Michael Paul, Penn St. Lunar Lion, Monday, 3-25-13 March 26, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Mercury, " SpaceX, : Michael Paul, Curiosity, frugal space design, GLXP education outreach, GLXP film documentation, Google Lunar X-Prize, JWST, lunar communications, lunar hopper, lunar landing sites, Lunar Lion, lunar mission, Messenger, NASA, oversight & review., Penn State, sample return, secondary payloads
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Michael Paul, Penn St. Lunar Lion, Monday, 3-25-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1980-BWB-2013-03-25.mp3
Guest: Michael Paul. Topics: The Penn State Google Lunar X Prize entry, the Lunar Lion. 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 Michael Paul to the program, the leader of the Penn State Google Lunar X Prize team, the Lunar Lion. For more information, visit their team website, http://lunarlion.psu.edu. Michael brings to the table his experience with NASA and the Applied Physics Lab at John Hopkins as he was the spacecraft systems engineer for the NASA Messenger mission. During the first segment of our 95 minute program, Michael talked about the Lunar Lion project. We discussed launch contracts and vehicles, secondary payloads, landing sites, hoppers as opposed to rovers, and what happens to the hardware at the end of the mission. We talked about the Penn State students working on the project and listeners and I asked questions about his experiences on Messenger being applied to a GLXP project. The listeners seemed to think this was a step or two down but listen to how Michael explained lessons learned and applications to the Lunar Lion project. We also talked about funding for their project and that if they win, the money goes to Penn State to endow further space related research and students. We also had a treat in the first segment in that Michael’s 10 year old son was with him. We invited him to the program and it appears we may have a future space guru in the making!
In the second segment, we talked about space education and general audience space enthusiasm and awareness given Michael’s public talks. He had some interesting comments and experiences to share with us. We also talked about potential regulations adversely impacting their mission, sample returns, lunar activities and such. Charles called to talk about up and downstream communications and the use of lasers. Spacecraft quality control was another issue along with the development of commercial tools for a much broader application than the Penn State GLXP entry. He also mentioned efficiency in spacecraft design and management but used the term, “a frugal approach.” He explained the difference between frugal and efficiency in terms of spacecraft design & management. As our program ended, we talked about thermal protection, radiation hardening, film and space subjects and topics. Our final topic was oversight and 3rd party eyes on their project for review & quality control.
Post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email our guest through the Lunar Lion website or derspace@thespaceshow.com.
Yonatan Winetraub, SpaceIL, Thursday, 3-7-13 March 7, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: AIPAC, Google Lunar X-Prize, Israeli ITAR, ITAR, launch contract, lunar hopper, lunar lander, Odyssey Moon., propulsion issues for secondary payload, secondary payload, space education outreach, SpaceIL, STEM in Israel, Technion University, Yonatan Winetraub
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Yonatan Winetraub, SpaceIL, Thursday, 3-7-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1966-BWB-2013-03-07.mp3
Guest: Yonatan Winetraub. Topics: SpaceIL Google Lunar X-Prize, secondary payload launches. 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 Yonatan Winetraub as our guest to discuss SpaceIL, Israel’s Google Lunar X-Prize entry. Mr. Winetraub founded SpaceIL through an interesting set of experiences and conversations at a local Israeli establishment. He tells us this interesting story as we begin our one hour discussion. At age 26, Yonatan proves that much can be done with passion, commitment, education, volunteers, and local industry support. During our discussion, Yonatan told us about the SpaceIL plans, the lunar hopper that they will land on the Moon, and their process in procuring a secondary launch contract for the launch capable of putting their lander on a trajectory to the Moon and landing in time to win the Google Lunar X-Prize contest. One issue we discussed in detail was the fact that their secondary payload would have propulsion on board making it challenging to be approved as a secondary payload by the primary payload on the launcher. In fact, Charles both emailed and called at the end of the program to raise the propellant issue for secondary payloads. SpaceIL as a nonprofit, is also engaged in STEM and education outreach in Israel and this too was a significant part of our discussion. Yonatan got questions about commercial space and space attitudes in Israel and the treatment of their venture by the Israeli general public and press, both in Israel and internationally. The Google Lunar X-Prize competition was discussed as well as their funding and plans for after the contest ends. Given that SpaceIL is consulting with American companies, we talked about our ITAR laws as well as the Israeli ITAR laws and regulations. The SpaceIL website is www.spaceil.com and I urge you to follow along on the site while listening to this discussion.
If you have comments/questions for Yonatan Winetraub, please post them on the blog and I will call them to his attention. You can also email him through drspace@thespaceshow.com. We will certainly be talking with Yonatan again as they progress in the competition.
Randa & Rod Milliron with Olav Zipser, Sunday, 5-13-12 May 14, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Common Propulsion Module, CubeSat PS Kit, emergency crew escape from high altitude/space., FreeFly Astronaut Program, Google Lunar X-Prize, Interorbital Systems, ITAR, N36 Module, N5 Module, Neptune modular rocket, ocean rocket launch, Olav Zipser, orbital launch, Randa Milliron, Rod Milliron, skydiving, space suits, space tourism, suborbital launch, Synergy Moon, TubeSat PS Kit, turpentine/furfuryl alcohol, white fuming nitric acid
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Randa & Rod Milliron with Olav Zipser, Sunday, 5-13-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1773-BWB-2012-05-13.mp3
Guests: Randa and Rod Milliron; Olav Zipser. Topics: Interorbital Systems update, Olav Zipser & freeflying rocket ejection. 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 Randa and Rod Milliron for updates with their company, Interorbital Systems (IOS). Visit their website at http://interorbital.com. During our first hour long segment, our guests provided us with a current overview of IOS, their rockets and their static and flight testing upcoming program. We talked about their sea launch plans, their rocket fuel which is white fuming nitric acid with turpentine/furfuryl alcohol, and their TubeSat and newly added CubeSat personal satellite kits available on their website. We learned more about their modular rocket plans along with both suborbital and orbital plans for the company. Listeners asked lots of questions about their modular rocket system, ocean launch, their choice of fuel, and the high altitude jump from their rocket planned by Olav Zipser. In the last segment of the program, Olav joined us for a detailed discussion about his plans so more about that later in this summary. We talked about the personal satellite kits and I asked if they were user friendly in terms of building them. As we learned, they do require expertise and thus are a terrific learning tool for students as well as others, crossing over many disciplines from soldering to software programming. If you or a group are interested in these kits, contact Randa/Rod for more information through their website. Some listeners asked our guests technical questions about their guidance system plans and their rocket pressure fed system.
In the second segment, Olav Zipser joined us. For more information about Olav and his freeflying astronaut program which he created, visit his website at www.freeflyastronaut.com. His freeflying program which he invented for skydiving allows him to use his body as a type of “lifting body” (he cannot go up) in that he can change his positions, movements, angles, etc. to actually “fly” during his skydive. For jumping from the IOS rocket at about 40 KM (25 miles), he intends to practice the jumps from various altitudes working up to his main jump altitude in which he hopes to break the record set by Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger decades ago. Olav fielded several questions about how he intended to exit from the rocket, stabilize himself against spin, handle human supersonic flight including going into and out of supersonic flight. Olav had much to say about the need for a custom designed space suit to allow him to safely do his jump. He also explained why he was working with the Russians on this space suit design. As you will hear, flexibility is crucial to the type of space suit he requires for this jump. At the end of our discussion, Olav said that his suit design and what he learns from his jump should allow a safe emergency crew exit even for an unconscious person, giving the person a fighting chance for survival. Our program ended with a brief summary of thoughts offered by Randa and Ron, their plans to attend the CubeSat workshop which is part of SmallSat each year, plus they left us with a worthy closing statement you will want to hear.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.
Henry Vanderbilt, Thursday, 3-22-12 March 23, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " space politics, Beyond Low Earth Orbit, commercial space, FAA AST, Google Lunar X-Prize, Henry Vanderbilt, IPO, ISS, low cost space access, Mars, Moon, NASA budget, NASA Chief Technology Office, orbital fuel depots, Orion, Space Access Society, space advocacy, space entrepreneurs, Space Launch System, space policy, space tourism, suborbital research
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Henry Vanderbilt, Thursday, 3-22-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1740-BWB-2012-03-22.mp3
Guest: Henry Vanderbilt. Topics: Space Access Society Conference, Phoenix, ArizonaApril 12-14, 2012. 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 Henry Vanderbilt to the program to discuss the upcoming Space Access Society Conference, April 12-14, 2012 to be held at the Grace Inn in Phoenix, Arizona. For the conference agenda, registration and full hotel information, visit www.space-access.org. During the first part of our initial segment, Henry provided us with an historical overview of not only the development and evolution of the Space Access Society meetings and conference, but also his own personal work in the space arena leading up to his excellent space activism of today which focuses on the space transportation issue. This is a comprehensive look at activities that have brought space exploration and development to today since about 1986. While Henry has been a frequent Space Show guest, this is perhaps the most detailed look we have had from him regarding his space evolution and the rise in importance of the Space Access Society (SAS). Later in this nearly hour long segment and until our break, Henry highlighted many of the speakers that will be at the conference. You can see the full list and the three day agenda at www.space-access.org/updates/sa12info.html.
In our second segment, we talked about more of the speakers but mainly focused on those that would address policy and budget issues as not all of the SAS speakers are on the business/entrepreneurial side of space development. Some of the highlights included the NASA Chief Technology Office, ULA, policies for going beyond LEO, and advocacy on issues supported by SAS. As part of this discussion, we talked about SLS, ISS, Space X, depots, and budgetary pressures on NASA and key members of congress.
If you have comments/questions, please post them on The Space Show blog URL. If you have questions for Henry about SAS, you can email him at space.access@space-access.org.
Michael Listner, Monday, 1-2-12 January 2, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: arbitration agreements, Article 9 of the Outer Space Treaty, Austrian domestic space law, benefit sharing, careers in space law, Chinese space policy, DOD space, Draft Treaty On The Prevention Of The Placement Of Weapons In Outer Space, ESA, European Code of Conduct For Outer Space Activities, FAA, Google Lunar X-Prize, Indian space policy, international treaties, ISS, launching country, Liability Convention, lunar artifacts, lunar mineral extraction, Michael Listner, Moon Treaty, NASA, New Space, Outer Space Treaty, Registration Convention, rogue nations, SLS, space law, space property rights, space weapons, The Space Review, The Threat Or Use Of Force Against Outer Space Objects (PPWT)., Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures (TCBMs), United Nations space treaties, voluntary agreement
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Michael Listner, Monday, 1-2-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1681-BWB-2012-01-02.mp3
Guest: Michael Listner. Topics: National and international space law issues including property rights, the Moon Treaty & 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 Michael Listner to the program to discuss national and international space law issues and related matters. We started out discussing the new Austrian domestic space law and inquiring of our guest why we should take note of this Austrian law here in the U.S. As you will hear from Mr. Listner, the new Austrian law relates specifically to the UN space treaties and plays a role in international space law. Our guest wrote a recent article on this subject in The Space Review on Dec. 12, 2011. You can read his article at www.thespacereview.com/article/1988/1. Another interesting article of his you might value is in DefensePolicy.org from July 7, 2011 and titled “TCBMs: A New Definition and New Role for Outer Space Security.” You can download it at www.defensepolicy.org/2011/michlis/tcbms-a-new-definition-and-new-role-for-outer-space-security. Our discussion then focused on launching country issues and liability, satellite operations in different countries and both the Liability and the Registration U.N. Conventions. This discussion led us to talking about the European Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities and Michael updated us on the status of this voluntary agreement, both on the international front as well as here in the U.S. Other issues discussed in this segment included space debris and the Draft Russian Chinese Treaty On The Prevention Of The Placement Of Weapons In Outer Space (PPWT). We also talked about the Chinese GPS system covering Asia, its military focus, and Chinese geo political intersects. Michael then introduced us to Transparency and Confidence Building Measures (TCBMs) as alternatives to treaties. This prompted several listener questions and comments about “so called” government transparency, the word of governments, and their effectiveness so far. This was an interesting discussion, especially when I asked our guest for his personal opinion on these types of agreements. Space tourism became a subject and we spent some time on the liability issues and the states that have passed liability protection laws for the space companies. Jack from Virginia was listening and provided us with important information about the Virginia law which he largely authored and which has become a model for the laws in Florida, Texas, and New Mexico. We spent the rest of the first segment talking about liability and space tourism issues. In the second segment, Helen asked if funding levels for NASA and space interests correlated to up’s and downs in space policy. As you will hear, most policy is driven by politics, not funding levels. There were lots of questions about the legality of the Moon Treaty and its applicability to commercial space, even Google Lunar X Prize contestants. We fielded questions on lunar mineral extractions as well as messing with Apollo artifacts on the Moon. We then jumped over to property rights and what this actually means regarding space issues. As we were nearing the end of our discussion, I asked Michael if space law was largely an academic field or if it was becoming a career choice field in terms of practical application. He said it was becoming more and more practical and more and more schools were offering commercial law classes. If you have comments or questions for Michael Listner, please post them on the blog URL above.
Josh Neubert, Friday, 12-16-11 December 16, 2011
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: : Josh Neubert, battery storage, daylight/darkness cycle on the Moon, educational innovation, educational outreach, energy storage technology, entrepreneurs, Google Lunar X-Prize, NASA Ames, NASA budget, NASA Centennial Challenge, national and global economic impact, Night Rover Challenge, Silicon Valley, solar power, system designs for space operations, technology development. Team work.
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Josh Neubert, Friday, 12-16-11
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1673-BWB-2011-12-16.mp3
Guest: Josh Neubert. Topics: Night Rover Challenge, NASA Centennial Challenges, educational outreach. 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. The Space Show/OGLF is now engaged in its annual fundraising drive. Please see & act upon our appeal at http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/space-show-2011-fundraising-campaign. We welcomed Josh Neubert back to the program to discuss the NASA Centennial Challenge, The Night Rover Challenge. Please visit these websites for more information and email alerts: www.nightrover.org and www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/centennial_challenges/night_rover/index.html. This was a one hour discussion without a break. Josh started out by describing the Night Rover Challenge which is to develop mobile systems to collect solar energy, store that energy, and later use it productively. The innovation will consolidate in a contest for simulated lunar rovers maximizing energy to run for two weeks day and night and survive the cold lunar night. Josh told us about the Challenge time line and the sole focus on solar power and storage. As you will hear, the prize is $1.5 million with first, second, and third place winners. Terry asked technical questions about the potential battery packs and the maximum size of the rovers. We learned that the biggest size would probably be in the range of the Curiosity rover on the way to Mars with a much smaller size on the other end of the measurements. Michael asked if the power sources would be required to meet the legal standards required under international law to preserve the environment of outer space in regards to potential hazardous materials that may contaminate the outer space environment. Josh said yes, those standards would be part of the requirements for the competition. Several listeners asked if non-U.S. citizens could participate in the Challenge and if there were ITAR considerations. We learned that non-U.S. citizens could participate but were not eligible to win the prize money. I asked who was most likely to participate in the challenge. Josh suggested students of all ages and grades, plus the do it yourself community, entrepreneurs, smaller businesses, etc. We also talked about sponsorship opportunities as NASA does not cover operating expenses. Another listener asked about the use of social media for the Night Rover outreach program. As you will hear, this Challenge will make use of both social media and collaboration in getting the message out and participants in the challenge. Near the end of the program, we discussed the proximity ofSilicon Valley, NASA Ames, and the significance of these communities to all the contestants involved in the challenge. Josh closed by stressing how this program inspires, excites, and jump starts the best and the brightest to innovate, be creative, and to produce! If you have questions about the Night Rover Challenge, there is a contact link on their website. Please post your Space Show comments/questions on the blog URL above.
