Hu Davis and William (Bill) Ketchum, Sunday, 5-5-13 May 5, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: cryogenic propellant transfer, Falcon Heavy, GEO, Hu Davis, ISS, KIBO Japanese ISS Module, LEO, NASA, nuclear propulsion, orbital refueling, public opinion, Return to the Moon, reusable launch vehicles, SLS, space education, space infrastructure, space policy, space policy advisors, Space Shuttle, space solar power, SRBs, SSP economics, SSP engineering, U.S. congress, U.S. space leadership, William (Bill) Ketchum
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Hu Davis and William (Bill) Ketchum, Sunday, 5-5-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2002-BWB-2013-05-05.mp3
Guests: Hu Davis & William (Bill) Ketchum. Topics: Space infrastructure, SSP, SLS, Falcon Heavy, reusability, space policy and U.S. space leadership. 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 Hu Davis and Bill Ketchum to the program to discuss the need for space infrastructure development, SSP, and a space leadership policy by the United States. In the first segment of our 91 minute program, we talked about the need for space infrastructure development, reusable rockets, and space solar power. Our guest Hu Davis has a Power Point presentation on SSP that will be uploaded to The Space Show blog summary so don’t forget to check it out on the blog. I will also upload to the blog Bill Ketchum’s pdf paper, “What Will America Do In Space Now?” We discussed the history of various space infrastructure studies and efforts and the same for SSP studies, pointing out how new technologies, engineering methodologies, and sophisticated manufacturing have made many projects cost effective today when that was not the case years ago. Our guests fielded several questions from listeners about the SSP business case, reusability and the SLS compared to the Falcon Heavy. Doug asked about the use of in space resources & our guests suggested that for SSP for example, using in space resources could account for 90% SSP components. Questions were asked about the land cost and the use of rectennas.
In our second segment, we talked about nuclear propulsion and tax/economic subsidies to our current terrestrial energy industry which make it harder to develop SSP. We talked about the problem and the lack of viability for SLS. Questions came in regarding on orbit propellant transfer and cryogenic transfer development. As our program was ending, our guests talked about space education outreach, persuading congressional leaders and the public to support space infrastructure development, SSP , and more.
Please post your comments/questions for our guests on The Space Show blog and I will make sure they know about them. You can email either of our guests through me at Drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13 April 2, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Saturn V, " SpaceX, Areas 5, Ares 1, Atlas 5, Bigelow, boosters, chemical propulsion, commercial space, Constellation, cubesats, Delta 4, electric propulsion, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, fuel depots, GEO orbital satellites, Golden Spike, high speed rail, human spaceflight, hybrid rocket engines, Inspiration Mars, international space venture cooperation, liquid rocket engines, lunar space elevator., NACA, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NewSpace, North Korean rockets, nuclear propulsion, public/private partnerships, Robert Sackheim, robotic missions, rocket propulsion, Russian rocket engines, satellite propulsion, SLS, solid rocket boosters, space advocacy, Space Shuttle, space tourism, spaceports, SSP, TRW Corp.
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Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1986-BWB-2013-04-01.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Sackheim. Topics: Commercial space, propulsion, U.S. space policy & 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 Robert Sackheim to the program to discuss NASA, commercial space, the current state of rocket propulsion and advancements in the field. During our first segment of this 1 hour 47 minute discussion, Mr. Sackheim talked about his background and experience at TRW, NASA MSFC, and his current consulting. I asked him several questions about the current state of rocket propulsion. Bob had much to say about this, focusing on chemical rocket propulsion, satellite propulsion, electric propulsion, and the need for nuclear propulsion. He talked about booster rockets, various rocket stages and their propulsion, rocket engines, and even SRBs. Several questions came in asking him if we had the current technology for HSF to Mars or even the Inspiration Mars flyby mission talked about so much in the recent press. Listeners wanted to know if our current levels of propulsion were up to the task. After a rather thorough propulsion discussions, Bob turned to commercial space, lowering total space mission costs, regulatory policy, and commercial spaceports. He also talked about budget issues and raised the question a few times as to why ten NASA centers were needed given their often overlapping, competitive, and duplicate work.
In our second segment, commercial space took the lead with a discussion on public/private partnerships & the belief that Americans can do anything if we set our mind to it, including space travel. Of course here the problem as we know lies in leadership and today it appears that leadership in space & other areas is sparse at best. Bob then focused on geo satellites and the increasing development and capabilities applicable to cubesats. HSF came up for discussion as did the robotic missions. You might be surprised by what our guest had to say about HSF. Other issues in this segment included the lunar space elevator, the congressional and NASA track record in canceling ongoing projects & taking lessons from history, SSP, & ways to reform & move NASA forward. Bob spoke about evolving toward the old NACA model. I asked about the impact of space advocacy from his perspective given his leadership experience and past positions in leading organizations and projects. We also asked him about space tourism and hybrid rocket engines. He had much to say about hybrids, don’t miss the discussion. Bob talked about the Falcon rockets, testing including static fire tests, and SRBs as related to the Constellation project and safety. Toward the end, our guest was asked about NewSpace, fuel depots, & cryo transfer. For closing comments, he talked about commercial space being the way to go & the path to our space future.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Mr. Sackheim through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Keith Henson, Sunday, 12-2-12 December 3, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: chemical rockets, costs per Kwh, fossil fuels., fusion power, GEO satellites, hydrogen exhaust, ISP, Keith Henson, laser propulsion, laser rockets, microwave beaming energy, nuclear propulsion, powered sats, Reaction Engines, space solar power, space weapons, SSP economics, Thorium
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Keith Henson, Sunday, 12-2-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1905-BWB-2012-12-02.mp3
Dr. Jason Cassibry, Tuesday, 10-9-12 October 10, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: aerospace engineering, Alpha Centauri, boron, Cassini, Dr. Jason Cassibry, fusion energy, fusion propulsion, HE3, INSITU Resource Utilization, interstellar space flight, ISP, ITER, LEO, lithium deuteride fusion fuel, magnetic nozzle, Mars Missions, nuclear fear, nuclear propulsion, public policy, public science funding., thrust, Vasimr, Voyager mission, Z-Pinch
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Dr. Jason Cassibry, Tuesday, 10-9-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1869-BWB-2012-10-09.mp3
Guest: Dr. Jason Cassibry. Topics: A technical description and the potential of fusion propulsion. 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. Jason Cassibry to the program to guide us in our discussion of the potential for fusion propulsion. At times, this was a very technical discussion. To assist in following it, I have uploaded to the blog his published paper delivered at the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, “The Case and Development Path for Fusion Propulsion.” In addition, below are the URLs for several articles on fusion propulsion that Dr. Cassibry shared with us: www.uah.edu/news/items/10-research/2501-slapshot-to-deep-space#.UDrKn-iPVuY;
www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/rockets/the-big-machine-that-could-lead-to-fusion-powered-spaceships-9450996; http://io9.com/5921673/nuclear-slapshots-could-propel-a-spacecraft-to-mars-in-just-weeks; www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=23442 and http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/10/zpinch-nuclear-fusion-pulse-space.html. Dr. Cassibry started out by providing us with a working definition of fusion propulsion. We talked about nuclear propulsion as well and the overall state of development for fusion energy. I asked Dr. Cassibry if in their economic projections for fusion propulsion, they considered the political and policy impact on fossil fuel pricing and supply availability. As you will hear, generally such factors are not included in their studies though he concurred with me that such policies can strongly skew the economics one way or the other. Several calls came in on a wide ranging group of associated topics. We talked about the main fusion fuel, lithium deuteride, magnetic nozzles, and the use of a nuclear fission reactor to start the fusion propulsion unit. Z-Pinch technologies were defined and discussed. As the segment drew to a close, I asked about funding sources for this research and we learned that most all of the funding is from public sources.
In our second segment, more listeners called in regarding insitu resource usage, nuclear propulsion to start the fusion unit, and the power consumed for all of this. We talked about using fusion propulsion for a Mars mission and what it did for travel times. Jason also put forth a suggested time line and path to follow to operation in perhaps 25 years, depending on funding. More calls came in with fuel questions, vibration impact, G force acceleration, thrust, and more. Another topic discussed was fusion propulsion for the launch vehicle. We then compared some real mission travel times such as Cassini, Voyager, and New Horizons, asking what the transit times would have been like using fusion propulsion. As we were ending the program, I asked about the students entering aerospace engineering at UAH, both the undergrad and graduate level, plus the gender mix of the students. There appears to be strong demand by the students to study these fields at all levels. In conclusion, Jason suggested that we could look for breakeven with fusion in about ten years, maybe less.
If you have comments/questions, please post them on The Space Show blog. Dr. Cassibry’s faculty page at UAH is www.mae.uah.edu/faculty/cassibry.shtml.
Dr. Jeff Bell, Tuesday, 7-10-12 July 11, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Cold War Space Programs, " SpaceX, "Halfway To Anywhere, aerospace engineering, air breathing motors for space vehicles, asteroid mining, B612 Foundation, Constellation, DCX, domestic economy, Dr. Jeff Bell, Dragon, Falcon 9. , fuel/weight ratios, human spaceflight destinations, human spaceflight rational, Mariner 4, Mars, nuclear propulsion, Pan Starrs Panoramic Survey Telescope, PhD programs & oversupply, Planetary Resources, Project Speed, ramjets, rocket engines, science fiction, scramjets, SLS, Space Shuttle, space shuttle conspiracy & the USSR, space telescopes, space vision, Sputnik Panic, V2, Venus, X30 National Aerospace Plane, X33
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Dr. Jeff Bell, Tuesday, 7-10-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1811-BWB-2012-07-10.mp3
Guest: Dr. Jeff Bell. Topics: Vintage Jeff Bell. We discussed a wide range of space history and current space projects from Dr. Bell’s perspective. 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 the return of Dr. Jeff Bell to The Space Show. This 2.5 hour marathon discussion with Dr. Bell was classic Jeff Bell with space history, his analysis of current projects, new space ideas, NASA, Congress and well, you name it. Dr. Bell had lots to say about many topics and for those of you familiar with Dr. Bell & his analysis, I promise you, you will not be disappointed with this discussion. Those of you new to Dr. Bell, hold onto your seat! Jeff started off with the cold war space history, X-33, and DCX. In doing so, he offered up his critique of the classic space book by G. Harry Stine, “Halfway To Anywhere: Achieving America’s Destiny In Space.” As to be expected, Dr. Bell provided a very hard hitting, factual, and critical analysis of these topics & the book. We also talked about the new company in Florida, Project Speed, and air breathing engines for space vehicles. Dr. Bell spent some time on this analysis including scramjets, ramjets and the National Aerospace Plane. When asked to confirm that little progress was being made from his perspective re space vehicles & even aviation, he cited the current military games going on in Hawaii, referencing the planes being used by the Air Force, Navy, & other military services, all to illustrate by example the points he was making. He put out the fire on nuclear propulsion based on economics & costs, & then in discussing human spaceflight (HSF), like so many others, he said the rational for it was difficult justify to Congress & the taxpayers. A listener asked Jeff he was biased in his analysis. Jeff said he was unbiased in his examination of the facts. This issue surfaced again later during our program. We then talked about a Washington Post article saying that our science field was over populated by excessive PhDs that cannot find work in their discipline (www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-pushes-for-more-scientists-but-the-jobs-arent-there/2012/07/07/gJQAZJpQUW_story.html?hpid=z1). This prompted listeners to reply and John made some excellent points about science PhDs that Jeff missed.
In our second segment, we started off with space visions, including the one from this program, followed by a discussion of the “Sputnik Panic” following theUSSR launch of Sputnik. We both had much to say about this event & its aftermath. Returning to the HSF rational, Jeff said there were two main problems with it. First, the very high cost. Second, the is no place to go that does not require massive technology & support to sustain life. He spent some time elaborating on this & responding to listener comments. Next up, Planetary Resources, asteroid mining, space telescopes, & Earth imaging. Dr. Bell took no prisoners in sharing his analysis with us. He did talk about several serious projects including the B612 project & Pan Starrs. As the program was ending, Dr. Bell had many positive things to say about the recently completed SpaceX Dragon & Falcon 9 flight, & the pork as he called it, SLS. Dr. Bell was very strong & clear in his support for SpaceX and their accomplishments.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog URL above.
Open Lines, Tuesday, 3-13-12 March 14, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: artificial gravity, B52, Canadian Space Agency, Chimp Empathy Museum, commercial space, Congressional hearings on NASA Budget, Congresswoman Eddie Johnson of Texas, Defense Intelligence Agency Chinese Space Program, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Falcon 9. , fusion spacecraft, Living Universe Foundation, lunar space elevator., maglift., microgravity, NASA chimps, national security space, nuclear propulsion, Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston, Operationally Responsive Space, PETA, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Senator Nelson, space elevator, Space X, StarTram, SUSTAIN, Turkey and the Moon Treaty, Vasimr, X-37C
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Open Lines, Tuesday, 3-13-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1734-BWB-2012-03-13.mp3
Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: An Open Lines program covers a wide variety of topics of interest to the listeners. 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. Welcome to this 2 hour 20 minute Open Lines discussion largely driven by listeners calling the program. In our first hour segment, I listed the usual possible discussion topics which I won’t repeat here. As to be expected, listeners had their own ideas as to what they wanted to talk about though we did address some of the issues I previewed including NASA & the treatment of their chimps in the early space program given that PETA wants to establish a chimp empathy museum at KSC, NASA budget cuts & the recent congressional hearings, the Defense Intelligence Agency Chinese space program wake up call, & more. The congressional hearings of last week made it to our discusses as listeners focused on what was said by Senator Nelson, Senator Hutchinson, NASA Administrator Bolden, & Dr. Tyson in his short presentation. Listeners also talked about the comments by Texas Congresswoman Eddie Johnson regarding commercial space/crew on the House side. Also in the first segment, Tim called in to inquire about a possible IPO for Space X.
In our second segment, Dr. Jurist called in to express his disappointment at the elimination of funding for the Operationally Responsive Space office/program. This took us to a discussion about national security space & I asked Dr. Jurist about the Defense Intelligence Agency wake up call regarding the Chinese space program as expressed by their director Ronald L. Burgess. Somehow we then got off on the topic of the planned retirement of the B-52 in 2040, about 88 years after it became operational. While Dr. Jurist was talking with us, Tim sent in several email questions for him on microgravity experiments to determine what level of gravity was needed for humans for space settlement & long duration flights. John Hunt followed with comments about VASIMR, nuclear propulsion, & even fusion powered spacecraft down the road in our future. Tom Hanson of the Living Universe Foundation called in to let people know they are seeking Foundation board members (www.luf.org/contact). I then introduced another topic from a current article in Popular Science, a 20,000 mph train to space (www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-03/all-aboard-20000-mile-hour-low-earth-orbit-express). This article refers to a newer version of StarTram & this brought in several more callers including Trent from Australia. Other listeners chimed in on the train to space idea as well though most did not take the article very seriously. I introduced the news that Turkey had agreed to the Moon Treaty & then Terry called in at the end to talk about the X-37C & that it might become a crewed vehicle.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog URL above. If you want to contact any of our callers, send your note to me & I will forward it for you. If you want more info on any of the news stories I mentioned, let me know & I will send it to you.
