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
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2010-BWB-2013-05-17.mp3
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, 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 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.
Space Show 2000th Program & 12th Anniversary Tribute, Tuesday, 5-7-13 May 8, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, American space leadership, Chinese Space Program, commercial space, human spaceflight, library archives, NASA, NASA science missions, NewSpace, public/private partnerships, searchable academic research focused database., space education, space policy, STEM, The Space Show, U.S. economy
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Space Show 2000th Program & 12th Anniversary Tribute, Tuesday, 5-7-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2004-BWB-2013-05-07.mp3
Guests: Dr. John Jurist and Dr. Doug Plata served as co-hosts. Topics: This program honored The Space Show for its more than 2,000 programs and its upcoming 12th anniversary. 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.
This Space Show program stands out among all Space Show programs as it honors The Space Show for having passed the 2,000 program mark plus the upcoming 12th anniversary of the program later this month. Dr. Plata and Dr. John Jurist organized this program, much of which was a surprise to me. Dr. Plata set up a special tribute email address, honordrspace@gmail.com and they both contacted guests and listeners for their comments on the program and what they believe The Space Show has meant to them, the space world, and to our space development efforts. Our 1 hour 47 minute program was in two segments but this summary will not be divided by segment as topics overlapped one another. Dr. Jurist asked me lots of questions about how the program started, how it has changed over the years, how the audience has changed, and how I’ve changed. After asking one or two questions and getting my long winded responses, Dr. Plata read some great emails sent in by guests and listeners. This was the format for the entire program. Honestly, I was really surprised by the comments, the statements of support and meaning for The Space Show and by those of you that took time from your busy schedules to say a few words about the program. It was a very humbling experience for me and I am glad it was an audio only program rather a webinar as I was really moved by the outpouring of support for the program and me. Doug did not have time to read all the emails that came in but we intend to post them to the blog and will continue posting them to the blog as they come in. Please use the special email address above but for those of you that use the regular program address, I will copy and post them to the blog as well. John asked lots of questions about the economic impact on space, both here and around the world, about private space, NASA, human spaceflight, and such. I spoke about public/private partnerships, the need, in my opinion, for American leadership in science and space, and why. We also took phone calls from listeners wanting to comment on this special Space Show program. As our program was drawing to a close, John asked me about library quality archives for research with a truly searchable, interactive academic data base. We talked about this, what it might take to do it given the number and average length of Space Show programs. If any of you have actual library, research and multimedia academic catalog search experience, we would like to hear from you to find out about creating a truly researchable, academic Space Show catalog/library. If you have that type of specialized experience, please contact me using drspace@thespaceshow.com. Perhaps we will create a funding mechanism to create the library for our archived programs and new programs coming up.
We welcome your comments/questions and more so post them on The Space Show blog. I look forward to many more years with The Space Show, to continuing to provide a civil and credible forum for the discussion of all perspectives and points of view, and to give a voice to many of you that have much to say but are without a microphone. This program was number 2,004 and as I said on the air, the program would not exist without you the listeners and with you the guests who so freely give of your time to help us all learn more about space, science, and all that we talk about and share on The Space Show. Thank you very much and as I said on the show and as many of you said as well, the next 2,000 shows will be even more valuable to us all than the first 2,000! The Space Show only exists because of you the listeners and you the guests. I never lose sight of that. I never will.
Tribute emails are posted here: Space Show Tribute Emails
John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-1-13 May 2, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, : John Batchelor, Antares, Cots, Dr. Jeff Foust, Falcon 9. , John Batchelor Hotel Mars, NASA, Orbital Sciences, Orion, private space, Virgin Galactic
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-1-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2000-BWB-2013-05-01.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Jeff Foust, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: The Antares Orbital Sciences launch, COTS & 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. 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. Jeff Foust, editor of The Space Review, we discussed the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket, the COTS program, private sector markets, SpaceX and Falcon 9, NASA, Virgin Galactic’s successful powered demo flight, and much more. It’s a jam packed almost 12 minute segment.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Jerry L. Ross, Tuesday, 4-30-13 May 1, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, "Spacewalker: My Journey In Space And Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer, astronaut training, B1 Bomber testing., Columbia, Constellation, Dragon, faith, ISS, Jerry Ross, liquid rocket motors, MIR, Moon, NASA, on orbit construction, Orion, private space vehicles, SLS, space leadership, space policy, Space Shuttle, space vehicle testing, spacewalks, SRBs, suborbital
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Jerry L. Ross, Tuesday, 4-30-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1999-BWB-2013-04-30.mp3
Guest: Jerry L. Ross. Topics: “Spacewalker: My Journey In Space And Faith as NASA’s Record-Setting Frequent Flyer,” HSF safety, NASA & 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 retired astronaut Jerry L. Ross to our program to discuss his new book, “Spacewalker: My Journey In Space And Faith as NASA’s Record-Setting Frequent Flyer,” space policy and leadership, HSF safety, and much more. If you buy his book which I recommend, use this Amazon link as Amazon will make a donation to The Space Show/One Giant Leap Foundation: www.amazon.com/Spacewalker-Journey-Space-Record-Setting-Frequent/dp/1557536317/ref=onegiantlea20. Please visit Jerry’s website for more information, www.jerrylross.com. During the first segment of our 90 minute program, Mr. Ross spoke about the Space Shuttle & retirement, Constellation, returning to the Moon, going BLEO, the ISS, and his test flights on the B1 bomber. This led us to talking about the safety test program used by NASA, the B1, and the private spaceships. I asked if NASA was overkill in this area and if the privates would be able to engage in comprehensive flight safety testing with programs radically different from those NASA has used. You do not want to miss this discussion, especially when I asked about the complexities of the B1 as compared to a spaceship. We talked about SLS, Orion, & Inspiration Mars which Jerry supports. In response to an email from Becky, we talked about the NASA astronauts, the fact that there are more astronauts than flight opportunities, and the current situation for NASA astronauts. Our guest mentioned two year training missions and when I inquired about that time period, we learned that it included learning Russian, training with ESA, Japanese, Canadian, and Russian hardware and more. Jerry was asked if he rode on a Soyuz. He said no but was in a Soyuz and talked about his going on board MIR.
In our second segment, we started out asking him about faith which is part of the subtitle of his book. Here again our guest had much to say so listen carefully to this discussion. As Jerry was part of the team that recovered debris from the Columbia accident, I asked him about it. He told us about his experience in learning about the disaster, crew families and more. This is a first hand accounting of getting the news and working with the families and the people involved in finding the debris. Another topic discussed was on orbit construction, mainly with the private companies. Jerry talked about this at length given his work in establishing how to do it for the ISS and actually doing multiple missions making and assembling parts in space. We also talked about gender differences in these space walks. Toward the end of our discussion, space leadership came up as did missions and goals. The shuttle thermal tiles were discussed and he referenced tile damage on his Atlantis flight which was the third flight after Challenger. This was an amazing story and luck was really shining on the Atlantis crew.
If you have comments/questions, please post them on The Space Show blog.
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.
Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13 April 2, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Saturn V, " SpaceX, Areas 5, Ares 1, Atlas 5, Bigelow, boosters, chemical propulsion, commercial space, Constellation, cubesats, Delta 4, electric propulsion, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, fuel depots, GEO orbital satellites, Golden Spike, high speed rail, human spaceflight, hybrid rocket engines, Inspiration Mars, international space venture cooperation, liquid rocket engines, lunar space elevator., NACA, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NewSpace, North Korean rockets, nuclear propulsion, public/private partnerships, Robert Sackheim, robotic missions, rocket propulsion, Russian rocket engines, satellite propulsion, SLS, solid rocket boosters, space advocacy, Space Shuttle, space tourism, spaceports, SSP, TRW Corp.
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Robert Sackheim, Monday, 4-1-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1986-BWB-2013-04-01.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Sackheim. Topics: Commercial space, propulsion, U.S. space policy & more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed Robert Sackheim to the program to discuss NASA, commercial space, the current state of rocket propulsion and advancements in the field. During our first segment of this 1 hour 47 minute discussion, Mr. Sackheim talked about his background and experience at TRW, NASA MSFC, and his current consulting. I asked him several questions about the current state of rocket propulsion. Bob had much to say about this, focusing on chemical rocket propulsion, satellite propulsion, electric propulsion, and the need for nuclear propulsion. He talked about booster rockets, various rocket stages and their propulsion, rocket engines, and even SRBs. Several questions came in asking him if we had the current technology for HSF to Mars or even the Inspiration Mars flyby mission talked about so much in the recent press. Listeners wanted to know if our current levels of propulsion were up to the task. After a rather thorough propulsion discussions, Bob turned to commercial space, lowering total space mission costs, regulatory policy, and commercial spaceports. He also talked about budget issues and raised the question a few times as to why ten NASA centers were needed given their often overlapping, competitive, and duplicate work.
In our second segment, commercial space took the lead with a discussion on public/private partnerships & the belief that Americans can do anything if we set our mind to it, including space travel. Of course here the problem as we know lies in leadership and today it appears that leadership in space & other areas is sparse at best. Bob then focused on geo satellites and the increasing development and capabilities applicable to cubesats. HSF came up for discussion as did the robotic missions. You might be surprised by what our guest had to say about HSF. Other issues in this segment included the lunar space elevator, the congressional and NASA track record in canceling ongoing projects & taking lessons from history, SSP, & ways to reform & move NASA forward. Bob spoke about evolving toward the old NACA model. I asked about the impact of space advocacy from his perspective given his leadership experience and past positions in leading organizations and projects. We also asked him about space tourism and hybrid rocket engines. He had much to say about hybrids, don’t miss the discussion. Bob talked about the Falcon rockets, testing including static fire tests, and SRBs as related to the Constellation project and safety. Toward the end, our guest was asked about NewSpace, fuel depots, & cryo transfer. For closing comments, he talked about commercial space being the way to go & the path to our space future.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Mr. Sackheim through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Tuesday, 3-26-13 March 27, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Falcon 9 launches, " SpaceX, "Genesis, Antares launch vehicle, Apollo 8, Ariane 5 & 6, Bigelow Aerospace, caving, commercial space, fuel depots, fusion rocket., Golden Spike, human factors for long duration spaceflight, ILS, Inspiration Mars, Iranian rockets, launch market, NASA HSF, NASA public outreach, NASA science missions, NASA Sequestration, North Korean rockets, Orbital Sciences, Proton rocket, reusable launch systems, RLV demand, RLV economics, Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Sarah Brightman & ISS, Senator Rubio, space markets, spaceports, Stratolaunch, suborbital flight., The Story of Apollo 8, Virgin Galactic powered test flights
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Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Tuesday, 3-26-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1981-BWB-2013-03-26.mp3
Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: Space news, company updates, and 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 welcomes Bob Zimmerman back for a two hour wide ranging discussion on space news, company updates, sequestration, policy, and more. Be sure to check out his blog, http://behindtheblack.com. Bob started out talking about the e-book release of his book, “Genesis, The Story of Apollo 8.” He then talked about the upcoming Falcon 9 launches, their importance and significance. Bob mentioned ILS and the Proton rocket which is having its problems causing insurance rates to rise. He said the Russians will absorb all insurance cost increases to keep Proton at a price advantage point. This opened the door to a discussion about SpaceX and price competiveness in the launch industry. Bob switched gears to the suborbitals and said we should be seeing Virgin powered tests soon. He also talked about Stratolaunch per a recent Parabolic Arc article. Bob was talking reusability and the RLV so I asked him if he was aware of economic analysis and data that was not supportive of an RLV short of a substantial increase in launch demand. Bob had much to say about this with his opinion. The RLV economic issue continued to be discussed in both segments of our program. Tim called in about it as well. We talked about Sen. Rubio and his budget amendment suggesting NASA divest itself of unused assets & use the saved money for commercial space. Bob then brought up sequestration and the announcement that NASA will be shutting down all public outreach but they will keep their PR arm going for their projects and missions. We also mentioned Sarah Brightman and both her ISS and Virgin space tourism efforts. Near the close of this segment, Inspiration Mars was discussed and as you will hear, Bob is skeptical, citing human factors & other reasons for his opinion. Larry asked about North Korean rockets and threats to the U.S. west coast. Bob said he took them seriously though their rocket was not yet ready for prime time. Bob also threw in Iranian rockets and threats and said he was more concerned about advances by Iran than N. Korea at this time.
In segment two, we talked about both the science side of NASA and the HSF side. I’m sure you will find the comparison and mission summaries of interest. John called in from Atlanta to raise yet again the question of reusability. He thought it would be enhanced with the use of orbiting fuel depots. Bob was skeptical. Don’t miss this discussion. I asked both Bob and John about Inspiration Mars, Jim emailed in a comment about Falcon 1 relative to comments being made by Bob, and we talked about the upcoming Orbital Sciences Antares launch. We got into the subject of risk taking and Bob and I talked about mining risks as well as caving risks. As Bob is an accomplished caver, he had much to say about both mining and caving. Near the end, we got a call about various spaceports in different states and spaceport commercial success so far. Bob concluded saying that we are in an unstable world which could absolutely adversely impact all aspects of space and commercial space development and progress.
Please post your comments on The Space Show blog.
Michael Paul, Penn St. Lunar Lion, Monday, 3-25-13 March 26, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Mercury, " SpaceX, : Michael Paul, Curiosity, frugal space design, GLXP education outreach, GLXP film documentation, Google Lunar X-Prize, JWST, lunar communications, lunar hopper, lunar landing sites, Lunar Lion, lunar mission, Messenger, NASA, oversight & review., Penn State, sample return, secondary payloads
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Michael Paul, Penn St. Lunar Lion, Monday, 3-25-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1980-BWB-2013-03-25.mp3
Guest: Michael Paul. Topics: The Penn State Google Lunar X Prize entry, the Lunar Lion. 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 Michael Paul to the program, the leader of the Penn State Google Lunar X Prize team, the Lunar Lion. For more information, visit their team website, http://lunarlion.psu.edu. Michael brings to the table his experience with NASA and the Applied Physics Lab at John Hopkins as he was the spacecraft systems engineer for the NASA Messenger mission. During the first segment of our 95 minute program, Michael talked about the Lunar Lion project. We discussed launch contracts and vehicles, secondary payloads, landing sites, hoppers as opposed to rovers, and what happens to the hardware at the end of the mission. We talked about the Penn State students working on the project and listeners and I asked questions about his experiences on Messenger being applied to a GLXP project. The listeners seemed to think this was a step or two down but listen to how Michael explained lessons learned and applications to the Lunar Lion project. We also talked about funding for their project and that if they win, the money goes to Penn State to endow further space related research and students. We also had a treat in the first segment in that Michael’s 10 year old son was with him. We invited him to the program and it appears we may have a future space guru in the making!
In the second segment, we talked about space education and general audience space enthusiasm and awareness given Michael’s public talks. He had some interesting comments and experiences to share with us. We also talked about potential regulations adversely impacting their mission, sample returns, lunar activities and such. Charles called to talk about up and downstream communications and the use of lasers. Spacecraft quality control was another issue along with the development of commercial tools for a much broader application than the Penn State GLXP entry. He also mentioned efficiency in spacecraft design and management but used the term, “a frugal approach.” He explained the difference between frugal and efficiency in terms of spacecraft design & management. As our program ended, we talked about thermal protection, radiation hardening, film and space subjects and topics. Our final topic was oversight and 3rd party eyes on their project for review & quality control.
Post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email our guest through the Lunar Lion website or derspace@thespaceshow.com.
Janet Stevens, National Space Symposium, Thursday, 3-14-13 March 15, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, budget issues, Colorado Springs, commercial space, human spaceflight, Janet Stevens, NASA, National Space Symposium, sequestration, Space Foundation, space pioneering., space policy, The Space Report 2012, USAF Space Command., Young Space Professionals
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Janet Stevens, National Space Symposium, Thursday, 3-14-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1973-BWB-2013-03-14.mp3
Guest: Janet Stevens. Topic: The National Space Symposium sponsored by the Space Foundation, Colorado Springs, CO. 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 Ms. Janet Stevens to the program, the Space Foundation’s marketing and PR program manager for a discussion about the upcoming National Space Symposium to be held in Colorado Springs from April 8-11, 2013. For more information about the National Space Symposium, please visit www.nationalspacesymposium.org/top-reasons-to-attend. For additional information regarding the Space Foundation, visit www.spacefoundation.org. We started our one hour discussion with Ms. Stevens by addressing the 29th National Space Symposium, its history, relevancy to everything we do in space, the program agenda, some of the keynote speakers and events, plus the conference location and registration information, all of which is available online on the conference website. Ms. Stevens talked about the broad reach of this particular conference/symposium, including a significant international support both in the form of attendance but in speakers and programming. We also talked about the constraints on NASA and other government agencies this year as a result of sequestration & how each department and government organization seems to be handling the very tight money situation. Janet highlighted the agenda starting the first day with the Cyber 1.3 programming followed by the opening events for the conference at the end of the day. Use the conference website for a full description of the daily agenda, the main speakers and their bios, plus the general discussion topics that will be addressed during the program. Listeners asked logistic and registration questions and one person even wanted to know the reason for Sigourney Weaver serving as the gala event speaker. In addition to her work in space and sci-fi related films, Ms. Weaver is also engaged in education outreach which is a main focus of the Space Foundation. Janet talked about the Space Report 2012 which is available from their online store, www.nationalspacesymposium.org/about/space-foundation-online-store. For those interested in attending, note that today is the day Early Bird Registration ends so best to register at the lower price today, Friday, 3-15-13, if at all possible. Other related topics address commercial space which is now about 70% of total space revenue. We also talked about the excellent networking opportunities with the top people speaking and attending plus the Exhibit Hall which as you will hear is second to none.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. For National Space Symposium information, you can send your questions via their website using www.nationalspacesymposium.org/about/contact-us.
