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.
Dr. Edythe Weeks, Tuesday, 11-20-12 November 21, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "Outer Space Development, benefit sharing, capitalism, citizen science, commercial space development, Common Heritage of Mankind, creating an ideological shift, Dr. Edythe (Edy) Weeks, environmental issues, giggle factor, IAF, International Institute of Space Law, international relations, International Relations and Space Law: A Method for Elucidating Seeds, NewSpace, nonprofit, private investment, public/private partnerships, revenue sharing, space entrepreneurism, space law, space mining, space property rights. The Outer Space Treaty, space resources, space tourism, tattoos, taxes, The Moon Treaty, United Nations, venture capital
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Dr. Edythe Weeks, Tuesday, 11-20-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1897-BWB-2012-11-20.mp3
Dr. Friedmann Freund & Brian Shiro, Tuesday, 6-5-12 June 6, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: animal behavior and earthquakes, biological anomalies prior to earthquakes, Brian Shiro, crystallography, crystals, Dr. Friedmann Freund, earthquake forecasting, earthquakes, EarthScope Project, geophysical measurements, GPS, infrared emissions, Ion currents and earthquakes, ionized air, ionosphere, Mars quakes, mesospheric lightening, Meteor satellites, Moon quakes, NASA Ames Research Center, NOAH, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, peer review, plate tectonics, QuakeFinder, research funding issues, seismic waves, space biomedical research, space resources, sun and seismic activity, sun's heliosphere, T-waves, tectonic stresses, traditional seismic analysis & research, Traveling ionospheric disturbances., Ultra Low Frequency (ULF), USGS Parkfield Earthquake Experiment
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Dr. Friedmann Freund & Brian Shiro, Tuesday, 6-5-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1788-BWB-2012-06-05.mp3
Guests: Dr. Friedmann Freund, Brian Shiro. Topics: Earthquake forecasting & space resources. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be relevant & applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Dr. Friedmann Freund & the return of Brian Shiro to the program to discuss earthquake forecasting & analysis using space based resources. During our first segment, Dr. Freund & Mr. Shiro outlined the basis of their research & we talked about the use of both terrestrial & space based tools to aid the process. We talked about satellite detection of the Ion currents & changes in the ionosphere & how this data is correlated with terrestrial data. We talked about the direction earthquake prediction was heading & were told why the use of “prediction” was not preferable. Instead, the more accurate & useful term is forecasting. Also mentioned was a private company with a series of ground stations, QuakeFinder (www.quakefinder.com). Our guest talked about how this private sector commercial data gets integrated into the public sector data base & why their information is both valuable & important. Questions were asked about the importance of the ionosphere but we also learned that the currents & waves start deep in the Earth, work their way to the surface & then can be detected as they move upward through the various atmospheric layers to the ionosphere. Our guests explained how our space resources actually track & monitor this information. Another point made was that we do not have real time information in advance of an event though if we had swarms of satellites or a satellite network designed to monitor areas 24/7, we would be able to be present with “eyes” before & when an event happened. Funding issues were discussed & we heard that much of the research discussed on our program is considered “out of the box” & difficult to fund by the traditional process along with getting projects peer reviewed. I asked about the potential of the philanthropic model for this research as it has come up on several Space Show programs. Our guests had much to say about this potential source of funding.
In our second segment, we talked about progress being made between traditional geophysical researchers & those doing the out of the box work such as our guests. As it turns out, there is progress on this front & Dr. Freund updated us on it. We switched to the suborbital field as I met Dr. Freund at the recently held suborbital conference & our discussions over lunch formed the basis for this program. There does appear to be sufficient commercial suborbital research opportunities with this developing seismic research field. Next, we talked about animal behavior for earthquake forecasting & both our guests told us anecdotal stories. We learned how Dr. Freund is correlating animal behavior earthquake research with the scientific research. Toward the end of the program, Emma in NYC who asked several questions, wanted to know about Mars quakes & Moon quakes. Our guests talked about earthquake research throughout the solar system & what we know & don’t know. We learned that there are no geophysical research instruments providing direct information to us from Mars or anywhere in space because of the high cost of the hardware, the quantity of research tools needed, & the complex & costly operating expenses. Other discussion topics included the possibility of mitigating an earthquake, various research projects such as the USGS Parkfield Earthquake Experiment & the EarthScope Project. Please post your comments/questions on the blog.
If you want to email either of our guests, do so through me & I will forward your note.
