Open Lines, Tuesday, 5-21-13 May 22, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, asteroid mining, Atlas, Bigelow Aerospace, British astronaut Tim Peake, Commercial Crew, commercial space, crowd funding, DC-X, Dr. David Livingston, Hermes spacecraft, Inspiration Mars, Kepler Space Telescope, Kickstarter., long term space goals, lunar development, Mars one, NASA, one way HSF to Mars, Open Lines, Rossi E-Cat, Sarah Cruddas, Scaled Composites CATO test, space tourism, Star Systems, suborbital spaceflight, ULA, Virgin Galactic
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Open Lines, Tuesday, 5-21-13
Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Our discussion covered wide range of timely topics per the below summary. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog,
http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com
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We started our 2 hour 3 minute Open Lines discussion with a five minute recorded interview with Sarah Cruddas in the UK regarding the UK astronaut Tim Peake who is now scheduled for a mission to the ISS. Sarah told us about the impact of Tim being the UK’s first government funded and supported astronaut. You will clearly hear her excitement about this and for sure you will understand the very positive impact of this in England along with national British excitement. Way to go England and congratulations from The Space Show! You can find out more about Sarah’s reporting, space, science & film work at www.sarahcruddas.com. Our next caller was Mark Longanbach from Star Systems to tell us about the Hermes spacecraft and their efforts in developing a suborbital spaceship for tourism and cargo. We also talked about crowd funding and Kickstarter with him. Next, Nelson called in to talk about the need for long term NASA goals and he outlined his concept for bringing the space community together and making the most out of tight budgets, assets, technology, and capabilities, all in support of repositioning our space program for doing great things in the future. Nelson requested feedback on his idea so post your comments on The Space Show blog. Nelson’s blog can be found at www.aviationweek.com/UserProfile.aspx?newspaperUserId=219284. Kelly called next to talk about the upcoming 20th anniversary of DC-X and he compared back then to now. As you will hear, Kelly saw more positive things back “in the day” than today. He talked about today’s commercial space industry, NASA, SpaceX, commercial space, etc. We also talked about the planned commercial Mars missions, the asteroid & lunar missions. I’m sure you will find his comments interesting & thought provoking.
In our second segment, Tim said Rossi and his E-CAT were validated by a third party. He then took issue with much of what Kelly had to say, especially around SpaceX and the emerging commercial space industry. We also talked about the proposed NASA-Bigelow Aerospace project and I read the NASA PR announcement about it on air. Later in the second segment, Charles Pooley called. He wanted to talk about the NASA-Bigelow announcement and he said he also disagreed with Kelly, especially regarding SpaceX. While Kelly was critical of the SpaceX engine design, Charles said it was an excellent design and he told us why he thought so. I chimed in my support for SpaceX as I think they are doing a very good job and have solved inflight problems in an impressive way. Also in this segment, we talked some about what constitutes a commercial mission. I suggested today’s emerging industry is a hybrid but in the end, the companies behave as commercial companies. Pooley also talked about a Scaled CATO engine failure. He later sent us emails which I read on air that described the problem, then Charles called back to explain what I read. Another topic I mentioned included the problems with the Kepler Space Telescope.
Post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to email any of the callers, do so through me.
Frank Stratford, Friday, 5-17-13 May 18, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, billionaire investors, charity space model, commercial space success, commercial spaceflight, Curiosity, due diligence, failed mission consequences, Frank Stratford, human factors, human spaceflight to Mars., Inspiration Mars, markets, Mars Drive, Mars one, NASA, NASA spinoffs, private space companies, public/private partnerships, repeat customers., return on investment, revenue generation, space financing, space industry business models, space tourism, Stratolaunch
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Frank Stratford, Friday, 5-17-13
Guest: Frank Stratford. Topics: Commercial space and space travel business models and revenue generation. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog,
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. 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 Frank Stratford back to the program to discuss various commercial space business models, including nonspace revenue generating goals and objectives. Frank is the founder of MarsDrive so for more information, visit their website at www.marsdrive.com. During the first segment of our 1 hour 42 minute program, Frank introduced us to the topic in his April 22, 2013 Space Review article, “The Business of Space Travel” (www.thespacereview.com/article/2281/1). Frank talked about the need to generate nonspace revenue while building up the space company & space revenue R&D, activities, & markets. He cited SpaceX, Bigelow, & Blue Origins as examples. This led to a discussion about markets & financing, plus estimated costs for a human spaceflight mission to Mars. Frank compared the Mars One $6 billion estimate to his own estimate from his research to be $15 billion. Our first caller asked if big name investors associated with these early commercial space ventures created an expectation of success and may in fact turn out to not have been such a good idea. The detailed discussion included ROI, Stratolaunch and the revenue cycle gap from up front/early capital needs to revenue generation later on in the project’s cycle. We talked about the nonprofit or charity model and Inspiration Mars came to mind. I entered the discussion with comments about the need for repeat customers, a commercial space success to model, unrealistic assumptions, the lack of due diligence, and the difficulty in cost estimates, especially when the cost of getting to the destination (the Moon for example) is unknown at this time. Surrey Space & Technology was also brought up as an example of a good business to model.
In the second segment, our called pointed out a Moon & Back interview with Robert Bigelow in which our caller said Bob said he went into the r/e business to fund his space activities. Later, he email in additional comments suggesting that just because a space venture or idea is not funded does not mean it’s a bad idea or concept. He then advocated NASA support such as with COTS and Commercial Crew. Public/private partnerships were advocated as a good way to move forward with space development and exploration. Frank was then asked if a failed commercial project would hurt the industry. He said it was possible. Another question came in regarding paying attention to human factors and if solutions would be available at the same time as engineering technology, financing, and maybe markets. Frank said only if work moved forward on human factor solutions at the same time and at a similar rate. He also advocated his own organization working the problems. Listen to his reasoning behind this. As the program was nearing close, Frank was asked if Curiosity found proof of life in the past or now, even the most basic life, if it would make HSF to Mars more of a priority. Don’t miss Frank’s response. In summary, Frank talked about the need for continuous incremental development.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. If you want to email Frank Stratford, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Monday, 5-13-13 May 14, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, Apollo, asteroid retrieval, asteroids, China, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, genetic modification, Hawaii, India, Inspiration Mars, International Luna Development Corporation (ILDC), ISS, leadership, LEO, Leonard David, Mars, Mars Cycler, Moon race, NASA, national security issues, NEOs, One way Mars trips, Phobos, PISCES., pre-positioning supplies on Mars, private-public teaming, Return to the Moon, SLS, space policy, space tourism, technology development, Unified Space Vision, United Strategic Space Enterprise (USSE)
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Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Monday, 5-13-13
Guest: Dr. Buzz Aldrin. Topics: Buzz talks about his Unified Space Vision, Mars settlement and his new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.” Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog,
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. 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 Buzz Aldrin to discuss his Unified Space Vision (USV) including Martian settlement, plus his new book, “Mission To Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.” Leonard David was the co-author of the book. Visit www.buzzaldrin.com for more about the book and new, upcoming projects related to the book and the Aldrin vision. The book is available as hardback and as an e-book. If you use either of these links with Amazon to buy the book, Amazon will make a donation to The Space Show/OGLF: (hardback) www.amazon.com/Mission-Mars-Vision-Space-Exploration/dp/1426210175/ref=onegiantlea20 and (Kindle) www.amazon.com/Mission-Mars-Vision-Exploration-ebook/dp/B008EDPMB2/ref=onegiantlea20. During our 94 minute program in one long segment, Buzz started out by describing his Unified Space Vision (USV) and its five main components, exploration, science, development, commercial, & security. Buzz also introduced us to the United Strategic Space Enterprise (USSE) which forms a integral part of his Mars vision. We discussed the role of China, India, Russia, the ISS, and why we should not engage in a Moon race with China. In fact, part of the USV includes an international lunar post but not publicly funded by American taxpayers. John in Hawaii asked about PISCES validating INSITU technologies, then Buzz was asked to explain his Mars cycler concept and orbits. Following this discussion, Dr. Rowe called in to raise specific human factors health concerns regarding dust issues, Moonwalker astronauts EKG results, and down the road genetic modification for long duration spaceflight and settlement. I then asked Buzz about the role of space tourism in his vision as well as the need for SLS. Dr. Paul Deer called in from Cambridge in the UK to ask Buzz about risk taking. Listeners emailed Buzz about the proposed NASA asteroid retrieval mission which Buzz said was a distraction. Don’t miss his comments on this issue. Another listener wanted to know why Phobos rather than Mars. We talked about the ILDC and the concept of the international lunar base as a stepping stone for going on to Mars. We also talked about more uses for the ISS, including inflatables, to support the USV. Near the end of the show, John called Buzz to inquire about the space exploration contribution to student7 youth inspiration, STEM, and science development. Buzz confirmed all of these as beneficiaries of space exploration and development. I urge you to read this book and check back at the Buzz Aldrin website for updates and book/USV related projects.
If you have comments/questions from this show, please post them on The Space Show blog above.
The John Batchelor Show Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-8-13 May 9, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: : John Batchelor, citizen science flights, Dr. Charles Lurio, John Batchelor Hotel Mars, space tourism, spaceports, SpaceShipTwo, suborbital space, Virgin Galactic
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The John Batchelor Show Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-8-13
Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Charles Lurio, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, suborbital spaceflight, space tourism. 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. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce. 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 minute plus discussion with Dr. Charles Lurio, editor of The Lurio Report (www.thelurioreport.com), we discussed the recent powered test flight for SpaceShipTwo, space tourism and Virgin Galactic, the suborbital space industry, Virgin’s competition, and spaceports. Our discussion included flight profile information for SpaceShipTwo, Virgin’s pricing, and space tourism as a potential growth industry.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Sarah Cruddas, Friday, 5-3-13 May 4, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: astronomy clubs, British Interplanetary Society, China space program, commercial space, commercial space travel, ESA, Google Lunar XPrize, Inspiration Mars, Isle of Man, ISS, Kepler Space Telescope, Mars one, Sarah Cruddas, science journalism, Skylon, space leadership, Space Shuttle program, space tourism, spinoff technology, Surrey Satellite Technology, UK & European space media, UK Space Agency, UK space economy, UK space entrepreneurism, UK STEM education, Virgin Galactic, Yuri's Night
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Sarah Cruddas, Friday, 5-3-13
Guest: Sarah Cruddas. Topics: UK space development, interests, commerce, and journalism, space tourism, China, space policy. 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 Sarah Cruddas to the program to discuss space development and policy from the British perspective. Please visit her website,
http://sarahcruddas.com
for more information. During the first part of our 90 minute discussion, we talked about space policy, science, and commerce from a British perspective. Listeners asked many questions about the UK perspective on space mining via Planetary Resources, commercial satellites & Surrey Satellite Technology, plus NASA projects like the Kepler Space Telescope and the search for exoplanets. We talked with Sarah about commercial space travel/space tourism with Virgin Galactic, especially since Sir Richard Branson is British. Sarah was asked about UK entrepreneurial space ventures and the Isle of Man. Sarah also covered the last space shuttle flight at KSC. She told us it was a very emotional experience. We also talked about the British perspective on both the ISS & the Hubble Space Telescope. Listeners asked our guest about space programs, interests, and policies in Germany, France, and ESA. She told us that the UK participation in ESA was smaller than that of other countries so their space programs are less ESA-centric. Sarah was asked about HSF to Mars including Mars One and the Inspiration Mars flyby mission. Doug called in to ask about Skylon & I talked about the early space history with the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) and space planes. Returning to the topic of space tourism, she said it was too expensive for most people in the UK but there were some who have signed up and are interested in the adventure. We talked about STEM education in the UK & and compared STEM issues there to here in the States.
In our second segment, we talked about space debris or space junk. We then talked economics and UK, European, and global budget issues. Sarah made the case for the importance of continuing to invest in space and science despite these problems. Don’t miss what she had to say about space, our future, and economics. We also talked about space media and journalism in the UK & the need for the West to be in the lead in commercial space development. We spent a good part of this segment talking about the Chinese space program, plus India’s program. Other topics included N. Korean rocket launches, the Google Lunar XPrize, Yuri’s Night in the UK, and even ET’s! I asked about the popularity of astronomy& telescope clubs in her area, and the popularity of the ISS. Toward the end of our discussion, I asked our guest for a ten year perspective on space. Don’t miss Sarah’s future vision which included mining, space tourism, space junk resolution, and the growth of the Chinese space program. She talked about returning humans to the Moon – with China. She also said that people see space leadership and progress being made but that it was more likely to come from the Chinese than with we Americans.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can contact Sarah through her website or 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
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.
Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 2, Friday Afternoon, 3-22-13 March 30, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Saturn V, Cold War, Congress, Decadal Survey, Dennis Tito, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Loren Acton, fusion, Helium 3, human spaceflight, innovation, live TV from space, Mars, Moon, NASA HSF, NASA Science Mission, Neo, President Eisenhower, risk averseness., Rocky Mountain College, Saturn 1B, scientifically valuable solar system locations, space emergency jumps, Space Shuttle, space tourism, telescopes, Walter Cunningham
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Rocky Mtn. College Astronaut Panel 2, Friday Afternoon, 3-22-13
Panel 2 Video
Guests: Astronaut Panel 2: Dr. John Jurist, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Walter Cunningham, Dr. Loren Acton. Topics: Astronaut Panel 2 focused on spaceflight issues, policy, and in asking our panel members to share their space experiences with everyone. 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. 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
which is on our Vimeo private Space Show channel.
We welcomed our panel members and the live Rocky Mountain College student, professor, and community audience to our afternoon 1 hour 34 minute panel in which we focused on human spaceflight, the Saturn V, the Saturn 1B, and the Space Shuttle, along with space science, risk taking, and what each panel member thought was most valuable for scientific reasons in the solar system. We took many audience questions on a wide ranging group of topics including why spend money on space, especially in this difficult economy, solar cells, Boy Scouts and space, and what it was like to walk on the Moon.
Please post your comments and questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to email any of our panel members, you can do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.