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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James (Jim) Muncy, Sunday, 2-19-12 (71.70MB; download) -- Guest: James (Jim) Muncy. Topics: FAA Reauthorization Act, HSF regulation, the NASA FY 13 budget, SLC, Commercial Crew, & 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 Jim Muncy back to the program for a comprehensive two plus hour discussion on a variety of important topics including the FAA Reauthorization Act, the FY 13 proposed budget, SLS, commercial crew, ISS utilization, and much more. We started out discussing the three year renewal of the 2004 Act that minimized HSF regulation to afford the industry the opportunity to get started, obtain real time safety information, and to do better and more accurate downstream safety regulation as it evolves. During this discussion, Jim had much to say about flight safety for the crew, participants, and third parties. Next, we jumped into Jim's perspective on the FY 13 budget proposal for NASA. He said it did a fairly good job of balancing competing interests and pressures, including the continued support of congressional favorites such as SLS, Orion, and the JWST. Much of this first hour long segment was about the budget process, why NASA gets the amount of money it receives, why congress does not do more for NASA per the wishes of many in our community, and that the NASA budget likely does a good job of representing the public's interest in these programs based on the feedback received from constituents by our elected representatives. Later in the segment, Jim focused in on the ORS, the STP program, and potential sequestration cuts due early next year, and fuel depots as an alternative to heavy lift. In the second longer segment, Jerry called in and the conversation changed to selecting only one commercial crew provider when we really should have multiple vehicles. Boeing was talked about as a commercial company and the potential selected company. Jack sent us an email asking Jim for his opinion on the three 2012 tipping points for NewSpace. He also asked about cubesats and the NASA $2-million NanoSat dedicated launcher prize. Kim emailed us about the Mars program cuts and Jim had much to say about this and how the FY 13 budget was being allocated. Listeners asked about the Falcon Heavy, space vision, Newt's space program, and even the UN space treaties. As the program was drawing to a close, Jim again talked about SLS and its killing the budget along with the JWST. When asked if other national space agencies were trying to open the frontier and develop commercial space, he said none were even trying. At the end, he said the success of the upcoming Space X flight to the ISS will be a game changer and this will show that commercial space development is the best path to be on for the future of the space industry. Post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog per above. You can email Jim at james.muncy@polispace.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:39:05 UTC
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Marsha Freeman, Friday, 2-17-12 (57.40MB; download) -- Guest: Marsha Freeman. Topics: FY 13 NASA budget, the recently held IAC in Cape Town & the South African space program. 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 Marsha Freeman back to the program to share with us her analysis of the FY 13 NASA budget proposal, the recently held IAC meeting in Cape Town and what she learned about the South African space program. We started by talking about the proposed FY 13 NASA budget. Marsha was disappointed with major parts of the budget proposal. Areas that we discussed included planetary science & the ExoMars missions. She also talked about the budget being and what that meant for NASA now & in the future. Ms. Freeman then spoke about needed economic reforms to encourage investment. Jon called in during this segment to stress the need for ITAR reform. We then focused on the recently held International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Cape Town, South Africa. Not only did our guest give us a report on the IAC, but she was able to conduct interviews with the South African director of their new space agency and the Minister of Science and Technology. Minister Pandor delivered a talk at the IAC which you might want to read (www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19684:parliamentary-question-dst-international-astronautical-congress-&catid=86:parliamentary-questions&Itemid=187). Ms. Freeman talked about how South Africa was using space, science, and technology to uplift their economy. This was a very intereesting discussion which even includes their perspectives on the U.S. space program then & now. There is no doubt that this is a harsh comparison for the U.S. but I believe we should all listen and take note of how we are seen by others in the space community. I realize that what you hear does not apply to 100% of "others" and much of what was discussed was the opinion of our guest, but I urge listeners to pay attention rather than dismiss these perspectives and opinions. As the first segment drew to a close, Marsha also talked about the S. African program, what it is doing, how it is working with other African nations to use and develop space to improve all of Africa. As the segment ended, Marsha told us about the keynote made by NASA Administrator Bolden along with talks by other space agency leaders. In the second segment, Marsha was asked about a South African astronaut and Mark Shuttleworth came up. This discussion prompted a listener email asking if Mark Shuttleworth or Elon Musk had shown any sign of trying to support the South African space program or commercial/nonprofit space activities there? Marsha was not aware of any such activities. Much of this segment was about space in Africa, not just South Africa. Later in the segment, we talked about the students present at IAC. Marsha said that quite a few of the students there actually inspired by the Space Shuttle. Toward the end, Ms. Freeman spoke about the Orion budget again called for investment oriented economic & legislative reforms in the country. As the program was ending, the issue of "sustainability" came up as it has on previous shows. I again made the offer to send the Howard Bloom speech to Yale students that he made in 2005 to anyone asking for it. I will ask Howard if I can post it as a .pdf document on the blog with this program review. If OK, I will modify the blog and website archive to point listeners to the paper. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email our guest through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:56:07 UTC
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Jim Funaro, Wednesday, 2-15-12 (47.00MB; download) -- Guest: Jim Funaro. Topics: Contact Conference 2012, First Contact, human behavior. 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. To find out more about the Contact 2012 conference and for online registration, please visit http://contact-conference.org. Note that the special registration rate was extended three days for Space Show listeners but you have to mention The Space Show in your registration email to take advantage of this offer. In our first segment, our guest talked about conference logistics and registration, plus he told us about the first day which is at SETI in Mountain View, CA. This is a terrific opportunity to see the new SETI facilities, to learn firsthand about SETI and what it does, and to meet the SETI team of researchers. I asked Jim about the name of the conference as I thought it was based on Contact with an ET culture. Jim explained that the name was to symbolize ignition or spark, that is bright people sparking light and heat for enlightenment. In the second segment, we talked about the Cultures of the Imagination program referred to as the COTI Simulation. Jim explained the program in details, talked about the two teams, a human team and an alien team, and how they operate during the conference. On the final day of the conference, the afternoon session is devoted to First Contact between the humans and the aliens. Noted Science Fiction author Larry Niven is the person in charge of the simulation and the troubleshooter for the simulation. In our third and final segment, we went over the hotel logistics and the room rate, the banquet for Saturday night and its cost, plus the keynote speaker which is Dr. Frank Drake. Later in this final segment, Blake asked if most members of the Contact organization thought that there was ET life or if contact had been made with humans. You might be surprised by Jim's answer. This subject took us into a discussion about the anthropology perspective for ETs and UFOs around the world. Jim said people want to believe and that may be a simple but viable explanation. He also talked about people's imagination and what is known as the Cute Response. You don't want to miss this discussion. Jim returned to the subject of the conference as our program ended. He stressed that it was a warm, friendly, networking, and participatory conference for everyone. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Jim Funaro regarding Contact 2012 at jafunaro@cabrillo.edu.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:49:47 UTC
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John Batchelor Show "Hotel" Mars," Wednesday, 2-15-12 (10.06MB; download) -- Guests: John Batchelor, Marcia Smith, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: NASA FY 13 Budget Review. 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. 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. The topics in this 11 minute plus segment focused on the NASA $17.7 billion part of President Obama's FY 13 budget. Ms. Smith started out with an overview of the NASA budget. Following the brief overview, we looked at some of the key areas such as planetary missions including the ExoMars missions planned for 2016 and 2018 with ESA. We talked about commercial crew and human spaceflight and what congress might do with the proposed $830 million. John asked Marcia about the James Webb Space Telescope, SLS and Orion. I inquired about the cancellation on the DOD side of both the Space Test Program (STP) and the Office of Responsive Space. If you recall from previous Space Show discussions, the STP has been the main provider for academic CubeSat launches as secondary payloads on various other missions. As we heard, some of the CubeSat launches will be transferred to NASA programs. For more NASA budget information, check the posts on www.spacepolicyonline.com. In addition, Ms. Smith will be a guest for a full Space Show program on Monday, Feb. 27 to discuss the NASA FY 13 budget in detail. Please post your comments regarding this John Batchelor Show segment on The Space Show Blog. If you want to email either John Batchelor or Marcia Smith, you can do so through me or their respective websites. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:09:50 UTC
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Robert (Bob) Zimmerman (59.92MB; download) -- Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: NASA FY13 budget & space policy. White Nose Syndrome bat update. 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 Bob Zimmerman back to the program for his preliminary analysis of the NASA portion of the FY13 budget just released by the White House. You can obtain more information about Mr. Zimmerman and the issues he writes about at his blog, http://behindtheblack.com. Bob also provided an analysis of the NASA budget at http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/a-transitional-budget. Bob started out by saying the NASA part of the budget was flat. That said, he also said the Mars and planetary programs faced serious cuts. He pointed out that missions in progress were still being funded, new missions such as the EuroMars missions were being scrapped though in the case of Mars, a new program was being created, the Mars Next Decade Program. Bob went on to say the astronomy budget was being squeezed to finish the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which has its own line item in the budget. The JWST was decimating the astronomy budget. He pointed out that the Kepler Space Telescope (KST) was being zeroed out in another year or so after it has completed its primary mission. Turning to manned space, Bob described it as contradictory. Commercial Crew would receive $830 million but of course congress may change that. Also, SLS and Orion continue getting around $3 billion. Bob talked about the flight plan for SLS & Orion and like many others, predicted the program would ultimately be cancelled. Bob received lots of listener questions by email & phone addressing topics including a nuclear rocket, Mars Direct, DOD space funding issues, and the PR value for NASA for the HSF program. Bob then suggested that history has shown that if the HSF program suffers, all of NASA suffers and pointed out that is happening now. Later, Marshall called to suggest that ESA might not be able to fund their part of the Mars programs due to European economic problems. Bob speculated that our cutting participation may actually have been in anticipation of this to avoid problems down the road because of the European economic woes. At the end of this segment, we talked about the successful European Vega rocket launch. In segment two, Bob talked about new information regarding sun spots and climate per a recently reviewed paper. Check out the story at http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/the-link-between-sunspots-and-climate. We also talked about the 2012 plan proposed by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in its search for Higgs boson. Listeners brought up the nuclear rocket, the Cassini mission in the budget, and more on JWST. Bob also reported some new developments with LightSquared, the FCC, and GPS issues. Tim called in with questions about the sun and an electro magnetic pulse (EMP). As the program ended, I asked Bob for another update on the White Nose Syndrome which has killed lots of bats in the northeast. Bob closed by saying the upcoming Falcon 9 & Dragon launch plus the Orbital Antares launch may prove to be the most important events of the year. He said they were risky ventures, especially the Antares launch and program. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can email Bob through me or from his website, Behind The Black. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:49:10 UTC
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Dr. James (Jim) Dewar, Sunday, 2-12-12 (72.82MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. James (Jim) A. Dewar. Topics: Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR), changing paradigms to use the NTR from Earth launch, nuclear economics. 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. Dewar back to The Space Show to further discuss the Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) and his paradigm changing approach to use the NTR to launch from Earth rather than using it only in space. During this nearly 2.5 hour discussion, Dr. Dewar makes the case for the NTR based on probable economics, the previous history associated with NERVA, and the assumed benefits flowing to private companies engaged in public private partnerships along the lines Dr. Dewar described. In the first segment, Dr. Dewar started out describing the existing barriers to using the NTR to LEO rather than only in space, plus he referred us to his 29 page introductory paper which is available on The Space Show blog for your download and review. During this segment, we fielded many listener emails and calls wanting to discuss the NTR ISP, possible fuels, testing, and legal issues impacting the use of the nuclear rocket. Michael called and talked about the discussions for a new treaty, the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) and how that would adversely impact using the NTR. Dr. Dewar talked about treaty issues over the years and suggested that treaties are not that easy to establish in this era while suggesting that they could also be modified. Near the end of the first segment, questions about thorium came up as did questions about additional commercial uses for the nuclear engine here on Earth. In the second longer segment, we talked about winning over the public and the media. Charles Pooley called in with a set of questions and we talked about reentry vehicles, highly enriched uranium, and more. Jim described a Titan missile accident in Arkansas as an example of the safety controls even in a very large explosion. Another listener asked about cooling and Jim told us about pulse cooling. Dr. Dewar's air launch idea was brought up again by another caller and Marshall sent in an email inquiring about the nuclear engine replacing coal in our terrestrial power plants to make electricity. I asked Dr. Dewar about risk assessment for the nuclear rocket and reprocessing given terrorism, etc. He said the reprocessed material would be carefully guarded but also weighed against the environmental risks associated with burying waste, burning it, or even dumping waste in the ocean. Dr. Dewar was asked about using the nuclear rocket only in space rather than attempting to use it to launch from Earth. He compared using it only in space to the Pony Express. Don't miss his full response in replying to this question. Later in this segment, I asked Jim for his first step in advancing the NTR. He said the first step was to get people talking about the subject. Tom called in and also wondered how to get people to rally to the cause. Near the end of the program, Jim talked some more about potential economic benefits along with secondary commercial products such as heat pipes. As our program was ending ion engines came up as did Vasimr. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to contact Dr. Dewar, send your note to me for forwarding. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:42:03 UTC
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Dr. David Kipping, Friday, 2-10-12 (83.13MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. David Kipping. Topics: Searching for Exomoons and Exoplanets with Kepler Space Telescope (KST). 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. David Kipping to the program to discuss the search for Exomoons and Exoplanets. The primary tool for these searches is the Kepler Space Telescope (KST). We talked about the methods used to search for the exomoons, mainly planet transits. Later in our discussion we talked about the other methods including detecting wobbles and using pulsars. Another discussion issue was the fixed field of view for the KST (about 10 degrees) and the benefit of having multiple KSTs to look at different and broader fields of view of the sky. Dr. Kipping was asked several questions about finding exomoons in the habitable zone (Goldilocks zone). We also discussed the randomness of targets and the small number that are actually in the field of view from Earth. Charles in an email brought up spectroscopy in the searches. In the second segment, we started out discussing pulsars and their role in these searches. Dr. Kipping went into some detail to explain to us the radiation pulses and how they can be interpreted in the exoplanet/moon searches. As you will hear, pulsars are not likely to be located in the Goldilocks zone but Dr. Kipping did give us an idea of the best targets for a visit were we to have interstellar space travel. Later we talked about the JWST and infrared searches along with the potential the JWST brings to astronomy. This discussion took into account the NASA budget, competition with the science missions and human spaceflight, and making hard choices for this or that funding. Our guest took some listener questions about nanosatellites and swarms of mini-KSTs. Dr. Kipping had much to say about this idea, including that it was a good one. Another issue covered was the international effort in these searches. I asked our guest about amateurs and planet searches. He told us about an interactive website, www.planethunters.org plus other programs that involved non-professionals in the searches. Near the end of the program, Dr. Kipping discussed the differences with the KST public data and private data. Please post your comments on The Space Show blog. If you want to send a note to Dr. Kipping, please do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:07:55 UTC
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John Batchelor Show "Hotel" Mars," 2-8-12 (4.75MB; download) -- Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Robert (Bob) Zubrin, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Manned Mars exploration, prizes, NASA, Private Sector. 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. 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. The topics in this 11 minute plus segment focused on Dr. Zubrin's recent article published in the National Review (www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/289775) titled "The Mars Prize" and dated Feb. 1, 2012. During our Hotel Mars segment, Dr. Zubrin explained the rational behind his Mars Prize idea, he discussed the economics of it and how it would drive the necessary technology advances needed for a human Mars mission. When asked about fuel depots, he said they were a stupid idea and he explained why. He also said the prize was independent of what he thought or approved of as the winning approach may very well include the use of orbiting fuel depots were it the best of the competition. He went on to say that prizes do not tell people how to do the project. Dr. Zubrin talked about who most likely would compete and he named the current billionaire space entrepreneurs but said others would emerge. There was a discussion about making the prize international and we discussed potential ITAR and U.S. taxpayer funding issues. In response to another question from Mr. Batchelor, he said those competing could very well contract to use NASA talent and skills, but they were free to bring on board such expertise from other sources. He also said NASA would likely be a customer for the proven technology from the winner and the company having successfully implement the human Mars mission. Please post your comments/questions about this segment to The Space Show blog. If you want to contact either Dr. Zubrin or John Batchelor, send your note to me and I will forward it for you. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:06:24 UTC
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Don Kessler, Dr. Darren McKnight, Tuesday, 2-7-12 (48.70MB; download) -- Guests: Donald J. Kessler, Dr. Darren McKnight. Topics: The National Research Council report: Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Programs (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13244). 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 Donald (Don) Kessler and Dr. Darren McKnight to the program to discuss the above mentioned NRC orbital debris report. Mr. Kessler started us out with the background and reasons for the current NRC study. He directed us to the list of goals on P. 3 of the report, a list that we talked about during the entire program. In this introductory discussion, he talked about space policy and the need to clean the space environment, saying mitigation was insufficient on its own. In talking about the structure, organization and work of the committee doing the study, our guests provided us with a comprehensive description of the space debris problem, the types of technologies being considered for use in addressing the problem, and time lines for LEO, MEO, & GEO intervention. Listeners asked about behavior in response to comments made by our guests for rules of the road and we took a hard look at intentional acts as compared to behavior out of ignorance or not understanding the problem. Insurance rates and our decades long history of space activity was made part of the analysis Some debris technologies and counter measures were talked about such as tethers, satellite drag devices, radar and its issues, and more. I asked both our guests if we were at a point where commercial/entrepreneurial businesses could take hold regarding debris cleanups. As you will hear, we are getting close but not quite there yet. Our guests gave us many examples to illustrate the points they were making in this discussion. As related to the comments on behavior, caller Jon brought up Game Theory along with the Tragedy of the Commons. One of the main points made throughout the program was that there were lots of variables and uncertainties in how best to deal with debris issues. The uncertainties make it far more difficult for companies to take action and for policy to be made. This is a discussion you do not want to miss. Later, Alistair called in with concern for MEO debris and collisions. One of his questions concerned potential damage to SSP materials from debris impact. Our guests had much to say about this issue which might just be an SSP show stopper! Throughout the first segment, we talked about the need for a NASA & other agency budget increase for cleaning up the space environment, space cleanup expenses, who might pay for them and also the Kessler Syndrome and that even if there were no new launches, the debris issue would continue escalating. In our second segment, John called in wondering if down the road using RLVs would help the problem given there would be less space junk hardware left in obit. As you will hear, it helps but it is not a solution to the debris problem. During this shorter segment, other ideas were mentioned in the context of their applicability to LEO or another location. Near the end of the program, Darren said it comes down to paying now or paying much more later. Please P\post your comments/questions for our guests on The Space Show blog. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:51:31 UTC
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Dr. Alan Stern, Tuesday, 2-7-12 (29.73MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Alan Stern. Topics: The upcoming Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference 2012 followed by a New Horizons and Pluto update. 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 Dr. Alan Stern for this special one hour program to discuss the upcoming Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference to take place in Palo Alto, CA from Feb. 27-29, 2012. Note that registration rates increase after Feb. 10th so for those of you interested in attending, you should register before the cut off date if possible. To find out more about this conference and suborbital scientific research, visit http://nsrc.swri.org. During the first half of the program, Dr. Stern told us about the conference and fielded many questions about suborbital flight and science research. Not only did we go through the keynote speakers, the conference format, and the possibility of winning a ride on an XCOR Lynx once you register, we talked about the NASA Flight Opportunities Program (https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov), foreign interest in suborbital spaceflight and research, international spaceports, and the leasing of the vehicles much as is done in the airline industry. In the last half of the program, we talked about the New Horizons Pluto mission as Alan is the P.I. for the mission. As you will hear, the spacecraft is doing well and on its way to Pluto. Alan was asked about the actual New Horizons Pluto mission and then what happens to the spacecraft after the Pluto mission is finished. He said it would continue on into deep space, leave our solar system and become an interstellar mission much in the way of Voyager. He also said it had power on board for perhaps 25-30 more years and that it would study objects in the Kuiper Belt which it would transit. A listener asked him about the possible need to change course for New Horizons due to debris. Alan talked about this problem and the contingency plans to put New Horizons on a different approach to Pluto if necessary. We also learned that the New Horizons team started a petition drive at Change.org to have the U.S. Post Office issue a Pluto stamp for the mission. I signed the petition, perhaps you will want to do so as well. You can read about it on Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log and he has a link in the article that will take you to the petition ; http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10284883-petition-pushes-for-a-pluto-stamp. There were 4,000 signatures for the Pluto stamp at the time of my archiving this program.. If you have questions or comments about this program, please post them on The Space Show blog. If you need additional information on the conference, use the contact information from their website. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:48:57 UTC
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