Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Friday, 3-8-13 March 9, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Cosmos TV Show, " SpaceX, "Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier, China, collaboration, culture of innovation, deep space, delusional thinking, economic growth, frontier development, fuel depots, government as advance man in space, human spaceflight, innovation nation, inspiration, JFK Rice University Speech, Mars, military threats, NASA budget, NASA space vehicles, Neil deGrasse Tyson, public/private partnerships, space contribution to GDP, space education, space exploration, space goals, space pioneering., space race, space wars, STEM
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Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Friday, 3-8-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1968-BWB-2013-03-08.mp3
Guest: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Topics: Dr. Tyson’s book, “Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier,” delusional thinking, space exploration, space economic power. 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 backed Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson to this 60 minute discussion about the new release of the paperback version of his current book, “Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier.” If you buy the book with this Amazon link, Amazon will make a contribution to The Space Show/OGLF: http://www.amazon.com/Space-Chronicles-Facing-Ultimate-Frontier/dp/0393343626/ref=onegiantlea20. The book is a collection of all of Dr. Tyson’s thoughts about the past, present, and future in space. It consists of essays, tweets, op-eds and more, plus an appendix with important documents such as the original agreement creating NASA in the late 1950s. Neil said that some of the points he made in the book were that space was expensive and that we do things in space for one of two reasons: 1. As a result of military threat or war; 2: In support of economic growth of the country. He then supported his argument with historical facts, making the point that we do not explore for the sake of exploring, that exploration is not in our DNA, that we do not go into space to inspire future generations of kids, and then he even mentioned that the famous JFK Rice University speech which he said was a lie in that weeks before in a speech before Congress, President Kennedy put forth the real reason we were going to the Moon which was to show the world a path of freedom over tyranny. Dr. Tyson documents this on p. 192 of his book by saying that “Kennedy did adopt a military posture in his speech to Congress.” Neil stressed this point during our discussion in support of the above reasons for developing. More about this speech can be found at www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfk-asks-congress-to-support-the-space-program. The actual text of the speech can be seen at www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx. Dr. Tyson also talked about the problem of delusional thinking among space enthusiasts, a theme we went back to several times during our discussion. Another point he made was about the importance of innovation and having a culture of innovation with space goals supporting the economic growth of an innovative nation. Kelly asked a question about the best way to increase NASAs budget in bipartisan support of space for STEM, inspiration, spin-offs, etc. Our guest said all of the reasons cited in Kelly’s question were irrelevant. Don’t miss what he said. We also talked about the need for infrastructure and Neil said that governments have to pave the way for the frontier and the private companies follow and economically develop it. He said the commercial companies do not and will not be able to open the space frontier with the needed infrastructure. I then depicted government as sort of an advance man in space with the privates being able to capitalize that infrastructure development for profit & national wealth. A listener asked about China, a space race, and a possible space war. Dr. Tyson also said that we should have launch vehicles that go everywhere for research and innovative reasons and we needed to shift our culture to seeing space as a long term national investment for creating wealth for the nation, far beyond the term of our elected officials. He talked about SpaceX and the need for a rich and fertile collaboration between government and the commercial companies regarding space. I asked our guest about testifying before Congress. You will want to hear what he had to say about that based on his experiences in do so. We talked about space and grass roots movements. He talked about GDP economic growth during the Apollo period and then what happened each decade after that through the current period. Jim sent in a question pointing out possible contradictions in his comments & suggested fuel depots as a way to minimize the quantity of rockets and launches. Dr Tyson said he was hardware agnostic and that in developing infrastructure and paving the way for the privates in space, fuel depots might very well be part of infrastructure but that government would be doing them, especially early on. Later, Dr. Tyson talked about our system being a political system and that it was not going to change. He used this as one of the examples of delusional thinking given many enthusiasts who don’t accept this reality & believe they can bypass or work around the political nature of our government and systems. Near the end of our discussion, he was asked about the Inspire Mars mission which he said was probably a stunt but that it might serve the purpose of showing the government that lots of people are interested in an HSF to Mars. Another listener wanted to know if the Inspire Mars mission turned out bad, would it derail human spaceflight. He did not think it would do that given other space accidents with the loss of crew.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog and I will call them to the attention of our guest.
Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12 January 1, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Neil Armstrong, " SpaceX, 3 D Printing, Arianne 5, Atlas 5, Boeing CST 100, Chinese Space Program, CubeSat, Curiosity, cyber warfare, Dragon, economics, EML2 missions, entrepreneurial space, ESA, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, Golden Spike, human spaceflight, IAC in Beijing, ISDC, ISS, ITAR modification, Japanese space program, Jesco von Puttkamer, liability laws, lunar base, Mars one, Messenger, MSL, NASA budget, NewSpace Business Plan Competition, North Korean space program, NSS, on orbit fuel depots, Planetary Resources, Reda Anderson, Russian launchers, sequestration, SLS, space capsules, Space Review for 2012, space robotics, Space Settlement Act of 1988, space settlement policy, space shuttles, Spaceport America, Stratolaunch, suborbital flights, Tom Olson, ULA, Virgin, Warp Drive, winged spacecraft, XCOR
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Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1921-BWB-2012-12-31.mp3
2012 Year End Review & Analysis for Space Development
Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: The year 2012 is reviewed from the space perspective and we look forward to space development in 2013. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. We welcomed back Tom Olson for his annual Space Show year in review analysis with a look forward to 2013 for space development. We started our discussion by remembering those in our space community that are no longer with us. We specifically mentioned three dear friends though we know that others have also left us. Our program was dedicated to Neil Armstrong, Jesco von Puttkamer, and Reda Anderson. We certainly miss our friends but space development marches on like everything else in life. A few of the early issues Tom brought up in the 2012 annual overview of space included the Falcon 9 launches and Dragon missions. He also talked about ISDC and birthing of Dragon during the keynote by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. While on the subject of SpaceX and its mission to the ISS, Paul sent in a question asking if SpaceX dropping out of the Stratolauncher project indicated that perhaps they had “bitten off more than they could chew.” Tom and I have no inside information about SpaceX and Stratolaunch but we both thought that Paul’s comment was reasonable as SpaceX is certainly busy enough with game changing projects & technology. Cubesats were discussed given their rise in popularity and importance in 2012. It seems as if their potential is more than on the rise! Cubesat growth also cuts across many diverse space industry segments and niche markets. Bev asked about the future of 3-D printing and its potential impact on future human spaceflight (HSF). 3-D printing is certainly experiencing space industry growth & there will soon be a small 3-D printer on the ISS. Heavy lift came up and much was said about the Falcon Heavy and SLS, both looking back over 2012 & forward to 2013.
In our second segment, I asked if fuel depots would evolve from the Power Point & rhetoric stage to something more tangible in 2013. We talked about depots as many of the projects announced in 2012 use depot technology to enable their plan. Tom talked about warp drive becoming more possible due to the 2012 work of Dr. Sonny White. Dr. White will be a guest on The Space Show Friday, January 4, 2013. Tom next brought up NASA budget issues & possible cuts. He talked about science mission cuts, the JWST, and on the HSF side, SLS eating up much of the budget with commercial crew still needing funding. I asked Tom how he thought space advocacy made out during 2012. Mixed was a one word summary of this discussion. Next, we talked about space settlement being made part of the U.S. space policy in 2013. Tom went over the pros & cons surrounding this effort. Doug called in about space settlement & I referred him to earlier programs with Steve Wolfe who authored the Space Settlement Act of 1988 which is part of public law. Tom said space settlement was SLS dependent & that makes the potential policy controversial to many space enthusiasts since many oppose SLS. Tom said 2012 was a good year for new commercial space grandiose missions such as Golden Spike, Planetary Resources, Mars One, a lunar base, Shackleton Energy, even EML2 missions. He kept asking the questions regarding objectives, who pays, the reasons for the missions, and more. He said most of these missions rely on some form of large launcher, either the Falcon Heavy SLS. Tom talked about ITAR reform that has been signed by both houses of Congress & is applicable to the U.S. satellite industry. Human rating of the Atlas came up for a 2012 progress report, then Dave in San Antonio inquired about cyber warfare & the space industry in 2012 & the future. 2012 marked the year the space shuttles went on display in museums & Tom talked about the Russian space program investments for modernization over the coming decade. He also talked about other national space programs. Near the end of our program, we brought up the Spaceport America liability issue & the risks facing the New Mexico spaceport. Tom updated us for 2013 on the NewSpace Business Plan Competition & his work with the Exodus Group for space business consulting.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Tom through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Dr. Roger Launius, Friday, 11-30-12 December 1, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " NASA Aeronautics Book Series, " SpaceX, "Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space, ballistic reentry, capsules, Dr. Roger Launius, Earth Science Missions, Gerard O'Neill, giggle factor, heavy lift, human spaceflight, magical thinking, Mars winged vehicles, NASA budget, NASA spinoffs, Orbital, RLVs, sequestration, SLS, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, space infrastructure, space policy, space radiation, space settlement, Space Shuttle, spaceplane fantasies, suborbital, Utopian Thinking with space, V2, winged space vehicles
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Dr. Roger Launius, Friday, 11-30-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1904-BWB-2012-11-30.mp3
Guest: Dr. Roger Launius. Topics: “Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space” by Dr. Launius, space policy issues, magical thinking. 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 Dr. Roger Launius back to the program to discuss his latest book, “Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space” which is a free download at www.nasa.gov/pdf/695726main_ComingHome-ebook.pdf. During our first segment, our guest provided us with a short history of resolving challenges with reentry from space with human spaceflight. We discussed winged vehicles and capsules from a historical, practical, and engineering perspective. We also talked about DOD influence and the advantages as well as disadvantages of both types of space vehicles. One listener question asked about winged vehicles evolving from suborbital to orbital HSF. Terry called in with ballistic reentry questions about the V2 rocket & we mentioned museum locations where people can see a complete V2 on display. Another listener wanted to know if there were any winged vehicle concepts for Mars. Here, our guest talked about some science fiction examples but nothing for real on the drawing board. Our guest then introduced us to magical thinking and we talked about reality in space exploration as compared to fantasy. As this segment was ending, we talked about RLVs and reentry issues.
In our second segment, we started off talking about the NASA budget and the potential impact of sequestration. Our guest said human spaceflight is the biggest challenge and in fact at one point he said we were just one banana peel away from losing HSF! This was in the context of access to the ISS with only the Soyuz and how fragile the access was until we had multiple ways of getting to the station. We then discussed risk and some of the issues raised on this subject by other Space Show guests that believe we need more risk to advance human spaceflight. Risk was also discussed in the context of hypothetical ISS recue missions with HSF vehicles not yet ready for prime time. We also talked about the value and purpose of HSF, including should settlement really be the purpose of it. We had a lengthy discussion on this subject. Both Roger and I suggested the purpose of HSF is a challenge, can be illusive, and is probably something larger and broader than space settlement. Don’t miss his explanation behind his thinking. We also talked about spinoffs as a reason for HSF, the we addressed the lack of needed infrastructure, radiation issues, etc. Toward the end, we took some questions about SLS and heavy lift. Jane asked our guest about the visitors to the Air and SpaceMuseum at the Smithsonian & if Roger could infer an increase or decline in the interest in space by the visitors or if the visitors had an awareness of the challenges facing NASA and HSF.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Dr. Launius through me.
Josh Hopkins, Friday, 11-2-12 November 3, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Aitken Crater Impact Basin, asteroids, Earth-Moon L2, human spaceflight, inner solar system, INSITU Resource Development, international cooperation, ISS telerobotic demos., Josh Hopkins, latency issues, Lockheed Martin, lunar far side radio telescope, Lunar farside, lunar sample return, lunar tourism, NASA budget, NASA science mission competition, orbiting radio telescope, Orion, outer solar system, SLS, space exploration architect, Stepping Stones, telerobotic rover
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Josh Hopkins, Friday, 11-2-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1886-BWB-2012-11-02.mp3
Brent Sherwood, Tuesday, 7-24-12 July 25, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, Apollo Program, Bigelow Aerospace, Brent Sherwood, Elon Musk, Explore Mars, Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX), human spaceflight (HSF), insitu resource usage, Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), life on Mars, lunar settlement, Mars settlement, Mars technology challenges, Martian sample return mission., NASA, NASA budget, NASA goals, Near Earth Objects (NEO), Planetary Defense, rare Earth elements, space habitation, Space Solar Power (SSP), space tourism, space vision, U.S. economy, value proposition
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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?
Open Lines, Sunday, 7-1-12 July 1, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, Air, and Space Law, Apollo 12 Precision Lunar Landing, Ares I, Commercial Crew, Constellation, Cots, Dragon, Falcon 9. , human spaceflight, human spaceflight infrastructure, International Space University (ISU) Summer Session, ISU Space and Media Panel., Kennedy Space Center, N-Prize, NASA, NASA budget, NASA legacy, NASA Nanosat Challenge, National Center for Remote Sensing, Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston, SLS, Space Shuttle Endeavour
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Open Lines, Sunday, 7-1-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1805-BWB-2012-07-01.mp3
Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: A wide range of space related topics over a 2.5 hour Space Show program. 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. Our initial discussion topic during our hour long first segment was with Charles Pooley who called in to talk about the NASA Nanosat Challenge and the website, http://challenge.gov/NASA/49-nano-satellite-launch-challenge. Charles was hoping listeners might have more information about this program. If you do, please post your comments on the blog. We also talked about the N-Prize and Charles described the basics of this program. Peter Platzer of Do It Yourself Space called in from Mtn. View, CA to talk about Do It Yourself Space, Nanosatisfi and their Kickstarter project. Websites to visit to learn more about what Peter shared with us include http://diyinspace.com and www.nanosatisfi.com. If you want to contact Peter about this project, you can email him at peter@nanosatisfi.com. As you will hear, this is an innovative build your own satellite venture designed to engage everyone in space activities. Our next caller was Frank Van Rensselaer, author of the recent Space News op-ed, What Will Be This Administration’s Legacy for NASA?, http://spacenews.com/commentaries/120618-administration-legacy-nasa.html. Frank talked about the NASA legacy, I tied in my KSC tour and what I saw in terms of the take down of so much of our HSF infrastructure, the shuttles, etc. I asked Frank about NASA budget and funding issues, the role of Congress, OMB and the OSTP. We also talked about commercial space, its importance moving forward for the future and robust civil and commercial space programs. I questioned Frank on differing views as to what our space policy should be, including perspectives contrary to his own. I believe this is a most interesting 20 plus minute conversation.
In the second segment, we led off with a call from John in Atlanta who talked about SLS as a placeholder program, the ISS, Commercial Crew, and human rating the Delta and possibly the Atlas. After John’s call, Kelly called in to talk about SpaceX from his perspective which is different than the perspective most of us have regarding SpaceX, the Falcon 9 and Dragon. See what you think of what Kelly had to say and post your comments on The Space Show blog. I’m sure many of you will want to challenge or disagree with Kelly. Have at it but please, keep it civil. While Kelly was talking, Jim sent in an email saying “Wow! Kelly seems to be living in a different dimension than the rest of us. I wonder what Kelly thinks about the Falcon Heavy?” Later, Terry emailed us about Sen. Hutchinson, her retirement, and the SLS. He also asked about the possibility of life for the ISS after 2020. Toward the end of the program, Terry called to address his concerns. Since we talked about economic issues and good programs being cut when an economy is weak, I read a sad announcement about the funding & program cancellation for the outstanding Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law at Ole Miss Law School. I hope to address the quality of this excellent Center in a future Space Show program. As the show ended, I went over the upcoming week’s schedule and that I would be discussing my Florida Space Coast trip in some detail on this week’s Friday morning program.
If you have comments/questions, post them on the blog. If you want to email one of the callers, send your note to me and I will forward it to the person of your choice.
