Dr. Jack O. Burns, Tuesday, 7-14-15 July 15, 2015
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo, Cislunar space, Cold War, commercial lunar drivers, commercial lunar missions, cubesats, Dr. Jack Burns, farside of the Moon observatory, International lunar space policy, lunar mission costs., lunar robotic missions, lunar secondary mission launches, lunar water ice, Mars, Orion lunar missions, Return to the Moon, scientific lunar drivers, space exploration drivers, The Dark Ages Radio Explorer (DARE), The Global Exploration Roadmap, the Moon, U.S. space policy
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Dr. Jack O. Burns, Tuesday, 7-14-15
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2507-BWB-2015-07-14.mp3
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Guest: Dr. Jack Burns. Topics: Lunar missions, lunar policy, lunar commerce, public-private partnerships, international lunar policy. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience.
We welcomed Dr. Jack Burns to the program to discuss lunar policy, public and commercial missions, the international momentum for going to the Moon and more. During the first segment of the 1 hour 23 minute show, Dr. Burns responded to my initial question as to why we have not returned to the Moon since Apollo ended. He provided us with a comprehensive overview going back to the Cold War period, our technology readiness level at the time, the costs involved in going to the Moon, and much more. He also talked about the unique drivers at the time for space, drivers which don’t exist today. We then discussed today’s drivers for both public and private/commercial programs along with today’s economic and technology readiness level. Don’t miss his analysis. Dr. Burns did say (several times during our discussion) that international support for lunar missions, both robotic and human, was growing. He also referred to The Global Exploration Roadmap (www.nasa.gov/pdf/591067main_GER_2011_small_single.pdf) several times during the discussion. Later, lunar exploration was discussed and Dr. Burns talked about scientific drivers and the stepping stone concept. He said the Moon was a crucial stepping stone to other solar system projects and destinations. Listener Jerry sent in a note based on the YouTube video of our guest about using the Moon for the exploration of the cosmos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BrhYOaAkko). Dr. Burns took time to describe his DARE project (The Dark Ages Radio Explorer). For information on this project, see http://lunar.colorado.edu/dare/mission.html. Listeners asked our guest to explain why the lunar farside was so good for communication and various arrays. Don’t miss his explanation. Later in the segment we talked about cislunar space, Orion missions, timelines, and even lunar communication latency. We also talked about Mars missions and at one point our guest said going to Mars without first learning things on the Moon increases risk for the mission and those going to Mars. Doug called with a series of comments, then BJohn asked why lunar landings were so rare (from his perspective).
In the second segment, Catherine asked Dr. Burns for his top three science missions and commercial mission were he in charge of lunar policy. After Dr. Burns responded to Catherine’s question, Connie wanted to know about new theories on how the Moon was created. BJohn asked about the launcher selected for the DARE project plus other lunar related propulsion and primary/secondary payload requirements. I asked Jack about the use of cubesats in lunar missions and just how it important was it for the general public to support a return to the Moon policy. Doug called to take issue with the missions Dr. Burns preferred because they would essentially eat up the budget leaving little or nothing for missions that Doug preferred. This led to a budget and choice discussion, then I chimed in with a minor rant from an economic perspective about using public money better so we did not have to make choices regarding this or that mission or project. I ranted on about the difference in an expense and investment at the federal level. I admitted to this being my space cadet fantasy as I know we are not headed for economic deployment as I wished for in my comments. Don’t miss the final questions of the program and the concluding comments offered by Dr. Burns.
Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can reach Dr. Burns through his university websites or me.
Al Globus, Sunday, 7-12-15 July 13, 2015
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 2004 super flare event from a magnetar named SGR 1806–20, active shielding, Al Globus, artificial gravity spin rate, Biosphere 2, Free Space Settlement, LEO space settlement, radiation, radiation over the equator, radiation shielding, space debris issues., space hotels, space mining, space settlement, space solar power, space tourism, U.S. space policy
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Al Globus, Sunday, 7-12-15
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2505-BWB-2015-07-12.mp3
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Guest: Al Globus; Topics: Space settlement in LEO and radiation over the equator. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience.
We welcomed back Al Globus to discuss his plan for LEO space settlement about 500 km above the equator to minimize radiation, shielding, and to improve the mass ratios to make settlement easier than in other locations. During the first segment of our 1 hour 49 minute program, Al put forth his hypothesis that radiation over the equator was very light meaning that any space settlement would need minimal shielding or possibly no shielding. This vastly improved the economics of developing and resupplying the settlement given its close proximity to Earth and the lower mass needed for the settlement and transportation. This would be a “free space settlement” meaning it would be in orbit. During this segment and the entire program, Al explained the radiation issues but you should read his paper on the subject, “Space Settlement the Easy Way.” You can find this paper at http://space.alglobus.net/presentations/Easy.pdf. Al spent lots of time explaining the radiation issues and talking about the initial settlements which may not have an economic purpose. Al did go into the technical side of the radiation issues and his analysis for this location so don’t miss what he had to say about it plus as I suggested above, be sure to read his paper. Later in the segment, he brought up space tourism and space hotels as a type of initial space settlement but one that would pave the way for actual settlements in LEO. In the end, Al said that a LEO settlement is an easier way to get started with space settlement but stated many times that even a LEO space settlement above the equator would be challenging. He did get several listener emails, some of which challenged his radiation analysis and the idea that little or no shielding would be necessary. Al was also asked about space exploration but he was very clear that he was focused on space settlement.
In the second segment, we talked space policy, the U.S. congress and even the issue of space debris removal. Marshal called to talk about radiation shelters from solar storms, Alexander wanted to know more about space solar power. Adrian sent in a series of notes challenging Al and using the December 2004 Magnetar event. Al was not familiar with it. I inquired of the listeners to tell us what happened to the ISS during the event. After the show, I got a follow up note from Adrian regarding the event and the ISS: “Thanks to the magnetar’s great distance, the super flare posed no threat to humanity or Earth’s biosphere. The International Space Station was on the opposite side of Earth when the flare hit our planet, but even if the astronauts had faced the full fury of the blast, they would have received a radiation dose less than a dental X-ray. An SGR super flare’s pulse of high-energy radiation could seriously damage a planet’s atmosphere only if it occurred within about 6 light-years, according to Adrian L. Melott (University of Kansas)” See more at:www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/the-brightest-blast/#sthash.VvmrtqKH.dpuf & www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/the-brightest-blast. I believe the point Adrian was trying to make was that no shielding even for a LEO settlement above the equator leaves the occupants w/o protection in case of an unexpected radiation related event. To this point, Al spent some time talking about risk and risk taking. Toward the end of the program, Al brought up the subject of space mining, Biosphere 2, and the size of the space station. During the show he also talked about artificial gravity and increased spin rates for people at 4-6 RPMs.
Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can reach Al through his website, www.alglobus.net.
Dr. Paul Spudis, Sunday, 1-26-14 January 27, 2014
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: American Exceptionalism, ASRG., Chinese lunar lander, Chinese Space Program, cislunar commercial value, Cislunar economic development, cislunar opportunities, Clementine, Dr. Paul Spudis, Dryden NASA Center, Earth-Mars space, Hugh Dryden, ISS, LCROSS., lunar ice characteristics, military space, NASA, NewSpace, polar ice, Sir Richard Branson, SLS, space entrepreneurs, space taxation, space tourism, U.S. lunar policy, U.S. space policy, Virgin Galactic, weapons in space
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Dr. Paul Spudis, Sunday, 1-26-14
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2173-BWB-2014-01-26.mp3
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Guest: Dr. Paul Spudis. Topics: Space policy, cislunar development, The Moon, Clementine & more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.
We welcomed Dr. Spudis back to the show for this 1 hour 54 minute wide ranging discussion on space policy, lunar activities, the Chinese space program, SLS, weapons in space, military space, and more. In our first segment, Dr. Spudis started with a report on the Chinese lunar lander/rover and said that he was hearing there were problems with it. Since the Chinese program is not transparent, he said it was hard to get details but even if the mission ended early, it met its goals of a soft landing on the Moon. He had more to say about the lander, the accomplishments of the Chinese program and some of the real progress by the Chinese, especially from their next to last mission. Dr. Spudis fielded many email questions and took calls. Our guest then started talking about the Clementine mission given its been 20 years since this very successful program. You can read his articles about Clementine on his website (spudislunarresources.com and also his blog, http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon. He also talked about LCROSS and other recent missions. Just before the end of the first segment, Marshall phoned in to talk about taxing lunar entrepreneurial ventures. We also talked benefit sharing, global taxation, and commercial incentives. We closed the segment with Paul talking about the economic and wealth creating potential afforded us all by cislunar development.
In the second segment, he responded to an email question about the Earth-Mars space system having a higher commercial value than cislunar. Paul explained in some detail why that was not so & why cislunar is far greater in economic value and wealth potential. Paul then talked about Hugh Dryden & his accomplishments, then renaming the Dryden NASA facility after Neil Armstrong. Our next subject was American Exceptionalism with Paul blogged about last year. We then talked about space tourism. Paul said he was skeptical about it but we just wait and see. I mentioned a new book about Sir Richard Branson & problems with Virgin Galactic by British author Tom Bower. Here is an article that describes what we talked about: www.newspacejournal.com/2014/01/26/new-branson-bio-examines-delays-and-other-problems-with-virgin-galactic. Paul got a question from Phil to describe lunar ice, then SLS John called to agree with Paul’s SLS analysis and more. Rick was our final emailer asking about the ASRG cancellation and what this means for deep space & long duration missions. Paul’s concluding comments again supported the wealth & economic potential for cislunar development.
Please post comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can contact Dr. Spudis through his website.
Dr. Scott Pace, Sunday, 9-1-13 September 1, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: cis-lunar development, Code of Conduct, commodities control list, Dr. Scott Pace, Falcon Heavy, heavy lift, human spaceflight (HSF), Inspiration Mars, international space cooperation, ITAR, Lunar Cots, Mars, moving the space frontier, munitions list, NASA asteroid mission, NASA engineering expertise, NASA mission expertise, Private Sector Space, Return to the Moon, SLS, U.S. congress, U.S. space policy
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Dr. Scott Pace, Sunday, 9-1-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2078-BWB-2013-09-01.mp3
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Guest: Dr. Scott Pace. Topics: U.S. space policy, leadership, international participation, HSF, and the importance of it to our nation and future. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.
We welcomed back Dr. Scott Pace to the program to discuss our space policy, leadership, the prospects for human spaceflight (HSF), and international participation. For more information on what Dr. Pace talked about today, see http://thediplomat.com/2013/03/28/american-space-strategy-choose-to-steer-not-drift and www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/logsdon-and-pace-criticize-lack-of-white-house-leadership-on-nasa. Dr. Pace stated that our national space policy was adrift which we discussed in some detail during this 1 hour 38 minute program. In the first segment, I asked Dr. Pace to explain why our space policy was and is adrift. He referred back to the 2010 National U.S. National Space Policy which he largely supported but the human spaceflight portions of it were weak. We mostly focused on human spaceflight for this Space Show program. I asked him about the forthcoming NRC Human Spaceflight Study underway for which he had several comments but said policy does not typically come from external organizations. We talked about weakness in space policy leadership both with the White House and Congress. Dr. Pace said that he believed HSF to be meaningful to our nation and our future, and he put forth the rational for this throughout both segments of our discussion. Listener Mike Listner called in to ask questions about the European Code of Conduct which is in an ongoing evaluation process among many countries. Dr. Paced talked about the concerns and benefits of the Code & I asked if at least in the U.S. the policy makers were considerate of commercial or private space (NewSpace) interests. He said they were, especially within the State Department. We also talked about humans to Mars missions, lunar return missions and Cis-lunar development. Doug called to express his concerns regarding lunar and Cis-lunar missions and at one point Dr. Pace talked about how frontier lines actually move so what may not be doable today may be doable in the near future.
We started the second segment with a call from John Hunt who talked about the need to have a space transportation system before we can return to the Moon or go anywhere. This took us into the world of heavy lift rockets, Dream Chaser & routine spaceflight. We also talked about Falcon Heavy and SLS. We switched over for ITAR updates which Dr. Pace provided for us. Space as a political issue for upcoming elections was discussed as were the much talked about NASA asteroid missions. Near the end, Dr. Pace was asked about the Chinese program & their plans to do an end of the year lunar robotic mission. Dr. Pace had much to say about the Chinese space program. Dr. Pace did provide a summary for us saying that there are still great opportunities in space despite the challenges. He made an excellent case for American space leadership & why its so important for us all.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Dr. Pace through his GWU website or through me.
Steven Wolfe, Monday, 7-8-13 July 9, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: "The Obligation, Endowments, Law of Space Abundance, NASA, self-publishing, space advocacy, space passion, space settlement, Space Settlement Act, space settlement debate, Steven Wolfe, U.S. Congress & space, U.S. space leadership, U.S. space policy
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Steven Wolfe, Monday, 7-8-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2044-BWB-2013-07-08.mp3
Your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm)
Guest: Steven Wolfe. Topics: Space Settlement, “The Obligation: A Novel.” Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm Please remember that your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (http://www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm).
We welcomed back Steve Wolfe to discuss his new book, “The Obligation.” Visit www.theobligatonbook.com for more information. During the first segment of our 1 hour 26 minute program, Steve talked with us about his passion for space settlement, how he developed his interest in the field which eventually enabled him to draft the Space Settlement Act which was eventually signed into law by President Reagan. He told us the core idea for his new book came to him in 2002 with certain insights allowing him both the realization and understanding that part of our DNA was hard wired to moving toward getting us off Earth and establishing space settlement as a reality. Don’t miss what Steve had to say about this. Steve then talked about the book and took us through a few of the Endowments (there are eight in total). Several listeners sent him email questions and Bob Krone in particular asked about his plans for implementing his vision. Eric emailed in wanting details and information about self-publishing a book, then Steve explained to the listeners certain special offers he was making available to Space Show listeners. Listen carefully for the coupon codes Steve provided as you will need them for ordering the book. The Kindle version can also be ordered through The Space Show/OGLF Amazon arrangement & Amazon will then make a contribution to us. Follow the Amazon links & instructions in our archive summaries, on the blog, The Space Show website, and on the OGLF website. Toward the end of the first segment, we lost Steve’s phone connection twice & you will hear these glitches. We apologize in advance for these disruptions.
In the second segment, listener Curt emailed in several questions including wanting to know what had influenced Steve in his writing of the book. In addition to Steve mentioning the Overview Effect, he mentioned the works of others and the references in the book for more specific citations. Curt also asked him how he can convince people regarding space settlement. Another listener emailed in wanting to know if Steve’s space settlement vision included destination priorities. Steve said that it did not though he did admit to having a personal preference for returning to the Moon. Ken wanted to know about the importance of space settlement in light of our tight economy, then Bob wanted to know what might happen if we do not accept the Law of Space Abundance. We had quite a discussion on this issue and related issues, including my short rant regarding the question with my response to i. As the program was ending, Steve gave us his takeaways for the book & he offered us a “tease” for his next book.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. Steven can be reached through is website or via swolfe@theobligationbook.com.
Jim Muncy, Sunday, 1-20-13 January 21, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: 2013 Congress, Atlas 5, Bigelow Aerospace, BLEO, Boeing CST 100, budget cuts, Cis Lunar Gateway, Commercial Crew, commercial launch indemnification, commercial space, Falcon Heavy, FY 13 NASA budget, human spaceflight, ISS, ITAR, James Webb Space Telescope, Jim Muncy, NASA, New Mexico spaceport liability issues, Orion, PoliSpace, sequestration, SLS, space advocacy, space race, Spaceport America, tort reform, U.S. space policy, Virgin Galactic, weather satellites
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Jim Muncy, Sunday, 1-20-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1933-BWB-2013-01-20.mp3
Guest: Jim Muncy. Topics: Comprehensive space policy & commercial space discussion. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, https://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 Jim Muncy back to the show for this comprehensive space policy and commercial space two hour plus discussion. While many topics overlapped both segments and we went back and forth on several topics, this summary will be a two part summary. Jim started the discussion with a look at new space legislation kicking off the year. After a short summary of several items and their impact on commercial space, we talked about the makeup of the new Congress and how it might view civil and commercial space. Jim then started addressing specific projects including Orion and its expansion to include ESA, SLS, the Boeing CST100, Atlas 5, and more. A listener asked about the Space Settlement Act and the Space Foundation Pioneering White Paper. We then turned our attention to Cis-lunar space as a commercial gateway and Jim mentioned new commercial opportunities such as Golden Spike. We also talked about the recent study on NASA by the National Academies. Other topics included the need to do exploration, to take risks and NASA acting more like the old NACA with aviation. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was brought up by a caller and we started talking about large program expenses as compared to smaller, less costly, & more frequent programs that fly much more often. In response to another listener, Jim said SLS was not in competition for funds with commercial crew as one was near term & the other long term. Falcon Heavy was brought up, especially as an alternative to SLS.
In our second segment, Jim was asked about how best to influence congress. Later on, Jim was asked to comment on the liability indemnification issue surrounding Spaceport America & Virgin Galactic. Our domestic economic situation came up many times in both segments but in this segment, it was applied to problems with our weather satellite system & infrastructure needs as opposed to flying missions. This included mention of the Hurricane Sandy relief package just passed by Congress. Other issues talked about included the aerospace skilled workforce, parochial congressional interests, the NASA bureaucracy, & the role of space advocacy.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. You can email Mr. Muncy through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
James Schier, Sunday, 8-5-12 August 5, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Aries V, Augustine, Columbia accident, Commercial Crew, congressional funding, Constellation, Cots, crew stress cardiac factors, deep space missions, developing space technology, Falcon 9 Heavy, Flexible Path, future space transportation, heat shields, HSF to Mars, HSF to NEO, human factors, ISS, James Schier, lunar development, lunar ice, lunar water, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MCPV), NASA, NASA Commercial Space Team, NASA Human Spaceflight Architecture Team (HAT), new space hardware tests, nuclear space propulsion, Orion, Private Sector Space, Return to the Moon, space communications, Space Index Association, Space Launch System (SLS)., space medical challenges, standardized docking., U.S. space policy
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James Schier, Sunday, 8-5-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1829-BWB-2012-08-05.mp3
Dr. Jeff Bell, Friday, 12-9-11 December 9, 2011
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " Phobos Grunt Mission, Boeing, Commercial Crew, Cots, Dr. Jeff Bell, Falcon 9. , Federal Acquisition Rules (FAR), flyback boosters, HARP, ISS< Soyuz, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), manned Mars missions, Mars Science Lab, NASA, NASA Discovery Missions, nitrous oxide, rocket reusability, Roscosmos, Russian lunar & planetary missions, Russian Zond, Soyuz, Space Act Agreement (SAA), Space X, SpaceShip 2, suborbital tourism, TDRS Satellites, U.S. Congress & space, U.S. space policy, Virgin Galactic, X-37B
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Dr. Jeff Bell, Friday, 12-9-11
(Note: This interview aired live on 11/30/11)
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1669-BWB-2011-12-09.mp3
GuestSearch: Dr. Jeff Bell. Topics: Phobos Grunt mission, space policy, commercial crew, rocket reusability & more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://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. The Space Show/OGLF is now engaged in its annual fundraising drive. Please see & act upon our appeal at https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/space-show-2011-fundraising-campaign . Please note that this program was recorded live on Nov. 30, 2011 and is being archived today, Dec. 9, 2011. We welcomed Dr. Jeff Bell back to the show for a wide ranging discussion on multiple topics starting with the troubled Russian Phobos Grunt Mission. This Space Show program is vintage Jeff Bell with something to say about most everything, hard hitting, critical, take no prisoners, and of course, thought provoking. Dr. Bell started our discussion talking about the Phobos-Grunt Mission. To put it in context with Russian lunar & planetary missions, he gave us a brief history of the Russian exploration program starting in 1958. This is an interesting history lesson you do not want to miss. In bringing the history current to Phobos Grunt, the problems faced by the Russian program seem a bit clearer. We then talked about some of the many space blog comments with suggestions for rescuing or saving the mission and he totally debunked them. Jeff mentioned shuttle rescues, X-37B rescues, even Virgin suborbital rescues. He also mentioned some of the conspiracy theories out there (he spent more time on them later in our discussion), finger pointing the blame for the mission problems. Next, Dr. Bell addressed the recent SpaceShipTwo drop test that was a problem and he wasted no time in stating what is wrong with the SS2 design as well as what he said was a problematic track record for the project. He also had much to say about the use of composites and fundamental design flaws. Space debris issues came up and Dr. Bell referenced USA 193. Terry called in to ask about the hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) or nitric acid on board Phobos Grunt. When we started the second segment, Dr. Bell again went over the conspiracy theories re Phobos Grunt that appeared in some news articles. One he mentioned was the HARP theory which he debunked as well as the biological warfare theory. We then talked about commercial crew and Dr. Bell said Congress does not want it to be successful and he explained why. Near the end of this discussion, Trent called in from Australia. He wanted to know at what point Jeff thought commercial crew was changing from maybe working out to going down for the count. What was the turning point for our guest? During their exchange, Jeff said that space travel was not politically important anymore, instead political pork was the priority. Trent mentioned his blog, QuantumG, http://quantumg.blogspot.com. Check it out for his comments on Space X, Commercial Crew and more. Jeff read his Space X comments and then started discussing the Space X reusability plan. As the program ended, we talked about the JWST and I asked Dr. Bell what part of the space program he liked, if any. He did have something he liked, the science and robotic missions. If you have a comment/question for Dr. Bell, please post it on the blog URL and I will make sure he sees it.
Dave Reneke, Tuesday, 11-29-11 November 30, 2011
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: Apollo 11, Australian Science, Australian space industry, Buzz Aldrin, Carl Sagan, commercial space, David Reneke, deep space, Gliese 581g, heliosheath., NASA, New Horizons Mission, Perth, Phobos-Grunt., Pioneer 10, Pluto, science fiction movies, SETI, solar system, southern hemisphere sky, space advocacy in Australia, space awareness in Australia, space tourism, the speed of light, The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Telescope, U.S. space policy
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Dave Reneke, Tuesday, 11-29-11
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1663-BWB-2011-11-29.mp3
Guest: Dave Reneke. Topics: Space in Australia, a different view of U.S. space policy, astronomy, SETI. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, https://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. The Space Show/OGLF is now engaged in its annual fundraising drive. Please see & act upon our appeal at
https://thespaceshow.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/space-show-2011-fundraising-campaign. We welcomed Dave Reneke to the program to discuss all space issues from the Australian perspective. Find out more about Dave, his space and astronomy work, plus sign up for his free newsletter at www.davidreneke.com. Starting out, I asked our guest about the Perth radio telescope used by ESA that seems to be the only location making some contact with the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission. After talking about Perth and its geography, our guest mentioned the competition for the Square Kilometer Array Telescope (SKA) competition which has been narrowed down to the Australian location or a location in S. Africa. Dave mentioned the SKA telescope and its capabilities throughout our discussion. As we learned, the Perth area is actually quite quiet regarding radio noise and a good location for the radio telescope array. Dave received email questions about the space awareness level of the average Australian as well as for his students. Having been to the U.S. several times, our guest said that there was not much difference between Australians and Americans when it comes to space awareness and knowledge. We also talked about commercial space, space tourism, and our current American space policy. Josh asked about the difference in the night sky from the southern hemisphere view as compared to what most of us see here in the northern hemisphere. Dave gave us some good comparison notes which I think you will find interesting, especially about the Southern Cross, some of the planets, the Big Dipper, Orion (the Swordsman in Australia), and even the Milky Way. We talked about national television coverage in Australia of the recent MSL launch, and then some more about issues facing the U.S. space policy of today. In our second segment, Dave got a listener question about Australian concern and coverage for space debris falling to Earth and he reminded us about Skylab coming down in Australia and told us some interesting stories about it. I asked him about the Air Force UFO article on his website. He had much to say about it and his previous work as a UFO investigator. We then switched to talking about deep space, Pioneer 10, and SETI searches. We mentioned the potential water planet discovery, Gliese 586g, and much more. Dave was asked when the effects of our sun cease and a deep space mission starts having effects from a different solar system or from being in deep space. Dave talked about a region of turbulence hitting Pioneer 10 and suggested deep space really starts when our solar system effects end. He referenced the heliosheath. We also talked about the Voyager Interstellar Mission. Dave told us a few stories about Apollo 11 that he learned from his day long meeting with Buzz. He concluded with a long term hundred year vision suggesting that eventually there will be travel beyond the speed of light with routine space travel. Post your comments/questions on the blog URL above. Dave can be contacted through the Contacts page on his website.
