Dr. Philip Metzger, Monday, 4-8-13 April 9, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, 3D Printing, AI robotics, being second, Dr. Philip Metzger, Elon Musk, exponential potential, Falcon Heavy, global space industry participation, industry in space, lizard scale robotics, Mars, NASA, NASA charter, Neo, off-Earth economies, Phobos, public/private partnerships, rocket blast effects for HSF missions, solar system resources, space exploration, space hardware designs, space leadership, space mining business case, space mining robotics, space resources, spaceports, technology readiness levels, teleoperated robotics, the Moon
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Dr. Philip Metzger, Monday, 4-8-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1991-BWB-2013-04-08.mp3
Guest: Dr. Philip Metzger. Topics: Starting industry in space for the coming space resource revolution re space mining robotics & 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 Dr. Philip Metzger to the program to discuss the topic of a coming space resource revolution because of the prospects for a rapid advancement of robotic industry in space. Please visit his website at www.philipmetzger.com. During our first segment of this two hour five minute program, Dr. Metzger explained the need for space resource usage as a result of a growing Earth population, increasing energy demands, industrialization & an overall feeling of being “squeezed” regarding future demand and resource usage. From this point, he took us through the technologies, advancements and some visionary plans for setting up a commercial industry in space for space mining robotics and ISRU technologies which are available today. Dr. Metzger was clear in telling us that the NASA charter was about exploration, not starting up space industry. We then talked about the ways that industry can access the advance technology created by the NASA exploration and science programs. Our guest provided us with several robotic examples, including the possibility of making heat shields from Phobos materials which could go a long way toward making a Mars mission affordable. We talked about technology readiness levels, TRL 1-9. Phil explained what the various levels meant & how the technology development is passed on to the next development group as the level advances. I asked our guest to describe a typical day in his lab. Starting at 6:45AM, Dr. Metzger described his duties and functions and those of the rest of the lab workers. As you will hear, it’s a mixture of administrative, design, computer work, testing, retesting, & equipment manufacturing. 3D Printing was discussed in some detail and was actually a discussion topic throughout the entire program. We talked about our being able to repair robotics as compared to building the robotics to avoid needing repair. Listener Mike sent in an email to inquire about 3D printing, teleoperated & AI robotics for self sustaining lunar/asteroid economies. He also wanted to know how human space exploration fit into the robotic model. Phil had much to say in response to Mike so don’t miss this discussion. Near the end of this segment, we talked about robotics & the communications time delay, even for the Moon, and what this means for HSF & robotic development. Another concept introduced to us was that of self-sustaining robots that do not need to continue being launched to their destination! Near the end of this segment, Phil introduced us to Lizard Scale Robotics & the different categories going up the scale of robotic development to the top level human scale.
In our second segment, Doug called in from S. California to inquire about starting an affordable industry, financing, and the use of lunar propellant ice. This took us to a discussion of setting up profitable ventures for space industry development. Phil talked about a new spaceport concept starting with spaceports here on the ground, then in LEO, on the Moon, & then moving out to Phobos. For a profitable venture, he did say the time line was still too long for capital investment so we discussed public/private partnerships. Also in this segment, we talked hardware designs, the need to start with low technology, even clumsy robots and evolve upward, but avoiding launches & most everything being made in space. We talked about launch capabilities, heavy lift, & getting a specific mass to where it needed to go. Closing the business case came up & our guest talked about the old “impoverished view” as compared to a new, expanded, multi-potential global view. Don’t miss this discussion. Mike sent in another note about what it might mean to be second & the value of the exponential potential. Phil took us through this discussion which made it crystal clear why maintaining our space leadership or being part of it on an international partnership level was so important for our future. In this context, Dr. Metzger talked about widespread participation in space development for multiple co-owners.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Dr. Phil Metzger through his website or me using drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 1, Friday Morning, 3-22-13 March 30, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo, aviation, commercial space, deep space exploration, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Loren Acton, fusion, human spaceflight, ISS, leadership qualities, Mars, mentorship, risk taking, Rocky Mountain College, space exploration, Walter Cunningham
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Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 1, Friday Morning, 3-22-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1984-BWB-2013-03-30.mp3
https://vimeo.com/62994325 Panel 1 Video
Guests: Astronaut Panel 1: Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Walter Cunningham, Dr. Loren Acton. Topics: Astronaut Panel 1 focused on leadership issues & the importance of spaceflight. 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 and 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. The copyright for this program belongs to Dr. John Jurist and Rocky Mountain College. The Space Show has permission from the copyright holders to archive both video and audio formats on Space Show websites, video channels, blogs, and podcasting sites. . In addition to the audio format on The Space Show, blog, and podcasting websites, you can instead view the panel video at https://vimeo.com/62994325 which is on our Vimeo private Space Show channel.
During our nonstop 1 hour 34 minute panel discussion before a live audience at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT consisting of students, faculty, community leaders, and interested people, as moderator, I asked our panel members about leadership, what it takes to be a leader, leadership qualities, and mentorship. I also asked about human spaceflight, Apollo, going to the Moon, and lots more. Risk taking, regulatory risk, exploration characteristics, and economics were also talked about by our panel members. We took audience questions dealing with the Apollo program, the Moon, the Saturn V rocket, commercial space, private space, NASA management, SLS, NASA’s current mission, and issues pertaining to our congress and NASA funding/policy. Each of our panel members addressed most all of the questions and each brought to the table his unique perspective on the issue or subject at hand. For those of you watching the panel video on our Vimeo channel, you will see students leaving the room around the top of the hour to take exams. Some things never change on campus, do they?
Please post comments and questions on The Space Show blog for this program. For those of you wanting to email our panel members, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward your note to the person(s) of your choice.
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.
Elliot Pulham, The Space Foundation, Friday, 1-11-13 January 12, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "Pioneering: Sustaining U.S. Leadership in Space, aerospace industry, Apollo Program, commercial space industry., Elliot Pulham, ISS, lunar settlement, NASA Commission, NASA Jobs Program, NASA Long-Term Plan, NASA management, NASA Pioneering Doctrine, NASA purpose, NewSpace, pioneering, policy implementation, space exploration, Space Foundation, space policy, space settlement/colonization
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Elliot Pulham, The Space Foundation, Friday, 1-11-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1928-BWB-2013-01-11.mp3
Guest: Elliot Pulham. Topics: The Space Foundation’s White Paper, “Pioneering: Sustaining U.S. Leadership in Space.” 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 Elliot Pulham, CEO of The Space Foundation (www.spacefoundation.org) to discuss their new White Paper, “Pioneering: Sustaining U.S. Leadership in Space.” You can download both the Executive Summary and the actual paper at www.spacefoundation.org/programs/research-and-analysis/pioneering. Our guest was with us for the first hour of the program. During our time with him, we discussed the Pioneering white paper, the reason for it, and its approach to sustaining U.S. space leadership. Mr. Pulham defined pioneering for us and when asked, we learned that it was broader and more inclusive than the more frequently used terms of settlement or colonization. We talked about why NASA needed a purpose, one that was clearly defined and articulated throughout the organization, plus the congressional and executive branches of government. We talked about basic NASA management improvements plus a host of strategic and tactical recommendations to improve our civil space policy and program. Listeners had many questions for our guest ranging from how reforms within NASA and our political systems would actually be implemented to needing general public support for Pioneering to become the NASA organizational purpose. Other issues that came up included how to transition from one year funding battles to long term project financing. The NewSpace segment came up as did space advocacy organizations with listeners asking if the advocacy proponents need to speak with a more unified voice than from their respective and often diverse positions. In the last few minutes of our discussion, I asked our guest for the implementation process. Here, we learned what the Space Foundation has been doing since going public with their policy proposals and their plans for continuing to push for the Pioneering purpose and program. We also talked about the role each of us can play in pursuing this type of seed change within NASA, Congress, and the Executive Branch to implement space policy changes for the better. We did return after the hour for a very short second segment in which I announced some date changes for programs given the start of my teaching my UND commercial space graduate class.
If you have comments/questions for Mr. Pulham about the Space Foundation White Paper, please post them on The Space Show blog URL above.
Futron Space Competitive Index 2012, Monday, 12-3-12 December 4, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, civil space., Cold War, commercial space, Constellation, cubesats, David Vaccaro, DOD space, Futron Corporation, Futron's 2012 Space Competitiveness Index, ITAR, Jonathan Beland, NASA, sequestration, space exploration, Space Shuttle, STEM educational programs.
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Futron Space Competitive Index 2012, Monday, 12-3-12
Guests: David Vaccaro, Jonathan Beland
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1906-BWB-2012-12-03.mp3
Guests: David Vaccaro, Jonathan Beland. Topics: The Futron 2012 Space Competitive Index (SCI). 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 David Vaccaro and Jonathan Beland to discuss the Futron 2012 Space Competitive Index (SCI). You can freely download the SCI Executive Summary at www.futron.com/SCI_2012.xml. The SCI provides annual statistical benchmarks, analysis, and business intelligence for both commercial and national space activities for fifteen countries, examining markers in the Government, Human Capital and sectors. Five new countries were added for the 2011 data which is used for the 2012 report. The list of countries analyzed includes the U.S, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe (all of Europe, not the individual European countries), India, Israel, Japan, Russia, S. Korea, Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine. The five new countries added include Australia, Argentina, Iran, S. Africa, and the Ukraine. While this program was conducted using two segments, this summary is written without regard to the segments as our discussion points crossed segments throughout the program. As we started out, our guests provided us with a brief history regarding the SCI and clearly stated its purpose. Note that it is self-financed by Futron and remains completely independent of any & all pressures. Also, note that again, the U.S. remains the only country of those examined that consistently declines year by year but because our government spending is so huge and our economy, despite our problems is so huge, the U.S. remains in first place as the space industry leader of all those countries studied. Our guests told us about the benchmarks and how the SCI was constructed. They responded to lots of listener questions, including questions about why the report is not used by candidates in political campaigns, its potential influence among those in Congress and other policy makers, and the same in other countries. We talked about the impact of space industry workforce layoffs, the termination of Constellation and the shuttle showing up in the analysis and how such events might impact the U.S. score. As you will hear, our team expects the 2012 data in the 2013 report to reflect these changes in our space program. A listener asked if the SCI tracked the growth of space advocacy in the U.S., wondering why it is growing but not that much in policy impact. Other listeners asked about the growth of cubesats, especially in the U.S. and how that was reported. Also, if ITAR was a limiting factor for the U.S. Yet another asked our guests if the SCI viewed SpaceX as commercial or government subsidized in the context of the report and its analysis. When asked about a future country watch list, we talked about Viet Nam, S. Korea, South America and Mexico. In addition to lots of questions about the U.S., we talked about space in many of the other countries, why they kept investing while the U.S. seemed to be retreating. Another issue talked about was global positive view of space, embracing more and more countries, views not always held here at home.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. Both our guests gave out their Futron email addresses as the program was ending.
Dr. Bruce Cordell, Sunday, 9-16-12 September 17, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 21CenturyWaves.com, : Dr. Bruce Cordell, Animal Spirits by John Maynard Keynes, Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, cultural differences, Deimos., economic panics, education, Fractal Maslow Window, human spaceflight risk assessment, ISS, Keynesian economics, Mars, Middle East Conflict, NASA, NASA budgets, Panama Canal, Phobos, political realignment, President Kennedy, prosperity, space exploration, split Mars mission, The Bering Straights rail freight tunnel
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Dr. Bruce Cordell, Sunday, 9-16-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1854-BWB-2012-09-16.mp3
Todd Halvorson, Friday, 5-18-12 May 18, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Antares, Ares 1, Ares 1X test flight, ATK, Cape Canaveral, Cecil Field, Constellation, Cots, deep space taxi, down selecting, Dr. Mike Griffin, Elon Musk, Falcon 9. , Florida, Florida Today, instantaneous launch window, ISS, Mars Science Lab, NASA budget, NewSpace, old space, Orbital Sciences, Planetary Resources, Return to the Moon, Space Act Agreement, space coast economy, space exploration, Space Launch System (SLS)., space telescope, Space X, spaceports, SRBs, Stratolaunch, Todd Halverson, traditional aerospace, U.S. congress, ULA
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Todd Halvorson, Friday, 5-18-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1777-BWB-2012-05-18.mp3
Guest: Todd Halvorson. Topics: Upcoming Falcon 9 & Dragon launch, Floridaspace policy, NASA & 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 Todd Halvorson, senior aerospace reporter for FLORIDA TODAY & USA TODAY to the show. During our first segment, we mostly discussed the upcoming Falcon 9 launch scheduled for Saturday early morning, May 19 2012. Note that Florida Today is having special coverage and programming starting at 3:30 AM EDT. To tune in, visit www.floridatoday.com. Todd detailed the coverage at the start of our next segment. Also in the initial segment, we talked about Congress, commercial crew, down selecting, the Space Act Agreement, and theU.S. human spaceflight program, such that it is a program. Also mentioned was the SLS program along with Orion, then I asked about the space coast economy per the recent 60 Minutes segment last month. Todd had much to say about the 60 Minutes Segment, especially the visuals they used. Don’t miss it. Listener Jane asked about the differences in policy ideas between NewSpace and the old space crowd, especially the very well known astronauts who are most vocal in support of a more traditional NASA program. Todd had much to say about this and we talked about the future NASA as either a space tax service or an organization that explores BLEO. Another topic of interest dealt with the Chinese space program and going to the Moon. Our listener asked if Chinese space plans might start a space competition with theU.S. We then talked about the FY 13 budget for NASA and the possibility of doubling NASA’s budget as proposed by Dr. Tyson. As the segment ended, we discussed Planetary Resources and sought Todd’s perspective on what has been made public so far.
In the second segment, Todd went into detail about the Florida Today broadcast for the Falcon 9 launch. Terry called in to ask about the ISS GPS issue and then we asked Todd to describe what happens when Dragon gets to the vicinity of the ISS. The process goes on through Wednesday morning. Another listener asked for Todd’s analysis of the space program over his 25 year history of reporting space news. Our next topic honed in so the suborbital companies in Mojave, space tourism, and suborbital research. This discussion included spaceports inFlorida,California,Virginia,New Mexico and elsewhere. As our program was nearing its end, we talked about Constellation, Ares 1, SRBs, Dr. Mike Griffin, SLS, and civility. In his closing comments, Todd again said we should have a space program that explores and is not a space taxi service.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Todd through the Florida Today website.
