The Space Show
The Space Show
The Space Show focuses on timely and important issues influencing the development of outer-space commerce, space tourism,space exploration and space development. The Space Show is committed to facilitating our becoming a space-faring nation and society with a growing and self-sustaining space-faring economy. The Space Show also focuses on other related subjects of interest to us all.
Station feed:  Created by: David Livingston |
Created on: 12 May 2005 Language: English |
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Dr Paul Spudis, Wednesday&Friday, 6-19 & 20, 2014 (56.35MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Paul Spudis. Topics: Dr. Spudis provided us with an overview and analysis of the NRC "Pathways to Exploration: Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration." 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. 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 to the show Dr. Paul Spudis to discuss the NRC Human Spaceflight Study report recently released. You can download the report for free at www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18801. Please note that this program was broadcast and recorded live on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. It is being archived on Friday, 6-20-24 as there will be no live show on Friday due to the host travel schedule. During the first segment of our 1 hour 36 minute program, Dr. Spudis first walked us through the NRC nearly 300 page study, hitting the highlights, raising questions, talking about what was good in the report and disappointing in it. We talked about the rational for human spaceflight, for Mars, also the Moon. We noted the absence of economic development in the report and this gave Dr. Spudis several openings to talk about his ideas for cislunar economic development. Listeners asked lots of email questions ranging from budget issues, to SpaceX and rocket reusability. Paul described much of what the study suggested as a form of "Apollo to Mars." Near the end of this segment we talked about public/private partnerships and learned that the Pathways study was only addressing public programs. A listener asked Dr. Spudis what he thought the impact of the study might be and sitting on a shelf somewhere seemed a plausible answer. In the second segment, Dr. Spudis focused on the response to the report and ways to actually develop a quality space program. He talked about the need for a space transportation system, space infrastructure, and to use an incremental approach. Robotics were discussed, we talked about the space media, and Dr. Spudis reminded us a few times that if there is no infrastructure, there can be no institutional use and capability. We also compared the Apollo period and JFK's goal for the Moon compared to now. Its an interesting discussion, especially since we no longer have many of the skill sets we had back then. The value of the Moon and commercial space came up & we talked about promoting the value to policy makers. In supporting his incremental approach, Paul referenced a bit of US naval history. Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog. Check out Paul's blog, www.spudislunarresources.com. You can contact Dr. Spudis through his blog or me. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Fri, 20 Jun 2014 02:24:16 UTC
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, George Whitesides, Wednesday, 6-18-14 (11.35MB; download) -- Guests: John Batchelor, George Whitesides, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, brought us current on Virgin news. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog. 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. Remember, your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm). For those of you listening to archives on live365.com & rating the programs, please email me the reasons for your rating. This will definitely help improve Space Show programming. Thank you.
We welcomed to Hotel Mars George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic to discuss the latest news and developments with the company. John asked about their engine and fuels, I asked about passenger issues like being able to float freely, the need for spacesuits, and if there was government money invested in the project. George talked about their test flights to date and their testing program. I asked when prices might come down and their plans for Launcher One.. Doug talked about their engine issues their replacement with a nylon fuel motor. Other topics were discussed as well. Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Thu, 19 Jun 2014 15:11:37 UTC
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NewSpace Conference with Sara Jennings, Aaron Oesterle, Tuesday, 6-17-14 (59.46MB; download) -- Guests: Sara Jennings, Aaron Oesterle. Topics: We discussed the upcoming NewSpace 2014 Conference. 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. 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 both Sara Jennings and Aaron Oesterle to the show to discuss the upcoming NewSpace 2014 conference to be held at the Doubletree in San Jose, CA from July 24-26, 2014 in the heart of Silicon Valley. This was a one hour conference promotion program leading off with Sara, the conference chairman for this year, introducing us to the conference and the first day events. Follow the discussion with us at their website, https://newspace.spacefrontier.org. Sara started with the Thursday agenda with a focus on investors, the Lightening Round Pitches, the welcome reception and the keynote later in the day by Art Dula. Also on Thursday, we talked about the Awards Ceremony and near the end of the program, Sara and Aaron announced the winners of this year's awards. We had telephone glitches early in the program, first dropping the call with Sara, then with Aaron. Also, both guests used cell phones which created a few audio issues early on with Aaron. Aaron talked about the Friday program leading off with comments about the Do It Yourself (DIY) space movement which is growing rapidly. Next up we discussed property rights and the planned focus of the panel plus the panel members. On Friday, Andy Aldrin is the lunch speaker and our guests talked about Andy wanting to go to the Moon as did his Dad, Buzz. Andy is now president of the Moon Express. team. Also on Friday, our guests highlighted the lunar panel along with the paradigm shift panel. Saturday, the last day of the conference, our focus was on Donna Edwards as the lunch speaker, then the Gala Event. Our guests pointed out that registration on Thursday and later will be at an increased price so if you are planning to attend, do the online registration prior to the conference first day. We also talked about the Doubletree and the fact that is filling up so act quickly to get the conference rate. Throughout our discussion, we focused on the great networking available throughout the three day event. Doug even sent in an email to support the conference for its excellent networking. In addition, listeners wanted to know if HSF and risk averseness was part of the program and Tony wanted to know about SSP being part of the program. The conference will be live streamed. Check back on the website for details. If you attend NewSpace, please track me down and say hello. Post your comments/questions on TSS blog. Our guests can be reached at the conference website. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:24:44 UTC
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Doug Messier, Monday, 6-16-14 (90.31MB; download) -- Guest: Doug Messier. Topics: Space news reporting, suborbital, Virgin Galactic, XCOR & lots 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. 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 Doug Messier back to the show to discuss featured news articles of late on his blog, www.parabolicarc.com. Please note that Doug used a cell phone and we did have audio issues at various times during the show. During the first long segment of our 1 hour 38 minute program, Doug talked about the Mojave Air &Spaceport, Stratolaunch and then Doug got called to task by listeners for his recent reporting & comments regarding Virgin Galactic per his blog, his recent Space Show program and his appearance on the Hotel Mars John Batchelor segment last week. The gist of the hard questions asked Doug centered around asking him if he had a conflict of interest reporting on other companies given the XCOR book he is writing. They asked this because to them, his reporting seemed unfair to Virgin while giving XCOR a pass on many of the same issues he talked about with Virgin. We spent most of the first segment talking about these issues. Doug spoke freely and talked about how he reports on these issues and why he reports the way he does. He mentioned several Virgin stories as examples but he also made it very clear that he wants all the companies to be successful and for the industry to develop. As you will see in the last segment, this particular type of question was asked of him as the program was drawing to a close. Doug was in the hot seat for much of the first segment so you listen and you decide. Let Doug know your thoughts on his Virgin reporting by posting on TSS blog or emailing him. I then moved us to other topics & other companies at Mojave, the FAR for amateur rocketry, but the forces to be kept drawing us back to Doug, his Virgin reporting and XCOR comparisons. Doug managed to talk about recent SFF and Space Access alerts about language in the Senate NASA funding bill that these organizations and others believe to be a poison pill. Listen for details. Also, I asked about Congress planning to fund at least $200 million for a new engine replacement for the RD-180. We also talked about the Falcon 9 & AF SpaceX certification. To read the balance of this review, see www.thepsaceshow.com or http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:30:26 UTC
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Ed Wright, Friday, 6-13-14 (86.28MB; download) -- Guest: Ed Wright. Topics: Citizens in Space, Lynx Cub Payload Carrier, U.S. Rocket Academy, commercial space. 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. 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 Ed Wright back to the show to discuss Citizens in Space and the new U.S. Rocket Academy Lynx Cub Payload Carrier they developed with the Texas A&M Space Engineering Research Center. For more information, visit www.citizensinspace.org. During the first segment of our 1 hour 34 minute program, Ed talked about space settlement per his recent talk at ISDC 2014 in Los Angles. After introducing us to the topic, he talked about how space settlement needs to evolve to a permanent base by starting smaller and boot strapping along the way. He explained the process as he visualized it and outlined how such a process, including how both suborbital and orbital flights would lead to job creation, eventually job creation in space. As part over his overall strategy, he includes the Maker Faire movement and contrasted Maker Faire to a typical space conference where Maker Faire draws thousands of people and a typical space conference draws a few hundred to maybe a thousand people. We talked about the role to be played by ISS, military space, and the challenges presented by the human factors medical issues as well as other technical challenges. In the second segment, Doug emailed asking about the ISDC reception Ed got regarding his talk at ISDC. Also, Charles emailed in during both segments to suggest the Microlaunchers approach and to once again voice his doubt about suborbital tourism becoming a successful industry. We also talked about the Citizens In Space New Space Research Platform which is ready for flight testing, the Lynx Cub Payload Carrier developed with the Texas A&M Space Engineering Research Center and XCOR. The carrier will be used on 10 Lynx mission and made available to XCIR customers as ready to fly hardware or even as open-source hardware. You can read about it at http://www.citizensinspace.org/2014/05/lynx-cub-payload-carrier-ready-for-flight-test and at http://www.citizensinspace.org/2014/05/lynx-cub-payload-platform-will-be-unveiled-at-makercon. Ed then explained how Citizens In Space is broader than his earlier program, the original Teachers in Space program, and that now preference for being flown to space goes to those submitting science experiments for the upcoming suborbital flights using the Lynx Cub Payload Carrier. He offered excellent closing comments. Post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can contact Ed through me or his website. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:49:57 UTC
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John Batchelor Hotel Mars, Doug Messier, Wednesday, 6-11-14 (11.50MB; download) -- Guests: John Batchelor, Doug Messier, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: We discussed Virgin Galactic news. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog. 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. Remember, your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm). For those of you listening to archives on live365.com & rating the programs, please email me the reasons for your rating. This will definitely help improve Space Show programming. Thank you.
We welcomed to Hotel Mars Doug Messier to discuss the latest news and developments with Virgin Galactic. Doug talked about their engine issues their replacement with a nylon fuel motor. He also talked about possibly reaching 50 miles rather than 62 miles. John asked Doug about the upcoming science flights and passenger flights. Doug commented about Branson and his sons going aboard SpaceShipTwo after the Virgin CEO flies first. John seemed skeptical about Virgin throughout the discussion. Doug also talked about the investment company from Abu Dhabi involved in Virgin to the tune of $390 million.
Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Thu, 12 Jun 2014 15:20:06 UTC
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Frank Van Rensselear, Tuesday, 6-10-14 (61.83MB; download) -- Guest: Franklin (Frank) Van Rensselaer, Jr. Topics: Schafer Corp Aerospace & Strategic Business Development, commercial space, markets, capital. 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. 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 Frank Van Rensselear to the program to discuss Schafer Corp and various commercial space topics and issues. Our program was an hour long so we had only one segment. To read this lengthy program summary, visit either www.thespaceshow.com for the date of this program or our blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Thank you. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 11 Jun 2014 17:31:40 UTC
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Rand Simberg, Monday, 6-9-14 (88.47MB; download) --
Guest: Rand Simberg. Topics: HSF safety, risk taking, our space dependency on Russia, and much 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. 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 Rand Simberg for a 1 hour 36 minute discussion regarding our HSF dependency on Russia, risk taking space safety, and more. In our first segment, Rand talked about his book, "Safe Is Not An Option" (see www.safeisnotanoption.com), as well as his pointing out that what he said in his book about our growing dependence on Russia for our HSF is coming to pass. This led to a discussing of the Sen. Shelby language in the proposed NASA funding appropriations bill to account for fixed costs in a similar way such costs are accounted for in the FAR. Rand summarized his HSF safety comments by repeating one of his better known statements that many of us agree with, that is HSF is not important! He discussed his meaning of this statement throughout today's program. Rand talked about HSF being worth the risk, 16 years of ISS and only now starting to do useful things, one of which he identified as an important drug project for curing MSRA. This discussion prompted several listener emails including one from Jim asking if we were seeing the end of NASA/government HSF? Tony asked Rand what he would favor were he the supreme space dictator of the country. Rand suggested returning to the old NACA model. Later, he said HSF is not a mature industry and compared to the 1920s airplane design as that is where spaceflight design is today. He had much to say about safety as a priority and safety regulations. In the second segment, Ben asked him about SpaceX being qualified for AF spy satellite launches. I asked Rand about the Dragon V2 as he was present at the unveiling. He went inside the capsule and shared his perspectives with us. Space settlement came up and Rand received many email questions referring to it. He was asked about SpaceX fast tracking Dragon V2 depending on what happens with the Russians. We talked about influencing congress and Rand suggested writing to members of congress as the count is totaled by the members. Given the overall low numbers for the space advocacy community, getting letters to congress is important. Near the end of the segment, he was asked about Inspiration Mars and Mars One, he talked about the serious need for a gravity lab to determine the minimal gravity prescription. Before our discussion ended, we talked about the NRC Pathways study on HSF and Mars. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. You can contact Rand through his book website, Transterrestrial Musings (www.transterrestrial.com), or me.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 10 Jun 2014 18:03:33 UTC
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Dr. Brian Laubscher, Sunday, 6-8-14 (130.17MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Brian Laubscher. Topics: Carbon nanotubes, new manufacturing, Space Elevator. 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. 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. Brian Laubscher back to the program for our 2 hour 22 minute discussion about carbon nanotubes and the Space Elevator. During our first segment, Dr. Laubscher talked about carbon nanotubes, the manufacturing process, how to move the process and technology forward, end uses for the product, possible timelines for advancement and the current day use of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) in the process. Brian talked about the need to find a better process for making carbon nanotubes than CVD. Later is this segment, Dr. Laubscher was asked about the potential relationship to space other than with the space elevator. This was an interesting discussion , don't miss it. In our second segment, Brian talked about how hard and challenging the space elevator was and later in the segment, due to a call from Pooley, we went through many of the top challenges faced by the elevator with a status report on each one. As this segment was opening, I did ask Brian for a time line for space elevator advancement. Our guest suggested that at some point, there would be significant demand for the elevator. Next, we talked about the upcoming International Space Elevator 2014 Conference to be held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, August 22-24, 2014. For conference info, visit www.spaceelevatorconference.org. John from Ft. Worth called to talk about materials, composites and much more. We also talked about the strength needed for the elevator ribbon and John asked about SSTO. Blaze emailed us about nuclear waste and Brian had an interesting take on it. This was another valuable discussion, don't miss it. Dr. Laubscher talked about ribbon length, characteristics, strength needed, and its location in space, plus the counter weights it would need. Adrian emailed several questions to us about the ribbon breaking and related issues. He also asked our guest radiation issues. Doug emailed about ways to climb up and down the ribbon. Some of the other issues that came up were wind, lightening, ribbon oscillation, space debris, policy & regulatory issues. As our program was ending, Brian offered us words of wisdom and said his company website was www.odysseustech.com. In addition, Dr. Peter Swan emailed us about his paper on the elevator which you can download and read at www.virginiaedition.com/media/spaceelevators.pdf. Post your comments/questions on TSS blog. You can reach Dr. Laubscher through his website or me. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 09 Jun 2014 17:34:28 UTC
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Kevin Sloan for URC, Friday, 6-6-14 (82.28MB; download) -- Guest: Kevin Sloan. Topics: 2014 Mars Society University Rover Challenge. 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. 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 Kevin Sloan back to the program to discuss the 8th year of competition for the Mars Society University Rover Challenge. During the first segment of our 90 minute program, Kevin said that the 2014 completion was the biggest ever with 31 teams of which 23 made it to Hanksville, UT for the competition. He noted that the competition takes place in the Utah desert near MDRS and Hanksville, Utah. Kevin went over the rules and guidelines during this segment, the financial limits on the rover teams, the tasks the rovers had to do, especially in comparison to last year's competition, the way the rovers have to be driven by their team driver, and what happens if a team has to physically intervene to resolve a rover problem once the rover has started its mission. We did talk about the international makeup of the teams, including this year having a team from Bangladesh and Cairo. Also, the same team from Poland as last year, Hyperion, won first place this year as well. You can see the list of winners by visiting http://urc.marssociety.org/home and looking at the congratulations box on the home page. Kevin talked about the global interest in robotics and the way the competition has grown over its 8 year history. Doug called in asking lots of questions but he also wanted to know about the prizes and if the prizes served as the incentive to enter the contest. In this discussion we talked about the importance of STEM & Kevin described in details the tasks the rovers had to complete and how they were scored. In the second segment, we talked more about what happens with a breakdown and I asked if any teams complete the tasks without a breakdown. We also talked about the availability of spare parts out in the desert, then Sally asked about the team demographics and diversity. More questions came in about repairs, then Kevin was asked about the desert terrain. He said it differs each year depending on rain and weather. This year the desert sand was very course and rough on the rovers, probably because of the large amounts of rain in the area during the year. A question came in asking if the rovers had to be Mars compatible, what kind of wheels or tires they used, and if there was common frame or other technology among all the rovers. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Kevin through me. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 07 Jun 2014 19:15:25 UTC
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