John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13 May 16, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: : John Batchelor, Ammonia cooling loop, Atlas 5, Falcon 9. , GPS, ISS, John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Kepler Space Telescope, ULA, William Harwood
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2009-BWB-2013-05-15.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, William Harwood, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: ISS ammonia repair, Kepler Space Telescope problems, GPS, Atlas 5, Falcon 9, NASA mood. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce. This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com.
During our 11 minute plus discussion with William (Bill) Harwood, CBS space news space reporter at the Cape, we discussed the recent ISS problems with the ammonia cooling loop and the space walk repairs, the new problems with the Kepler Space Telescope which may suggest an ending of this marvelous planet finding tool, and the ULA Atlas 5 GPS launch. I also asked Bill to compare an Atlas 5 launch to a Falcon 9 launch. As our discussion was ending, John asked Bill if he thought NASA was becoming more accepting of private space and commercial crew efforts. Bill talked about this for a few minutes, summarizing with his take of the NASA mood as a result of challenges facing the organization.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 11-28-12 November 29, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " James Bond, : John Batchelor, Clara Moskowitz, Dr. David Livingston, GPS, human spaceflight, Moonraker, NASA, satellite technology., spies, The John Batchelor Show "Hotel Mars
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The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 11-28-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1903-BWB-2012-11-28.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, Clara Moskowitz, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: James Bond movies and NASA history. 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, Clara Moskowitz, science writer and editor at Live Science and Space.com, wrote an excellent article on the relationship of James Bond movies relative to the history of NASA with both human spaceflight as well as science missions. You can read her excellent article at www.space.com/18394-james-bond-space-movies-50-years.html. During our Hotel Mars segment, John wanted to know if government agents were pork and old fashioned in a way similar to NASA/civil space programs. Moonraker was discussed (for obvious reasons) plus we took a look at how Bond films evolved from the early days of Mercury with Dr. No to the latest movie, Skyfall, which uses advanced satellite and GPS technology as a natural part of our society and culture. We noted how the Bond space component evolution in many ways mirrors the reality with our space program. We also speculated that there might be a future James Bond on a Virgin Galactic SS2 space vehicle or a Dragon and become part of the commercial space movement.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can contact Mr. Batchelor or Clara Moskowitz through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Friday, 8-24-12 August 24, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: age & science research, Apollo, Apollo mission polar orbit, Apollo university research projects, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, asteroids, astronaut training, bi-static radar, Cis-lunar economic development, climate change, cubesats, Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Earth imaging, Earth movement, Egyptian geology, GPS, ISS, lunar exploration, lunar ice, Lunar Landing Site Selection, lunar orbiter, lunar titanium, Mars analog desert research, Moon rocks, NanoSats, NASA risk averseness, Remote Sensing, Sahara Desert, sand-buried rivers and streams, Sea of Tranquility, Star Trek shuttle craft., UN space treaties
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Dr. Farouk El-Baz, Friday, 8-24-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1839-BWB-2012-08-24.mp3
Guest: Dr. Farouk El-Baz. Topics: Apollo lunar landing site selection, lunar geology, Mars-desert analogs and more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Dr. Farouk El-Baz to The Space Show. Please visit his website for lots more information on the topics we discussed, lots of great pictures, plus many additional important topics, www.faroudelbaz.com. We started our discussion with Dr. El-Baz having a Star Trek shuttle craft named in his honor. Its a great story you will enjoy hearing. From Star Trek, we got down to business and wanted to know about the Apollo lunar landing site selection process. Dr. El-Baz told us how they did it, especially given the absence of any real information about the lunar geology and surface. Three of the concerns he mentioned included the site being free of rocks, absolutely flat, and making sure the Lunar Lander would not sink in the lunar dust. What’s more, Dr. El-Baz was 29 years old when he was in charge of doing this. As you will hear, age is an important part of this discussion in the second segment near the end of the program. I did ask Dr. El-Baz about selecting sites using Egyptian mythology as conspiracy theories suggest, plus his response to those who do not believe we ever went to the Moon. With the latter point, he had much to say about Moon rocks as proof of our lunar visits. His comments on Orion and mythology were very interesting. Another question asked him dealt with the shutting down of the program. NASA risk averseness was the top reason. Nels asked many questions about a possible Apollo polar orbit and lunar ice. Our guest had much to say about this, the sun angles needed for landing, lighting, and more. As we moved to lunar commerce, our guest talked about mining titanium and HE3 but not at this time. I asked Dr. El-Baz about the Apollo-Soyuz Test Flight (ASTF) and working with the Soviets, then we returned to the plausibility of lunar commerce at this time.
As we started the second segment, we talked about commercial ROI opportunities for cargo to the ISS by the private companies but he suggested everything else was more distant and would probably need testing & seeding by the government. I then asked him about his work studying deserts and using Earth deserts as analogs for studying Mars. Dr. El-Baz had much to say about deserts, Mars, about their formation by rivers that had dried up & were buried under sand and how they know that. We talked about Earth movement, especially the SaharaDesert, and the impact of natural geological events on climate change. Imaging satellites were discussed & I asked our guest if we would have been able to have today’s knowledge were it not for the space program. Don’t miss his fascinating answer. At another point in our discussion, Dr. El-Baz mentioned 126 separate university research projects during Apollo. The last listener question asked our guest about the extremely young age of the Apollo scientific & work force. Dr. El-Baz had much to say about this, said that the work could only have been done by people in their 20′s and 30′s. He said the older folks need to step aside and let the young people go forward, make the mistakes & solve the problems. In the end, age made a huge difference for the good of the Apollo program. Our guest also commented on our present day aging space & technology workforce.
Please post your comments/questions on the blog. If you want to email Dr. El-Baz, send your note to me & I will forward it to him.
Space Show-SWF Webinar, On-Orbit Satellite Servicing, Sunday, 8-19-12 August 20, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: ATK Spacecraft Systems & Services, Brian Weeden, Curiosity, Darpa Phoenix Satellite Servicing, Falcon 9. , GEO, government satellites, GPS, human on-orbit servicing, Intelsat, Jr., Kickstarter., launch costs, launch state liability issues, launch vehicle insurance, LEO, Maj. General USAF (Retired) James B. Armor, NASA Restore Mission., on-orbit satellite servicing, Richard DalBello, satellite rendezvous & docking, Secure World Foundation, selling satellites, space debris, space salvage issues, space situational awareness, STEM education, Vivisat
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Space Show-SWF Webinar, On-Orbit Satellite Servicing, Sunday, 8-19-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1836-BWB-2012-08-19.mp3
https://vimeo.com/channels/thespaceshow – Webinar Video
Guests: Brian Weeden, Richard DalBello, Major General, USAF (Retired) James B. Armor, Jr.. This is a SWF sponsored webinar addressing issues related to the on-orbit servicing of satellites. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be relevant & applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A TWO HOUR WEBINAR PRODUCTION SPONSORED BY THE SECURE WORLD FOUNDATION (SWF). YOU CAN VIEW THIS WEBINAR AT https://vimeo.com/channels/thespaceshow. We welcomed Brian Weeden, Richard DalBello, & Major General, USAF (Retired) James B. Armor, Jr. to the program for an in-depth discussion of on-orbit satellite servicing. This is a new business/industry that is emerging with great interest from governments, the satellite industry, & many other interested parties. During our first webinar hour, our guests explained satellite on-orbit servicing, why the interest in it, the values on the table, & the economics behind this developing industry. We heard from the perspective of the satellite operator with Mr. DalBello, from General Armor with the perspective of a company wanting to provide these services plus what they are commercially doing now in this emerging industry. Gen. Armor talked about the new ATK venture for satellite repair, Vivisat (www.vivisat.com). He was followed by Mr. Weeden who connected the dots with us regarding the big picture implications for security, stability, & policy. We talked about liability issues, insurance, & LEO & GEO satellites in terms of their respective economic value & lifespan. A listener asked about GPS satellites, launch costs, & competition here & abroad. In fact, Brian mentioned several projects outside the US with the Canadians, Germans, & JAXA. Toward the end of the first hour, caller Jack asked about testing & reliability, wondering if repairing satellites would reduce reliability engineering & testing on the ground, thus lowering the satellite’s cost given the possibility of on-orbit repair. Ben followed asking if satellites having a longer life would be sold, comparing this potential to selling real estate once a property has been fully depreciated.
In our webinar second hour, Brian described the DARPA Phoenix Satellite Service project, http://www.darpa.mil/our_work/tto/programs/phoenix.aspx. The issue of satellite abandonment came up & as you will hear, there is no way to abandon any object in space. Another issue in this segment was space situational awareness (SSA). We talked about SSA in LEO, with the new entrepreneurial small satellite companies doing LEO ventures, & the implication of this new industry for launching to & operating in GEO. Later in this segment, we learned that there was no commercial incentive to address the space debris issue. Don’t miss the analysis behind this statement as its important in understanding the space debris issue. A listener asked Richard about launch vehicle insurance & premiums, specifically for the Falcon 9. Also in this segment we talked about the NASA satellite servicing mission, the Restore Mission (http://ssco.gsfc.nasa.gov/robotic_servicing_mission.html). As our webinar drew to a close, we addressed the importance of a STEM education for our young students & the exciting space projects that today’s students will get to do in their careers. Everyone’s closing comments reflected the future orientation & focus for this evolving industry.
Please post your comments/questions on the blog. If you want to email our guests, send your note to me & I will forward it for you.
Dr. Friedmann Freund & Brian Shiro, Tuesday, 6-5-12 June 6, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: animal behavior and earthquakes, biological anomalies prior to earthquakes, Brian Shiro, crystallography, crystals, Dr. Friedmann Freund, earthquake forecasting, earthquakes, EarthScope Project, geophysical measurements, GPS, infrared emissions, Ion currents and earthquakes, ionized air, ionosphere, Mars quakes, mesospheric lightening, Meteor satellites, Moon quakes, NASA Ames Research Center, NOAH, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, peer review, plate tectonics, QuakeFinder, research funding issues, seismic waves, space biomedical research, space resources, sun and seismic activity, sun's heliosphere, T-waves, tectonic stresses, traditional seismic analysis & research, Traveling ionospheric disturbances., Ultra Low Frequency (ULF), USGS Parkfield Earthquake Experiment
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Dr. Friedmann Freund & Brian Shiro, Tuesday, 6-5-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1788-BWB-2012-06-05.mp3
Guests: Dr. Friedmann Freund, Brian Shiro. Topics: Earthquake forecasting & space resources. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be relevant & applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Dr. Friedmann Freund & the return of Brian Shiro to the program to discuss earthquake forecasting & analysis using space based resources. During our first segment, Dr. Freund & Mr. Shiro outlined the basis of their research & we talked about the use of both terrestrial & space based tools to aid the process. We talked about satellite detection of the Ion currents & changes in the ionosphere & how this data is correlated with terrestrial data. We talked about the direction earthquake prediction was heading & were told why the use of “prediction” was not preferable. Instead, the more accurate & useful term is forecasting. Also mentioned was a private company with a series of ground stations, QuakeFinder (www.quakefinder.com). Our guest talked about how this private sector commercial data gets integrated into the public sector data base & why their information is both valuable & important. Questions were asked about the importance of the ionosphere but we also learned that the currents & waves start deep in the Earth, work their way to the surface & then can be detected as they move upward through the various atmospheric layers to the ionosphere. Our guests explained how our space resources actually track & monitor this information. Another point made was that we do not have real time information in advance of an event though if we had swarms of satellites or a satellite network designed to monitor areas 24/7, we would be able to be present with “eyes” before & when an event happened. Funding issues were discussed & we heard that much of the research discussed on our program is considered “out of the box” & difficult to fund by the traditional process along with getting projects peer reviewed. I asked about the potential of the philanthropic model for this research as it has come up on several Space Show programs. Our guests had much to say about this potential source of funding.
In our second segment, we talked about progress being made between traditional geophysical researchers & those doing the out of the box work such as our guests. As it turns out, there is progress on this front & Dr. Freund updated us on it. We switched to the suborbital field as I met Dr. Freund at the recently held suborbital conference & our discussions over lunch formed the basis for this program. There does appear to be sufficient commercial suborbital research opportunities with this developing seismic research field. Next, we talked about animal behavior for earthquake forecasting & both our guests told us anecdotal stories. We learned how Dr. Freund is correlating animal behavior earthquake research with the scientific research. Toward the end of the program, Emma in NYC who asked several questions, wanted to know about Mars quakes & Moon quakes. Our guests talked about earthquake research throughout the solar system & what we know & don’t know. We learned that there are no geophysical research instruments providing direct information to us from Mars or anywhere in space because of the high cost of the hardware, the quantity of research tools needed, & the complex & costly operating expenses. Other discussion topics included the possibility of mitigating an earthquake, various research projects such as the USGS Parkfield Earthquake Experiment & the EarthScope Project. Please post your comments/questions on the blog.
If you want to email either of our guests, do so through me & I will forward your note.
