Kickstarter., Commercial Crew, ULA, space tourism, commercial space, Kepler Space Telescope, Dr. David Livingston, Virgin Galactic, Bigelow Aerospace, suborbital spaceflight, Atlas, asteroid mining, lunar development, " SpaceX, Mars one, DC-X, Inspiration Mars, Sarah Cruddas, British astronaut Tim Peake, Star Systems, Hermes spacecraft, Scaled Composites CATO test, crowd funding, long term space goals, one way HSF to Mars, Rossi E-Cat
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.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: Commercial Crew, Congressional Appropriation, Congressional authorization, CR, Curiosity, DOD space, international partnerships, ISS, James Webb Space Telescope, Marcia Smith, Mars, NASA Asteroid Retrieval Initiative, NASA FY 2013, NASA FY 2014, NOAA., Office of the Budget, Orion, public/private partnerships, sequestration, SLS, Space Act Agreements, SpacePolicyOnline
Marcia Smith, Friday, 4-12-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1993-BWB-2013-04-12.mp3
Guest: Marcia Smith. Topics: NASA FY 2013 and 2014 budget and budget issues. 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 Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline to guide us through important NASA FY 2013 and FY 2014 budget issues. For more information and the latest developments on current space policy and budget issues, check www.spacepolicyonline.com on a regular basis.
Our program started with a tribute to Cosmonauts Day, a celebration of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space on April 12, 1961 aboard Vostok 1. We then switched over to what has to be the most confusing and dysfunctional budget process ever, the NASA FY 2013 and 2014 budgets. Ms. Smith guided us through the confusion which at times was no easy task. We talked about the sequester cuts as well as “revisions” which adjust budget numbers at the end of a bill. All in all, it is thought that NASA will face around a 7% cut for 2013 but this is still an unknown though it might be clarified on May 10 as that is when NASA & other government agencies submit their yearly operating plan to Congress. During this first segment of our 1 hour 22 minute discussion, we also talked about the Budget Control Act of 2011 and its importance to NASA and the recently announced NASA Asteroid Retrieval Initiative. In fact, our guest had much to say about this latest NASA program given it was announced in advance of NASA having the technology to be able to do the mission in the first place. This subject came up multiple times in both segments of today’s program. Josh asked about the NASA authorization expiring this year and if a new one would be put in its place. Ms. Smith explained the authorization which is expiring at the end of FY 2013, making it clear what parts expire and what parts continue as law. We then talked about both congressional authorizations and appropriations. Returning to the newly announced NASA asteroid mission, Marcia broke down the estimated initial $105 million cost into specific categories. It will be interesting to see how this plan is dealt with by OMB and Congress. Marcia fielded questions about public/private partnerships & how they might do given our budget issues. We also talked about commercial crew budgets for FY 2013 and the potential 7% cut which our guest said was not yet certain. Also discussed was the funding for SLS, Orion and ISS. Operating programs such as Curiosity on Mars were discussed but they work with specific program commitments and then go through a review process a few years later for any extensions.
In our second segment, Ben asked about the 2013 continuing resolution process which Marcia explained. Don’t miss this discussion as you will hear about possible big decreases in the CR for the second half of this fiscal year. A listener sent in a note asking our guest about the budget impact on DOD programs including space programs and NOAA. This brought me to asking our guest about the state of the NASA budget this year as compared to previous years. You might be surprised by what our guest said in response to my question. The new NASA asteroid mission came up again, this time with caller Michael who offered us interesting points of view about NASA and this mission. Part of this discussion focused on our thinking that NASA had not yet made a compelling case for the asteroid mission or the study initiative. As the program ended, we talked about having public access to the NASA operating plan that will be submitted to congress on May 10. In conclusion, we wait for May 10th and “crystal clear clarity” to a very confusing and dysfunction process for NASA and other agencies for FY 2013 and the proposed FY 2014 budget.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Ms. Smith through www.spacepolicyonline.com or me using drspace@thespaceshow.com as I will forward your note.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: " Curmudgeons Corner, " space politics, " SpaceX, alternative timeline histories, asteroid mining, Brownsville Spaceport, Cislunar space, Commercial Crew, commercial space, cosmic radiation issues, human Mars missions, Mark Whittington, NASA, NASA K-12 student radiation program, NewSpace, NRC NASA's Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus, Return to the Moon, Space Shuttle, STEM. "Dreams of Barry's Stepfather, U.S. congress
Mark Whittington, Tuesday, 3-12-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1971-BWB-2013-03-12.mp3
Guest: Mark Whittington. Topics: Updates for the current state of affairs in the space industry; Mark’s novella, “Dreams of Barry’s Stepfather.” 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 Mark Whittington back for space industry updates and for information about his new novella available on Amazon. Mark’s blog, Curmudgeons Corner is at http://curmudgeons.blogspot.com. In the first hour of our two hour discussion, Mark talked about the commercial space ventures announced in 2012 and so far in 2013. He focused on Inspiration Mars but also talked about many of the other ventures. We talked about the possible impact of a tragic accident on the Mars mission and its probable impact on the industry which we did not think would be great based on what happened after both Challenger and Columbia. Mark also talked about asteroid mining and returning to the Moon. Later, the subject of the possibility of a new spaceport for SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas was discussed and Mark told us about a few possible wrinkles with the establishment of that spaceport. He also mentioned the Mars One mission out of Holland, then we talked some space politics regarding many in Congress. The NewSpace sector came up and Mark has some interesting observations about this part of the industry.
In our second segment, we continued talking about space politics but we brought in critical comments about the media as well. Mark then cited the NRC study on NASA’s Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus as an example of the problems within NASA, the absence of a real HSF asteroid mission and more. Mark also mentioned the four options talked about in the NRC NASA study. John called in from Atlanta and talked about the newly announced NASA-Lockheed program to have K-12 students around the world work on space radiation issues. We talked about this effort in some detail and were supportive of it. You can read about it at www.govconexecutive.com/2013/03/lockheed-nasa-seeking-k-12-student-radiation-protection-ideas-marillyn-hewson-comments. Mark then told us about his new novella, “Dreams of Barry’s Stepfather.” If you get it from this Amazon URL, http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-of-Barrys-Stepfather-ebook/dp/B00BO9D3NC/ref=onegiantlea20, Amazon will make a contribution to The Space Show/OGLF. We spent most of the rest of our discussion going over the alternative time line which Mark developed to make this a most interesting novella with broad space industry impact. At the end of the program, we talked about Nasa and the space budgets and sequestration, heavy lift, and fuel depots.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Mark through his own blog or through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
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
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.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: " Robby the Robot., " SpaceX, "Forbidden Planet, "Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8: The First Manned Mission to Another World", Antares, Apollo 8, Arianne 5, Arianne 6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Commercial Crew, Dragon, Dream Chaser, drones on Mars, EMLD, ESA, Falcon 9. , Golden Spike, heavy lift, ISS, James Webb Space Telescope, launch industry, lunar farside missions, manned space exploration, NASA budget cuts, NASA Mars Program, Orbital Sciences, Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, secondary payloads, sequestration, SLS, SpaceShip2, Stratolaunch, Virgin Galactic, XCOR
Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Monday, 12-10-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1911-BWB-2012-12-10.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: Apollo 8, launch industry, HSF, SLS, Mars missions, NASA budget, & 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 Bob Zimmerman back to the program to summarize space for 2012, to look forward to space activities in 2013, and as you will hear, to talk about some specific issues such as SLS and the need for heavy lift. Bob started the discussion talking about Apollo 8 as we approach Christmas 2012. He told us his famous book, “Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8: The First Manned Mission to Another World” has been released in ebook format. If you buy it on Amazon using the URL provided, Amazon will make a donation to The Space Show/OGL:
www.amazon.com/Genesis-Apollo-Mission-Another-ebook/dp/B00A1EZJ6U/ref=onegiantlea20. Bob outlined two tracks for discussion, the launch industry and manned spaceflight exploration. For the launch industry, he talked about the influence of SpaceX in lowering launch costs & what it means for other launchers in competing in pricing & market share. He also talked about negotiation issues over the continued use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. We discussed secondary payloads, Stratolaunch, & more. The second track involving manned space exploration, Bob talked about it from the government perspective & that of the private sector. He also brought up the recent news regarding the new Golden Spike venture on which he had much to say. Our first caller was from Terry asking about the NASA Mars program, James Webb & SLS. Bob had much to say about the JWST as well as SLS, NASA astrophysics, & SLS costs. Terry wanted to know when Bob thought SLS would be cancelled. This discussion prompted more than a passionate exchange by Bob and me regarding heavy lift, rocket mission analysis, & more. We then paused for our overdue break.
Leading off the second segment, we took a call from Doug in S. California but had audio issues on his phone line. We then talked about the SpaceX mission delay to March 2013. Tim called to talk about launch rate regardless of the size of the vehicle. He also talked about Golden Spike & a potential space tug. He asked Bob about Skylon. We switched topics to get updates from Bob regarding the suborbital companies. Bob talked about Virgin Galactic & powered flight tests. He also had some things to say about Dream Chaser and XCOR. I asked Bob about using drones on Mars based on comments I’ve received from listeners. Near the end, I brought up a special film showing & lecture on the 1956 classic “Forbidden Planet” that I saw this past Saturday. We talked about the significance of this movie & Bob brought in the concept of human spirit, vision, & the desire for interplanetary travel even before the days of NASA or Sputnik. I talked about the two award winning speakers from Lucas Film regarding the movie & then the surprise visit after the film by Robby the Robot, the original Robby from the film. To end our program, Bob gave us an outline of what to look for in the first quarter of 2013 for space events.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: : John Batchelor, Commercial Crew, Dawn Mission, Dr. David Livingston, human spaceflight, ISS, NASA programs, NEOs, Obama Space, Orion, Planetary Resources, SLS, Space.com, Tariq Malik, The John Batchelor Show "Hotel Mars, Vesta
The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 11-7-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1889-BWB-2012-11-07.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, Tariq Malik, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: Probable space policy in President Obama’s second term. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. 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 discussion, Tariq Malik of Space.com talked about the probable space policy in the Obama second term. We talked about astronauts going to NEOs, lunar development as a stepping stone, ISS issues, budget risks, and more. John asked about the Dawn Mission and Vesta for a like human spaceflight mission. We asked Tariq how he thought commercial crew programs and COTS would do over the near term, also about SLS and Orion. We also highlighted many of the items that Space.com writer Dr. Mike Wall wrote about in his Space.com article on the subject at www.space.com/18373-presidential-election-obama-nasa-future.html.
If you have questions or comments about this segment, please post them on The Space Show blog above. You can contact Mr. Batchelor or Tariq Malik through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: Business Plan Competition, Commercial Crew, commercial space, DC Angel Investors., Exodus Consulting Group, ITAR, Kickstarter., Mars solar sats, space scalable, Tom Olson
Tom Olson, Sunday, 9-23-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1859-BWB-2012-09-23.mp3
Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: Exodus Consulting Group, space scalable investments. 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. Tom Olson returned as our guest to introduce us to the new Exodus Consulting Group (see
http://exodus-consulting.com). In our first hour long segment, Tom introduced us to Exodus and the concept known as space scalable. He gave several examples of what was meant by space scalable, including referencing some of the contestants/winners in the last New Space Business Plan Competition. Tom also talked about the ISS and investor requirements for the more traditional types of space investments as compared to the considerations meeting the space scalable definition. In this discussion, Tom explained why the space scalable approach makes so much sense. See if you agree with him and let us know on the blog. The subject of space solar power and power sats at Mars came up with caller Marshall. Tom and I remained skeptical about closing a business case for SSP but Tom did offer to review SSP business plans if you send them to him. Please use
inquiries@exodus-consulting.com. There was some discussion about Tom’s drilling ideas on Mars.
In the second segment, we talked about the NewSpace Business Plan Competition planned for 2013. Tom talked about business plan competitions in general, contrasting most of them with the NewSpace competition. Tom talked about the funding, the cash prizes and the expanding connections to Silicon Valley. Later in this segment, we talked about Exodus timelines and a listener wanted to know what has happened with previous winners of the competition. Another listener emailed in a question about the risk of government regulation. Tom pointed out that ITAR was the biggest concern. We did talk about biotech, especially in the North Carolina Research Triangle, then we talked about crowd sourcing and Kickstarter. In his closing comments, Tom mentioned the Washington, DC Angel Investors. He closed pointing out the need for companies or individuals with plans to contact Exodus should they need $100-200K, have an 18-24 month exit strategy, and an ROI around 3-5X.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can contact Tom Olson at the Exodus email address provided above.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: " SpaceX, birthing, Brian Mosdell, Commercial Crew, Delta II, Delta IV, docking, Dragon, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, Falcon Heavy boosters, Falcon reusability, Falcon surface transportation., FAR, Georgia spaceport, human rating, human spaceflight safety, hypergolic fuels, Iridium constellation, ISS, Merlin engine 1.1 upgrade, NASA, range control, SAA, Soyuz, space walks, spaceports, SpaceX Vandenberg operations, Texas spaceport
Brian Mosdell, Friday, 9-21-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1858-BWB-2012-09-21.mp3
Guest: Brian Mosdell. Topics: SpaceX Florida operations with Falcon 9, Dragon, Heavy, 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 back Brian Mosdell, Director of the SpaceX launch operations in Florida. During our one hour discussion, we talked extensively about the Falcon 9, Dragon, Heavy, the upcoming Oct 7, 2012 launch to the ISS for a cargo resupply mission, and much more. Other topics included getting ready for the Heavy, pad modifications, the Merlin engine 1.1 upgrade, launch range issues, human spaceflight safety, Congressional hearings on human spaceflight safety, and more. Listeners asked many questions by both email and the toll free phone line. Dragon life support issues were discussed along with possibly speeding up the human rating and Dragon HSF flights to the ISS. Brian said these matters were in the hands of NASA and others and then he told us the timeline they were currently working on. We talked about the Soyuz problems and delays and asked if any of this would alter the timeline for commercial crew development. We also talked about differences and preferences in contracting formats between the FAR & the SAA. Another listener asked Brian to compare and contrast his work experience on the Delta launch vehicles and now the Falcon. Don’t miss this discussion. Additional potential commercial spaceports were discussed, including possibilities in Texas and Georgia. A listener wanted to know about Falcon manufacturing facilities and how the Falcon 9 was transported to Florida. Brian broke the process down into components and said it all goes by private carrier over land to Florida or Vandenberg, mainly from California to Texas & then on to the final destination. Brian talked about the upcoming Falcon Heavy and he got several listener questions about it. Toward the end, Brian provided us with a rough schedule of planned events that we should keep our eyes on for the next year to two.
If you have comments/questions for Brian Mosdell, please post them The Space Show blog. Emails to Brian can be sent to me for forwarding.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: : John Batchelor, Commercial Crew, Dr. David Livingston, human rating Falcon 9, NASA launch vehicle human rating program, Proton, Russian launch safety issues, Russian rocket industry, Russian rockets, Soyuz, Taylor Dinerman, The John Batchelor Show "Hotel Mars
The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 9-19-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1857-BWB-2012-09-19.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, Taylor Dinerman, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: Russian rocket, safety and launch problems to 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. 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. 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 11.5 minute discussion, Mr. Dinerman addressed the problems that exist in the Russian rocket industry today causing safety concerns for Soyuz crew flights to the ISS. Taylor noted the employment, pay, retention, and maintenance issues faced by the Russians as well as the risks inherent in human spaceflight. We also talked about the possibility of speeding up the human rating for the American commercial crew companies.
If you want to email John Batchelor or Taylor Dinerman about this discussion, please send your note to me and I will forward it to the person of your choice. Please post any comments/questions you might have about this discussion on The Space Show blog.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: AIAA, Big Dumb Booster, citizen science, Commercial Crew, commercial space, Congressional space budgets, congressional space policy., Dragon, Dream Chaser, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, heavy lift, Hubble, Kepler Space Telescope, NASA budgets, Orbital, Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, sequestration, SLS, space telescopes, suborbital, Virgin Galactic
Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Tuesday, 9-18-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1856-BWB-2012-09-18.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: Commercial crew, space policy, commercial space 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 Bob Zimmerman back to the program to discuss a variety of space news topics and issues including commercial crew, commercial space, space politics, SLS, and more. For those of you familiar with Bob Zimmerman on The Space Show, you will not be disappointed by this vintage-like Zimmerman discussion. In our first segment of this slightly more than 2 hour program, we talked about the recent congressional hearings on commercial crew safety. Bob’s response to these hearings and the commercial crew safety issues won’t surprise those of you familiar with Bob on these subjects. Bob then talked about SLS and I mentioned the NASA pamphlet/booklet they gave out at the AIAA Space 2012 showing missions and objectives for SLS and more. You can download this report at
www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/voyages-report.html. Bob also talked about NASA budgets from his perspective of needing budget cuts for the country as a whole given our $16 trillion debt. Later in the segment, we talked about some of the developing & emerging companies & their vehicles, Sierra Nevada, XCOR, Virgin, and then we talked about possible new spaceports under consideration/development. Bob then took us to the subject of sequestration which is set for Jan. 1, 2013 unless the law is reversed. Bob spent considerable time telling us why these cuts are not as bad as the media and the agencies make them out to be. See if you agree with his analysis. As the segment ended, we talked about planetary science missions with NASA in the budget context along with the budget consequences of continuing SLS.
In our second segment, Bob continued talking about SLS along with heavy lift, including the proposed Falcon Heavy. Listeners began emailing and calling with comments about space politics, policy, and heavy lift as compared to smaller rockets doing the same mission. I then provided everyone with a glimpse of our planned rocket building webinar set for Oct. 28 and talked about how one costs out and plans a rocket for the mission at hand as you cannot just say heavy lift bad, smaller rockets good or something similar. I provided a quick and very simple overview of the process used in doing this type of analysis and trade study (running the numbers). If this interests you, don’t miss our Oct. 28th webinar on this entire process. We are using an interactive spreadsheet so you can design your own rocket and mission and compare it to any other rocket with known parameters. I suspect I was not completely convincing regarding heavy lift as compared to smaller lift rockets and the mission planning process but listen and see what you think about the discussion. As the discussion continued, one of the points I was making about matching the rocket to the mission seemed to get attention. Also, I made it clear this was not about bad and good. Let us know your thoughts by posting them on the blog. Later in the segment, Bob talked extensively about the private sector being preferable to the government doing things related to space. We also talked about space telescopes, Cis-lunar development and more. We concluded with Bob pointing out what is still ahead for space during the balance of the year and with the developing companies.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to email Bob, you can do so through me or through his excellent blog, Behind The Black (
http://behindtheblack.com).
