John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13 May 16, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: : John Batchelor, Ammonia cooling loop, Atlas 5, Falcon 9. , GPS, ISS, John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Kepler Space Telescope, ULA, William Harwood
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 5-15-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2009-BWB-2013-05-15.mp3
Guests: John Batchelor, William Harwood, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: ISS ammonia repair, Kepler Space Telescope problems, GPS, Atlas 5, Falcon 9, NASA mood. 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 William (Bill) Harwood, CBS space news space reporter at the Cape, we discussed the recent ISS problems with the ammonia cooling loop and the space walk repairs, the new problems with the Kepler Space Telescope which may suggest an ending of this marvelous planet finding tool, and the ULA Atlas 5 GPS launch. I also asked Bill to compare an Atlas 5 launch to a Falcon 9 launch. As our discussion was ending, John asked Bill if he thought NASA was becoming more accepting of private space and commercial crew efforts. Bill talked about this for a few minutes, summarizing with his take of the NASA mood as a result of challenges facing the organization.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Henry Vanderbilt, Monday, 3-4-13 March 5, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " SpaceX, Comet 2012-A1, commercial space, Henry Vanderbilt, launch services, Mars, NewSpace, Planetary Defense, Space Access Conference, ULA
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Henry Vanderbilt, Monday, 3-4-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1963-BWB-2013-03-04.mp3
Guest: Henry Vanderbilt. Topics: Space Access Conference 2013 & Planetary Defense issues. 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 Henry Vanderbilt for our annual program in support of the upcoming Space Access Conference to be held in Phoenix, Arizona from April 11-13, 2013. For detailed conference information, hotel & conference registration, and for speaker and program information, please visit www.space-access.org. During the first hour of our 90 minute program, Henry described the conference, talked about many of the speakers, and the issues facing the general space industry as well as commercial space for 2013. He also talked about other national space programs and how they were moving forward with their space budgets and plans, even in the commercial space world. Near the end of the first segment, we covered the conference logistics in some detail, including registration and hotel information. All of this is available on their website.
In the second segment, Henry spoke about planetary defense issues in their latest newsletter issue. You can read this issue at www.space-access.org/updates/sau130.html. Henry went over the planetary defense issues based on the observations of Comet 2012-A1 which may be headed for Mars. He asked the question what if this comet were headed for Earth and we knew about it at least two years before reaching Earth. Could we do anything about it? He concluded that we might be able to deflect it and put forth his deflection scenarios in the newsletter and our on air discussion. For the most part, his concept makes use of hydrogen bombs exploding near the comet before it reaches Earth. The explosions heat up one side of the comet causing a sort of exhaust from the volatiles slightly changing the course of the comet. Not only will you find this to be an interesting discussion but I urge you to read his paper on the subject as he goes into detail about the energy needed, how to do it, the launch issue, etc. He said that the political and leadership issues were probably more challenging than the technical challenges.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog per above. You can email Henry about the conference or with other questions using space.access@mindspring.com. If you want to subscribe to the conference newsletters and the Space Access mailings such as the newsletter, send your request to this email address and Henry will add you to the list.
Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12 January 1, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Neil Armstrong, " SpaceX, 3 D Printing, Arianne 5, Atlas 5, Boeing CST 100, Chinese Space Program, CubeSat, Curiosity, cyber warfare, Dragon, economics, EML2 missions, entrepreneurial space, ESA, Falcon 9. , Falcon Heavy, Golden Spike, human spaceflight, IAC in Beijing, ISDC, ISS, ITAR modification, Japanese space program, Jesco von Puttkamer, liability laws, lunar base, Mars one, Messenger, MSL, NASA budget, NewSpace Business Plan Competition, North Korean space program, NSS, on orbit fuel depots, Planetary Resources, Reda Anderson, Russian launchers, sequestration, SLS, space capsules, Space Review for 2012, space robotics, Space Settlement Act of 1988, space settlement policy, space shuttles, Spaceport America, Stratolaunch, suborbital flights, Tom Olson, ULA, Virgin, Warp Drive, winged spacecraft, XCOR
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Tom Olson, Monday, 12-31-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1921-BWB-2012-12-31.mp3
2012 Year End Review & Analysis for Space Development
Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: The year 2012 is reviewed from the space perspective and we look forward to space development in 2013. 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 Tom Olson for his annual Space Show year in review analysis with a look forward to 2013 for space development. We started our discussion by remembering those in our space community that are no longer with us. We specifically mentioned three dear friends though we know that others have also left us. Our program was dedicated to Neil Armstrong, Jesco von Puttkamer, and Reda Anderson. We certainly miss our friends but space development marches on like everything else in life. A few of the early issues Tom brought up in the 2012 annual overview of space included the Falcon 9 launches and Dragon missions. He also talked about ISDC and birthing of Dragon during the keynote by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. While on the subject of SpaceX and its mission to the ISS, Paul sent in a question asking if SpaceX dropping out of the Stratolauncher project indicated that perhaps they had “bitten off more than they could chew.” Tom and I have no inside information about SpaceX and Stratolaunch but we both thought that Paul’s comment was reasonable as SpaceX is certainly busy enough with game changing projects & technology. Cubesats were discussed given their rise in popularity and importance in 2012. It seems as if their potential is more than on the rise! Cubesat growth also cuts across many diverse space industry segments and niche markets. Bev asked about the future of 3-D printing and its potential impact on future human spaceflight (HSF). 3-D printing is certainly experiencing space industry growth & there will soon be a small 3-D printer on the ISS. Heavy lift came up and much was said about the Falcon Heavy and SLS, both looking back over 2012 & forward to 2013.
In our second segment, I asked if fuel depots would evolve from the Power Point & rhetoric stage to something more tangible in 2013. We talked about depots as many of the projects announced in 2012 use depot technology to enable their plan. Tom talked about warp drive becoming more possible due to the 2012 work of Dr. Sonny White. Dr. White will be a guest on The Space Show Friday, January 4, 2013. Tom next brought up NASA budget issues & possible cuts. He talked about science mission cuts, the JWST, and on the HSF side, SLS eating up much of the budget with commercial crew still needing funding. I asked Tom how he thought space advocacy made out during 2012. Mixed was a one word summary of this discussion. Next, we talked about space settlement being made part of the U.S. space policy in 2013. Tom went over the pros & cons surrounding this effort. Doug called in about space settlement & I referred him to earlier programs with Steve Wolfe who authored the Space Settlement Act of 1988 which is part of public law. Tom said space settlement was SLS dependent & that makes the potential policy controversial to many space enthusiasts since many oppose SLS. Tom said 2012 was a good year for new commercial space grandiose missions such as Golden Spike, Planetary Resources, Mars One, a lunar base, Shackleton Energy, even EML2 missions. He kept asking the questions regarding objectives, who pays, the reasons for the missions, and more. He said most of these missions rely on some form of large launcher, either the Falcon Heavy SLS. Tom talked about ITAR reform that has been signed by both houses of Congress & is applicable to the U.S. satellite industry. Human rating of the Atlas came up for a 2012 progress report, then Dave in San Antonio inquired about cyber warfare & the space industry in 2012 & the future. 2012 marked the year the space shuttles went on display in museums & Tom talked about the Russian space program investments for modernization over the coming decade. He also talked about other national space programs. Near the end of our program, we brought up the Spaceport America liability issue & the risks facing the New Mexico spaceport. Tom updated us for 2013 on the NewSpace Business Plan Competition & his work with the Exodus Group for space business consulting.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Tom through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
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.
Doug Jones, Sunday, 4-22-12 April 23, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 3D printers, citizen science research projects., Doug Jones, engine burn times, ITAR, Lynx flight test program, Lynx MK 1, Lynx MK2, Lynx MK3, nonburnite tank, piston pump, Planetary Resources, pressure pump, rocket racer, Rotary Rocket, seat lifter, space suits, Space X, thermal fatigue, thermodynamic equilibrium, ULA, XCOR
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Doug Jones, Sunday, 4-22-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1757-BWB-2012-04-22.mp3
Guest: Doug Jones. Topics: XCOR Aerospace and the Lynx. 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 Doug Jones to the program to update us on XCOR Aerospace, the Lynx suborbital vehicle, rocket engines, and more. Doug is a co-founder of XCOR. You can find out more about the company at their website, www.xcor.com. Doug started us off with a brief history of XCOR from the beginning to today. After this historical overview, I brought up an email question from Andy in the UK about a scaled up version of the Lynx engine for a version of ULA’s Centaur upper space or space tug. Doug had much to say about the ULA space tug idea in response to the listener question. Doug then talked about the Lynx suborbital vehicle and the various versions of it, the Mark 1, Mark 2, and Mark 3. He was asked if XCOR was planning to do anything with the newly announced Planetary Resources venture yet to be described. He did say there were ways XCOR could be supportive of some aspects of a deep space mission. Doug addressed crew exit from the Lynx and described the seat lifter, using a parachute, and the exit strategy plus Lynx training before the flight. Near the end of the first segment, Tony asked about Doug’s earlier comments regarding the nonburnite tank and Harry inquired about different pricing for the various Lynx vehicle versions.
We opened the second segment with a call from Jon in Jersey City regarding manufacturing and pricing targets with Space X as well as relating to XCOR. Doug talked about production lines and more or less mass producing parts for the benefit of commodity pricing. Bill from Virginia sent in a note asking about the relationship of test burn times to an operational flight with much longer burn times. He wondered if short test burn times for the engines and systems was enough. We also talked about the flight test program and backup vehicles. Tony called in and wanted to know about the possibility of bringing back the Rotary Rocket engine. Doug had some interesting comments on this issue. The flight test program came up again and our guest provided us with a basic idea of how the test program would unfold. ITAR was a big subject in this segment as were several listener questions dealing with piston and pressure pumps for XCOR engines. Toward the end, we talked about spacesuits, 3D printers, vertical integration for manufacturing, and the Lynx serving as a space taxi vehicle, not a rental car. This latter point was made when Doug was asked about independent operators buying and flying the Lynx as compared to XCOR flying and operating the Lynx.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.
Doug Messier, Tuesday, 4-12-12 April 18, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Ares V, Atlas, CCDEV3, Centaur, China and the ISS, Constellation, Delta, Douglas Messier, Dragon, Dream Chaser, Falcon 9. , global warming & NASA scientists, ISS, Lynx, Mojave Air and Spaceport, NASA, ParabolicArc.com Space Access Society conference, RLV technology, SLS, Soyuz, space policy, Space Studies Institute, Space X, suborbital, ULA, Virgin drop tests, XCOR
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Doug Messier, Tuesday, 4-12-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1754-BWB-2012-04-17.mp3
Guest: DouglasMessier. Topics: Parabolic Arc & space news, SAS conference, suborbitals, and more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed back Doug Messier who is the Managing Editor of www.parabolicarc.com which is an excellent space news and information blog. We started our discussion with Doug seeking his thoughts on the recently held Space Access Society Conference in Phoenix, AZ last weekend. Doug told us what he thought were the highlights of the conference and referenced comments made by Jim Muncy several times during our discussion. We talked about the coming Space X launch at the end of this month, some about SSP satellites, and other company plans discussed at the conference. Doug fielded a few listener questions about interviewing people in the space industry, especially NewSpace, wanting to know what he does when he is given obvious spin by the person being interviewed.
In the second 45 minute segment, Doug took questions about Shuttle Discovery flying one more time around the Cape on the 747 on its way to Dulles Airport and the Smithsonian Museum. Also mentioned were the reported comments of former Discovery astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher to a boy watching the shuttle on the 747 advising him to “Study Russian.” He talked about the transition from shuttle to whatever comes next and both of us commented that the transition seemed mismanaged. Another listener asked him about human rating the Atlas and Delta and he said it was underway. A listener wanted to know if the 2012 first quarter had presented him with any surprises regarding space. John in Atlanta called in for a comprehensive discussion from SRB usage to a mini shuttle, Dream Chaser, separate vehicles for cargo and crew, first stage recovery for reusability, and more. Doug talked some more about the XCOR Lynx, possible Russian plans to enlarge the Soyuz, and he took a question on possible Chinese ISS missions. Ron from Queens called in with Dream Chaser and Stratolaunch questions. Doug talked about the Mojave Air and Spaceport and we learned that the Mojave group had offered some consulting to Spaceport America in New Mexico but it had been rejected. This brought up a discussion about crosswinds and other runway issues at Spaceport America. I repeated some of the news I talked about last year which was published in both the print and online edition of the Albuquerque Journal. One of the articles on this from 1/16/11 is at www.abqjournal.com/news/state/1623176state01-16-11.htm but you may need to be a subscriber to view this article. Terry inquired about CCDEV3 (we know it has a new name) and was hoping at least 2-3 companies would be selected. Doug, Terry, and I agreed that competition was important. Tim called from Huntsville & we got distracted by his questions about the 50 NASA astronauts writing a letter challenging NASA science on global warming & the NASA response. This discussion was more about civility rather than global warming. Also, there were some garbled words in the recording in this segment so I had to delete what could not be understood. You will find three such edits in this particular discussion & I do apologize for this. There is about 2 seconds of silence with each edit. Near the end, Terry sent us the link to a SpacePolicyOnline.com article about the Senate subcommittee adding more money to the Mars program and cutting about $305 million from commercial crew. See www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/senate-subcommittee-adds-100-million-for-mars-missions for details.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog URL above.
Dr. Jeff Bell, Monday, 2-20-12 February 21, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Phobos Grunt Mission, Anatoly Zak, Bob Zubrin, Chinese Space Program, Curiosity, Delta 2 program, Dr. Jeff Bell, Dragon, EELV, Falcon, human spaceflight, ISS, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Kepler Space Telescope, Lavochkin, low cost space access, lunar settlement, Mars Polar Lander, MSL, NASA science missions, National Lab, NewSpace, Phobos 88, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Russian management, Russian space industry, Sergei Korolev., Soyuz, Space Launch System (SLS)., Space X, Stratolaunch, ULA
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Dr. Jeff Bell, Monday, 2-20-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1717-BWB-2012-02-20.mp3
Guest: Dr. Jeff Bell. Topics: Dr. Bell’s assessment of NASA, the science missions, human spaceflight, the Russian space problems, & Phobos-Grunt conspiracy theories. 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 Dr. Jeff Bell back to the program for his assessment of space today in theUnited States, along with the problems facing the Russian space industry and the Phobos-Grunt conspiracy theories as to why the mission failed. Those familiar with Dr. Bell and his Space Show programs will not be disappointed as this two hour plus discussion is vintage Jeff Bell. Dr. Bell started with an assessment of the problems over the last year and half or so with the Russian space industry and its management. Jeff does a good job of summarizing their history of manufacturing, technology, and engineering problems going back to the time of Sergei Korolev. He also shares with us his experiences working with the Russians on the Phobos 88 mission. He said typical characteristics of Russian missions leading to problems include being too ambitious, costly for their budgets, and the labor allocated to the projects. He suggested that we in theU.S. do the same thing and cited MSL and Curiosity as an example. He had much to say about the early Soviet Venus probes and how their data was widely discounted outside of theSoviet Union. He then said Space X might be overextending and he cited several ongoing Space X projects which might distract from their primary mission at hand which is to get Falcon and Dragon operational. Listeners asked about the Russian problems driving customers away from doing business withRussia in favor of ULA in theU.S. Here, Dr. Bell had much to say about ULA pricing, overhead costs without NASA sharing them, and more. He also mentioned what was happening to Delta 2 given the GPS system needing larger rockets as an example of the impact of government policy/spending in space industries. Dr. Bell turned to the latest Phobos-Grunt conspiracy theories for the mission failure. At the end of this segment, Dr. Bell talked about the JWST & Curiosity in terms of overly complex and costly missions.
In the second segment, Jeff talked about the Newt space policy suggestions and the idea of the Moon as the 51st state. He had much to say about the ridicule in the media and was not surprised by it. He used this as an example to say reality “conflicts with the space cadet world view.” In talking about Mars missions, he said people had been conned by the Mars theory of life stories and promoters. He said that Mars and HSF were not worth it. Several listeners called in to debate Jeff on these comments but Jeff took no prisoners. He then talked about the ISS and its less than full utilization and that the entire idea of HSF had come and gone. At one point in response to a listener question/comment, Dr. Bell said that all Zubrin offered was a 60′s program! Jeff did have good things to say about the science and robotic missions, said our planet exploration would be with robots, not humans, and that we needed more missions like the Kepler Space Telescope. He repeated throughout the discussion that nothing useful has come form HSF nor would it. He offered that the basic technology was from the70′s and had not changed. He said overall interest in space had declined since Apollo. In his closing comments, he said he was still hopeful that NewSpace would decrease the launch costs as that would be a game changer.
If you have questions/comments for Dr. Jeff Bell, post them on The Space Show blog URL above.
