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
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.
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).
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: " SpaceX, : John Batchelor, Antares, commercial space, Cots, Cygnus, Dragon, FAA AST, Falcon Heavy, Intelsat, NASA, Orbital, The John Batchelor Show "Hotel Mars
The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 5-30-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1785-BWB-2012-05-30.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: The return of Dragon, Falcon Heavy & Intelsat, Orbital Sciences, Antares rocket, Cygnus capsule, COTS. 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, we talked about the Dragon return from the ISS, the SpaceX agreement to launch a satellite for Intelsat on the Falcon Heavy, COTS, NASA, and commercial space. We also discussed Orbital Sciences and their COTS program consisting of the Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo capsule.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them on The Space Show blog per above. If you want to email John Batchelor, please do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: Beyond Low Earth Orbit (BLEO), Boeing CST 100, China space policy, Columbus, Commercial Crew, Defense Intelligence Agency., direct economic benefit from space, Dragon, Dream Chaser, economic growth, European Mars Program, ExoMars, expense compared to investment, Falcon 9. , human factors, human rating Atlas & Delta EELV, human spaceflight, indirect economic benefit from space, ISS, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), liquid rocket motors, lunar base, Mark Whittington, microgravity, NASA FY 13 proposed budget, NASA planetary science, national security and defense space, Orbital, orbital fuel depots, Orion, presidential politics & space policy, Prince Henry The Navigator, Responsive Space (ORS), Russian space program, Sen. Hutchinson of Texas and commercial space, solid rocket boosters (SRBs), space as an investment, Space Launch System (SLS)., Space Test Program (STP), technology spinoffs, Town Hall Political Meetings, wealth creation, Zero G Zero Tax
Mark Whittington, Sunday, 2-26-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1721-BWB-2012-02-26.mp3
Guest: Mark Whittington. Topics: Space Budgets, policy, & politics. 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 Mark Whittington back to the show for this 2.5 hour wide ranging discussion on space budgets, the economy, space policy and space politics, plus economic issues facing the nation and others around the world. We also talked about space perspectives of all those running for president including President Obama and the Republican party challengers. Mark talked about two article he wrote that were pertinent to our discussion. These articles are (1) “Moon Base Supporters Struggle to Justify the Project:”
www.examiner.com/space-news-in-houston/moon-base-supporters-struggle-to-justify-the-project; and (2) “A Lunar Exploration Reading List for Mitt Romney:”
www.examiner.com/space-news-in-houston/a-lunar-exploration-reading-list-for-mitt-romney. In our first segment of 45 minutes, we talked about Texas space politics & redistricting, the Johnson Space Center, & the proposed FY 13 budget. Mark suggested Congress would rewrite most of the budget but that the Senate would likely not pass a budget so we would end up on CR. I asked Mark how that would lead to programs being cancelled such as ExoMars if we are still on CR as those programs are embedded in the CR from year to year. Mark described the process through administrative acts by NASA, Congress, or the President re cancellation, and what the Appropriations Committee would have to do to avoid them. For the most part, more money would need to be found for NASA but that was not likely. Mark talked about what constitutes commercial saying that for something to be really commercial, it has to be able to fail. We compared today’s commercial space programs to gov. programs in terms of Mark’s criteria. Listeners asked about SLS & Orion, wondering if it & when SLS would be cancelled. The idea of a lunar base was discussed in light of the comments made a few weeks ago in the Florida debate by Newt. Mark also talked about what he thought might be the space policy of the other candidates though not that much is known other than for Newt, Mitt, and President Obama. Mark talked about cutting out other budgetary items to make room for a quality space program & he highlighted the high speed rail program.
In our long second segment, Marshall called with a question about the original Mercury astronauts still alive. We talked some about human factors, microgravity, and life support issues. Listeners asked about the Chinese space program & their military buildup. Here, I referenced the recent congressional testimony of Ronald Burgess, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The article I referenced is at http://bigthink.com/ideas/42630. Mark spoke at length about exploration, citing his favorite history story involving Prince Henry The Navigator of Portugal. Jim asked Mark that if he believed commercial space was the best path forward & that SLS was a bad idea, how would he go about getting more support for commercial space even at the expense of SLS. Mark offered some concrete ideas in response to Jim’s question. John from Billings sent in a few notes & then later called to talk about why there is such an argument about SRBs as compared to liquid rocket motors. Challenger was mentioned along with Constellation but mainly Mark said that people’s behavior tends to find ways to support their beliefs. Terry, another Texan like Mark, called to ask why Sen. Hutchinson so strongly opposes commercial space. Mark offered a pretty good answer. Risk taking, more on SLS, Dream Chaser & the CST 100 were discussed along with the new project, Stratolaunch. As our program drew to a close, I asked Mark to summarize space policy for 2012 which he did do but then more questions came in. Becky wanted Mark to connect the dots vis a vis our economy & how this might impact NASA & all space development. This led to quite a little economic discussion with Mark, myself, and Dr. Jurist who called in about that time. As usual, I went off on my rant about space as an investment, not an expense. Jack got in the last word asking for three key events impacting space for 2012 other than the election. Mark said the upcoming Space X flight, what Congress does with the budget, and the planned Chinese mission later this year. In his concluding remarks, Mark talked about the economic options facing the country & he left us with a few points to consider. He urged us to participate in Town Hall meetings and ask the candidates space questions.
If you have comments/questions please post them The Space Show blog. Marks blog, Curmudgeons Corner, is at http://curmudgeons.blogspot.com.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: Antares rocket, astronomy budget, bats, Cassini, climate change, Commercial Crew budget, Curiosity, Dragon, Electro-magnetic pulse, ESA budget, EuroMars, Falcon 9. , Higgs boson, human spaceflight, James Webb Space Telescope, Kepler Space Telescope, Large Hadron Collider, LightSquared and GPS, Mars, Mars Extended Missions, Mars Next Decade, MSL, NASA budget, NASA FY 13 budget, New Horizons Mission, Orbital, Orion, planetary science missions budget, Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, science research budget, SLS, Space Act Agreement, Space X, sun spots, the Moon, U.S. congress, Vega rocket, white nose syndrome
Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Monday, 2-13-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1712-BWB-2012-02-13.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: NASA FY13 budget & space policy. White Nose Syndrome bat update. 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 for his preliminary analysis of the NASA portion of the FY13 budget just released by the White House. You can obtain more information about Mr. Zimmerman and the issues he writes about at his blog, http://behindtheblack.com. Bob also provided an analysis of the NASA budget at http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/a-transitional-budget. Bob started out by saying the NASA part of the budget was flat. That said, he also said the Mars and planetary programs faced serious cuts. He pointed out that missions in progress were still being funded, new missions such as the EuroMars missions were being scrapped though in the case of Mars, a new program was being created, the Mars Next Decade Program. Bob went on to say the astronomy budget was being squeezed to finish the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which has its own line item in the budget. The JWST was decimating the astronomy budget. He pointed out that the Kepler Space Telescope (KST) was being zeroed out in another year or so after it has completed its primary mission. Turning to manned space, Bob described it as contradictory. Commercial Crew would receive $830 million but of course congress may change that. Also, SLS and Orion continue getting around $3 billion. Bob talked about the flight plan for SLS & Orion and like many others, predicted the program would ultimately be cancelled. Bob received lots of listener questions by email & phone addressing topics including a nuclear rocket, Mars Direct, DOD space funding issues, and the PR value for NASA for the HSF program. Bob then suggested that history has shown that if the HSF program suffers, all of NASA suffers and pointed out that is happening now. Later, Marshall called to suggest that ESA might not be able to fund their part of the Mars programs due to European economic problems. Bob speculated that our cutting participation may actually have been in anticipation of this to avoid problems down the road because of the European economic woes. At the end of this segment, we talked about the successful European Vega rocket launch.
In segment two, Bob talked about new information regarding sun spots and climate per a recently reviewed paper. Check out the story at http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/the-link-between-sunspots-and-climate. We also talked about the 2012 plan proposed by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in its search for Higgs boson. Listeners brought up the nuclear rocket, the Cassini mission in the budget, and more on JWST. Bob also reported some new developments with LightSquared, the FCC, and GPS issues. Tim called in with questions about the sun and an electro magnetic pulse (EMP). As the program ended, I asked Bob for another update on the White Nose Syndrome which has killed lots of bats in the northeast. Bob closed by saying the upcoming Falcon 9 & Dragon launch plus the Orbital Antares launch may prove to be the most important events of the year. He said they were risky ventures, especially the Antares launch and program.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Bob through me or from his website, Behind The Black.
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.
Tags: 50th anniversary of spaceflight, Antares, Bigelow Aerospace, biotechnology, Business Plan Competition, Dawn, Elon Musk, Exodus Consulting, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, ISDC, ISS, Kepler Space Telescope, lunar space elevator., Mars, nanotechnology, NASA, NASA budget, Orbital, Soyuz, Space Act Agreement, space advocacy, space elevator, Space Frontier Foundation, Space Launch System (SLS)., Space Shuttle, space workforce issues, Space X, Stratolaunch, suborbital vehicles, Tom Olson, Vesta, Virgin Galactic drop test, XCOR, Yuri's Night
Tom Olson, Tuesday, 12-27-11
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1679-BWB-2011-12-27.mp3
Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: The year 2011 in review regarding all space issues. 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 Tom Olson back to the show for his annual yearly summary of space events. We had much to cover in this 105 minute program. Tom started out reminding us that 2011 was the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight. He told us about the banner year for Yuri’s Night parties around the globe celebrating this important milestone and specifically about the even he attended in New Your City. Next, he pointed out the recent National Press Club talk given by Elon Musk on going to Mars and building the rockets to take us there, plus his recent New Scientist interview which you can read in full on the Mars Society website. Tom commented that the sky was actually falling in 2011 with two large junk satellites coming back to Earth. We also talked about the return of Phobos Grunt to earth probably in early to mid-January 2012. One of the big events we discussed for 2011 was the retirement of the shuttle. This led us to discussing the recent Chinese space rendezvous and the fact that China is now the number two launching country behind Russia having overtaken the U.S. this year. Planetary missions were part of our year in review with Vesta and Dawn, the Kepler Space Telescope, MSL with Curiosity. New Horizons continued its journey to Pluto and Explorer 1 continued beyond our solar system. Tom talked about SLS and the ORION MPC Vehicle, plus the James Webb Space Telescope and its cost issues in the context of its impact on the NASA budget. Soyuz rocket problems along with all the Russian rocket failures this year were fair game for our discussion. I asked Tom what he thought of the idea of SLS as a place holder for skill sets and technology until our space program improves. Don’t miss his answer. He brought up Virgin Galactic’s drop tests this year, especially the last one where trouble showed up. Making news for 2011 were NASA and space industry workforce layoffs and the successful Falcon 9 and Dragon launch. At the end of the first segment, Bigelow Aerospace was in our spotlight. In segment two, Tom led off with XCOR news, Terry called wondering about CCDEV3 and Tom suggested program winners! Don’t miss his prediction. He also was asked to predict the cancellation year for SLS. Don’t miss this prediction as well. We talked about the upcoming New Space Business Plan Competition for 2012, the prizes which are the largest ever, and the timing. If this interests you, make sure to stay tuned for more information. Later in the segment we began a summary of our discussion and 2011. Tom was asked about the space elevator and the Lunar Space Elevator. We wrapped up our discussion talking about growth in the space conferences even in the tough economic year of 2011. Post your comments and questions on The Space Show blog URL above.
