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. Christopher McKay, Monday, 1-3-11 (50.22MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Christopher (Chris) McKay. Topics: Mars, astrobiology, planetary exploration, Moon bases, search for life. Please note that 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. We welcomed back Dr. Chris McKay of NASA Ames discuss Mars, lunar bases, the possibility of organics and even life on Mars, and humans to Mars missions. We started our first segment by talking about Constellation as Dr. McKay was the deputy program scientist for Constellation. As you will hear, as one program closes, other doors open. We then talked about the upcoming Mars Science Lab (MSL) mission scheduled to launch in November 2011 and the efforts to restudy the possibility of organics in the Martian soil and the possibility of molecules given updates since the Viking missions. With the discovery of perchlorates in the Martian soil and Viking having probably destroyed organics, scientists are excited about the coming results expected from MSL. Dr. McKay even rated the likelihood of finding organics on Mars as well as actually confirming life on Mars. You don't want to miss his comments on this. We then discussed why humans should go to Mars. Listen carefully to this discussion. Listener Darrell wanted to know about the use of heavy lift in exploring Mars and more. As you will hear, to go to the Moon to stay and on to Mars, heavy lift would be important for Martian exploration & settlement. Listen carefully to what Dr. McKay had to say about heavy lift. Later in this segment, Chris from Argentina asked about his differences with the Zubrin Mars Direct program. Dr. McKay said he was less concerned with how fast we get to Mars as he was with being able to stay. Again, do you do not want to miss this discussion. Several times during our discussion, Dr. McKay talked about the South Pole/Antarctic model for both lunar and Martian research outposts. Our second segment kicked off with Chris calling us from Argentina with questions about terreforming Mars. Here, Dr. McKay had much to say about what we should do with terreforming if life was discovered on Mars. Other topics in this segment included Titan, human missions to NEOs, ISRU development, Moon bases and even human missions to Mercury. Near the end of the program, we asked Dr. McKay to comment on the recent Mono Lake arsenic life form announcements by NASA. Don't miss what he had to say about this science. I also asked our guest to outline the program he would undertake were he in charge of our civil space program. Dr. McKay mentioned three things including a human mission to a NEO, sample return missions from Mars, and setting up a longer term research base on the Moon to be able to do long term research on Mars. Dr. McKay was asked how to make the space case he was talking about to the American people and to Congress. What do you think of his suggestions? Near the end, a caller asked about the economics of the vision and plan Dr. McKay was discussing. We talked about economic growth and Chris suggested focusing in on a Moon base with a budget to not exceed 25% of the NASA budget and to force development of lower costs for doing these programs. He even referenced applying Moore's Law to space development to lower the cost of space access and development, not just the cost of space hardware. Trent called in to discuss the nature and duration of planning, specifically long term planning. At the end of the program, I asked Dr. McKay to describe for us the differences in the Arctic and the Antarctic. Don't miss this added discussion. If you have a question or comment for Dr. Chris McKay, please post it on the blog URL above. You can also email Chris at chris.mckay@nasa.gov. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:47:11 UTC
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Dr. Greg Baiden, Sunday, 1-2-11 (47.70MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Greg Baiden. Topics: Mining the Moon/NEO. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be applicable to Space Show programming. Visit Dr. Baiden's website, www.penguinasi.com/industrial. In our first segment, Dr. Baiden introduced telerobotic and automated mining and said that mining the Moon would be easier than mining a NEO. He talked about mining lunar water as an example. What was needed would be to have customers & he suggested LEO to service both human spaceflight and GEO traffic using fuel storage depots. For NEOs to be a possibility, he said we would need 100% robotic capability and we are not there yet. He also suggested the market would have to be larger than the ISS needs. We discussed what should come first, the market or the capability to mine lunar water and get it to LEO. We talked about how such a project would be done and he suggested public/private partnerships. Later in the show, due to policy and regulatory issues, he suggested that the private sector would probably have the best chance of doing this as they would not be so regulatory bound as government. Other issues discussed with listeners dealt with power for the lunar mining equipment, all of the space transport needs from launch to landing on the Moon to launching from the Moon to rendezvousing with the orbital depot. Greg explained that on Earth in low cost labor markets like China, the trend was moving to automated mining, mostly to move the humans away from operations for safety reasons. He talked about mining under water as relevant to the Moon because of the ability to simulate lunar gravity. At the end of this segment, we started talking about repair capabilities and logistically being able to deal with mining consumables, mainly steel. In the second segment, we talked about underground mining and avoiding strip mining. Sandra emailed in about hurting the lunar environment and this opened a short discussion on lunar and space environmental issues. I cut the discussion short for reasons you will hear on air & I hope this does not become an out of proportion blog topic. That said, Greg had some important things to say on this issue given his vast experience in the industry. We should all take note of his wisdom. Later in this segment, Greg identified the four initial piece of equipment he would send to the Moon and we talked about having the equipment fixed in one spot or being movable to different locations on the Moon. As this segment ended, our discussion addressed nuclear power for the lunar mining equipment and policy which both Greg and I suggested would be far more of a challenge than the financing, technology, and engineering. In our final segment, we asked Greg how international mining companies dealt with the myriad of regulations from different nations given they operate in countries around the world. He said what was needed was a land clause and for space this would be a resolution to the property rights issue. The real estate issue for space mining would have to have a resolution for mining to be successful. He said the first party to do it would have a far easier time of it than subsequent companies. Don't miss his comments on this important issue. I asked Dr. Baiden about the treaties and he said they were probably insufficient for commercial mining operations. We also talked about the concept of benefit sharing for all humanity. At the end, he was asked about mining Platinum Group Metals (PGM) from the Moon. As for a plausible time line, if the policy part of this process went smoothly, perhaps we could stat some sort of operations within ten to twenty years. His last question was about the probable cause of the Chile mining accident a few months ago. Post questions & comments on the blog & send them to me for forwarding. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:32:16 UTC
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Tom Olson, Friday, 12-31-10 (61.91MB; download) -- Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: Space 2010 Review and Space 2011 looking ahead. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We welcomed Tom Olson for his annual review of space activities during the year and his forecast for what's to come for the New Year. In our first segment, Tom made a point of talking about water discoveries on Mars and the Moon and the fact that due to other scientific discoveries, the size of the known universe nearly tippled. Our discussion then focused in on space policy changes for the year, particularly Obama Space. Tom suggested that it was not sold very well to Congress or the people. I asked Tom to give grades on the success of the policy within specific groups, then I graded the same groups. A listener asked if the ATK five segment booster test flight was on his milestone list and though it was not, Tom said it was still valuable & the technology would not be lost even if not immediately used. Paul asked how traditional aerospace sees the commercial success of orbital flight given the success of Falcon 9. Listener Gary talked about the Flexible Path and Tom said he was skeptical about it. Listener John in Atlanta talked about motivation and inspiration during the year and suggested without goals and flight plans, what's the point. Don't miss this discussion. John in Billings asked about traditional aerospace companies just spending to outspend and crush commercial competition. This was also an interesting discussion. In the second segment, Tom continued talking about 2010 milestones and events, then mentioned the discovery of Earth like planets and the KSU, plus he suggested that space debris finally came into its own as an important issue during the year. The subject of the arsenic life form found at Mono Lake, CA was mentioned and this brought in some questions about NASA intentions and competence. Listeners asked about Spaceport America for the coming year and commercial markets for 2011, especially for the commercial suborbital industry. Later in the segment, the question of what should the NASA mission be was discussed. Tom advocated for missions going out and exploring new worlds and pushing technology, leaving LEO and maybe even the Moon to the private industry. Diego inquired about the possibility of putting the ISS under control of a non-profit and Tom talked about using the Port Authority model for the future for the ISS. Near the end of the program, Tom said he did not think the FY 11 NASA budget would be cut, instead it would remain flat. Tim in Huntsville inquired about the environmental movement, launches, air pollution, and climate impact and wondered if this movement would in any way hinder space development during the year. Tom did not think so, nor did I. However, with substantial success and lots more launches, the anti-space movement might grow in strength. Don't miss all of what Tom had to say about this in response to Tim. He ended the program with his list of 2011 expectations. If you have a question or comment for Tom Olson, please post it on the blog URL above. You can also email Tom at taocfi@gmail.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:37:50 UTC
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Dr. Clark Lindsey, Tuesday, 12-2810 (60.45MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Clark Lindsey. Topics: NewSpace 2010 and 2011. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. You can find Dr. Lindsey's assessment of NewSpace 2010 and looking forward to 2011 under the title "A Review of NewSpace Developments in 2010 posted on his blogs and website. See www.spacetransportnews.com and scroll down for the title. Also check out the comments he will receive regarding this program. During the first segment of our two hour program, Clark first defined NewSpace for the purpose of our discussion and his assessment. Make sure you note his broader definition which is at the beginning of his article. In addition, note that he did not prioritize what he listed and discussed. During this segment, we talked about SpaceX and Falcon 9/Dragon accomplishments and the NASA budget process. X-37B, our economy, and Constellation were also discussion topics in this review. Toward the end of this segment, Clark was asked about the impact of the shuttle's retirement, NASA cuts and the job creating potential of NewSpace. In our second segment, our first caller was Trent from Australia regarding Bigelow and its Memorandum of Understanding with six countries. Another listener inquired about lifting bodies and Clark talked about needed diversity and competition regarding launch vehicles. You do not want to miss this discussion about why competition with launch vehicles is a good things. John from Atlanta called and talked about heavy lift and Clark mentioned an Air Force reusable booster program. Thanks to listener Steve, here is the URL if you want to know more about this project www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/awst/2010/04/19/AW_04_19_2010_p30-219818.xml&headline=USAF%20Plans%20For%20Reusable%20Booster%20Development&channel=defense. Also during this segment, we looked forward to 2011 and Clark shared his thoughts with us on what to expect and what he hoped would happen. In this segment, listener Tim asked how we might guard against a last minute addition to the budget language similar to the one Sen. Shelby did last year which kept funding for Constellation alive. As you will hear, there is no real way to guard against something like that from a member of Congress. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Clark Lindsey, please post them on the blog URL above. You can also email Clark at clarklindsey@hobbyspace.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:46:34 UTC
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David Hook, Monday, 12-27-10 (46.33MB; download) -- Guest: David Hook. Topics: General aviation security, suborbital tourism security, the FAA and TSA. We welcomed David Hook back to the show to discuss updates and trends with aviation security, specifically general aviation and the upcoming suborbital space tourism. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We started our discussion with the John and Martha King story at the Santa Barbara, California airport. You can read a brief description of this story at www.examiner.com/dc-in-washington-dc/guidelines-developed-after-respected-aviation-members-held-at-gunpoint. The guidelines mentioned by our guest and in the article can be found at http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2010/101015kings.pdf. David does do a good job of providing the background to this story, why it happened, and the nature of the problem. As you will hear, we got a call from Dr. Jurist who asked David if this problem was related to the issue of the FAA being unable to account for 119,00 general aviation aircraft due to questionable N numbers and registration issues. There are 357,000 such aircraft registered in the U.S. so this is a significant problem. David spent some time discussing this problem and what it means for aircraft and overall air security. Mr. Hook also explained the difference between a security vulnerability and a threat. We received some questions about expanding TSA security measures to trains and busses as well as suborbital space tourism. David had much to say about the vulnerability of ground transportation and their overall threat capacity as compared to an aircraft, even a general aviation aircraft. As we started the second segment, Mr. Hook updated us about trends and directions security may take regarding suborbital space tourism flights. As you will hear, David suggests that its likely that there will be at least some security regulations for such flights. Mr. Hook was asked about the recent pilot incident with cell phone videos on YouTube of the security areas at SFO in which he depicted TSA vulnerabilities. This took us into a discussion about Flight Deck Officers, Air Marshalls, and weapons on board an aircraft. David received questions from listeners, especially the one from Trent in Australia with his poll about flying were there no TSA in place, asking if people would still get on the plane. David then went into a discussion about his own personal methods of establishing for his benefit that there was good security on the plane. Listen to what he said was his methodology. With respect to what David told us he does on each flight, he sent the following article to me after the show which seemed to suggest doing exactly what Dave said he did regarding looking people square in the eye. Check this out: www.wfaa.com/news/local/Airport-security-Is-there-a-better-way-112530474.html. Toward the end of our program, we talked about what constituted ideal airport security and mitigating security risks. While I am sure you will find this discussion interesting, ultimately as you will hear, security stems from people, not equipment or electronics. If you have questions or comments for David Hook, please post them on the blog URL above. You can also email David at david.hook@spaceflightsecurity.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:52:37 UTC
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Dr. Stan Rosen, Sunday, 12-26-10 (55.78MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Stan Rosen. Topics: Using space to improve life on Earth and revolutionary space applications. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. During our nearly two hour discussion, Dr. Rosen referred to his Power Point presentation, "Potentially Revolutionary Space Applications" which you can find posted on The Space Show blog above under the title "Dr. Stan Rosen Presentation Material For Sunday, 12-26-10." At the same location, you will also find his Ad Astra Spring 2009 article, "How Space Can Improve Life On Earth." I urge all of you to have opened his Power Point presentation as you listen to this program as Dr. Rosen takes us through his listing of potentially revolutionary space applications and we discuss most of them during our discussion. During his introductory comments, Dr. Rosen described the differences between space applications as compared to space spinoffs so that we would not confuse the two topics. Dr. Rosen received many listener questions about policy, influencing Congress, policy makers, and the general public regarding the potential economic and wealth building value of space development. As you will hear, he was asking for ideas and suggestions on how we in the space industry, including the space enthusiasts, can do a better job of getting our understanding of space across to those that enact policy and make investments. We also talked about the role of public and private partnerships in becoming space fairing. In addition to discussing the space applications, we talked about the leadership role the U.S. has played in the past regarding satellites, rocket launches, and other space activities. As you will hear, Dr. Rosen discussed how we have lost our lead in some of these areas and how we are being seriously challenged in other areas as other nations become space-fairing and seem to view space differently than we do. One of the many important observations Dr. Rosen provided us had to do with how we might utilize the Moon and lunar resources. Here, Dr. Rosen was talking about the half a degree lunar platform that can provide unique Earth and near-Earth space observations. The half a degree angle results in very high resolution, plus these capabilities would be human tended on the lunar surface driving further needs for our astronaut corp along with economic launches. Later in the second segment, Stan fielded a question asking about the time line for this economic development and he said it was already underway. You do not want to miss this discussion. Other issues that came up included heavy lift and the question of focusing on a destination or something else. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions for Dr. Stan Rosen, please post them on The Space Show blog URL above and you can email them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward them to Dr. Rosen. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:13:20 UTC
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Robert (Bob) Zimmmerman, Friday, 12-24-10 (67.79MB; download) -- Guest: Robert (Bob) Zimmerman. Topics: Apollo 8 Genesis Christmas eve flight around the Moon 42 years ago, 2010 in review, 2011 forecast. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. For more information, visit Bob's blog, Behindtheblack at http://behindtheblack.com. We started our program by remembering the Apollo 8 flight which flew around the Moon 42 years ago today. Christmas evening back then the Apollo 8 astronauts read from Genesis and Bob told us that story and how it was decided to read from Genesis. Our discussion transitioned into the 2010 space policy debate and Bob summarized it, talked about SpaceX and the commercial/private space companies filling the void caused by the confusion and intended changes in our civil space policy. Bob was comprehensive in his comments and definitely took the point of view of new commercial opportunities arising from the problems with the government program. Our callers talked about the NASA budget cuts, heavy lift, the likelihood of heavy lift being cut, and more. Bob also talked about getting the U.S. budget under control even if that meant cutting back on the NASA budget. I asked Bob to comment on the new NASA Sun-Climate Research Center, and we talked about new House committee chairmen being representative of traditional aerospace and that potential impact on commercial space development. We ended this segment with a call from Dr. Lurio continuing the budget discussion, plus Charles commented on the "Gadot" rocket. The possible merger inside NASA of the Human Spaceflight and Operations Directorates was discussed by both Charles and Bob. You can read about this possible merger at www.spacenews.com/civil/101221-nasa-merge-directorates.html. Listen to his comments for clarification. In our second segment we started looking forward into the future in 2011. Bob suggested that the Kepler Space Telescope (KST) would start giving us planetary information for Earth-like planets in February and said this might be the science discovery of the year. He said the astrophysics budget for 2011 was dismal, we talked about the NASA arsenic life form story about which Bob had much to say. A listener asked Bob what he thought about NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Don't miss what Bob said in response to this listener question. Towards the end of the program, we returned to budget control issues and ITAR reform with Bob saying that the innovation would be forthcoming from the private sector, not from the government. We ended our discussion with a bat fungus update which was not encouraging if you are one of the fungus susceptible bats as species extinction may be in progress. If you have questions for Bob Zimmerman, please post them on the blog URL above and you can email Bob at zimmerman at nasw dot org. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 25 Dec 2010 03:43:47 UTC
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Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards, Tuesday, 12-21-10 (49.47MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards. Topics: Moon Express, Singularity University, ISU, commercial space development. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We welcomed Dr. Bob Richards back to the program. As we started our first segment, I asked Dr. Richards about his work & exchange of ideas with Dr. Carl Sagan. Bob not only told us about working with Carl, but also with Arthur C. Clark & Gerard. K. O'Neill. We next talked to Dr. Richards about his new activities since he was last a guest on the program in January 2008. Bob talked about his work in starting the Google Lunar X Prize entry Odyssey Moon and his departure to seize on a new opportunity in putting together Moon Express, another Google Lunar X Prize contestant. Moon Express was one of six companies selected by NASA in their Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) program and one of the three named to receive $500,000 upon completion of the successful testing of a critical component needed for landing on the Moon. Bob spent some time explaining the ILDD program and awards which are given only upon success. We then switched gears to talk about Silicon Valley, CA as the center for commercial space activities. Dr. Richards was asked several questions about the Singularity University which is located at NASA Ames. Near the end of this segment, Gary called in to ask about ISRU development, specifically on the Moon and then closed his comments by asking about the feasibility of one way trips to Mars. In the second segment, we talked about the revised deadlines for the Google Lunar X Prize and deadlines for Moon Express. We learned that Moon Express hopes to be able to do its critical component test as part of the NASA ILDD by this summer if not sooner. To learn more about Moon Express, visit their website at www.moonexpress.com. You can also visit the website for the Singularity University at http://singularityu.org. Later in this segment, our attention turned to the Singularity University. Bob said that most of the students were not space enthusiasts and based on their online stats for their students, only about 4% of the students were interested in space before the program. He then talked about the structure of their program, the example of their grand challenge on space, "Boldly Stay," and the fact that it turned out to be oversubscribed with 30% to 40% of their 80 students participating in the challenge. Bob was asked several questions about the teaching methodology that produced such astounding results so he spent some time talking with us about the Singularity University approach to teaching and their students. Dr. Lurio then called to further clarify the awards in the NASA ILDD program. Bob was asked about his possible move to the Silicon Valley and becoming a full time U.S. resident. This sparked a discussion about the U.S. and the Valley as the center for entrepreneurism, especially space entrepreneurism, as well as the center for commercial space activities. The subject of aerospace industry trends came up and we talked about the shifts from traditional aerospace to commercial space and the private companies. Toward the end of the program, John in Atlanta called in to question the real progress the changes in space policy represented given we were letting go of the Shuttle and in a way, returning to 1960's and 1970s type technology. At the end of the program, Elliott sent in a note asking for more information about Bob's departure from Odyssey Moon and for a comparison of the Isle of Man with Silicon Valley. In his closing comments, Dr. Richards brought us full circle to the start of the interview so don't miss what he had to say. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Bob Richards, please post them on the blog URL above. You can also forward them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will send them to him. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:34:15 UTC
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Dr. Al Koller, Monday, 12-20-10 (51.96MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Al Koller. Topics: Space workforce certification, space policy and leadership. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We welcomed Dr. Al Koller to the program to discuss SpaceTEC, his company that provides space workforce training and certification. Find out more about the SpacTEC National Resource Center for Aerospace Technical Education by visiting www.spacetec.org. To download the video talked about on the program currently being aired on Direct TV, please use www.spacetec.org/videos.htm. To download the article I mentioned by Eliot Pulham, CEO of The Space Foundation, please visit http://newsletters.spacefoundation.org/spacewatch/articles/id/698. In our first segment, Dr. Koller began our discussion by honoring the 42nd anniversary of the Apollo 8 launch countdown and the Apollo 8 mission and astronauts. This discussion was followed by Dr. Koller's introduction of SpaceTEC and our learning about training and certifying aerospace workers. Dr. Koller described the program, how SpaceTEC designs the certification programs in partnership with government, industry, and academia so that those earning the certification are can do aerospace workers. He provided several examples of the certification training including composite work on the new Boeing Dreamliner passenger jet as well as programs geared toward Spaceport America in New Mexico. Later in this first segment, we started discussing our space program and the state of space policy in the country today. Our guest had much to say on this topic and I could not resist jumping in with my own thoughts on the state of our space program and corresponding space policy. As you will hear, we both commented on the current situation which has produced lots of unknowns, budget and program uncertainties, and even bickering and confusion within the space community. Trent from Australia wrote in to say that Augustine had put forth the goals of the program but Dr. Koller had a different take on Augustine and I suggested that what unfolded after Augustine had watered down any Augustine goals only to leave us in a wait and see status with more unknowns than knowns. Both Dr. Koller and I had much to say about this so do listen carefully and let us know what you think. As we started the second segment, Dr. Koller talked about how aviation and space were now blending together or starting to merge and how this trend was impacting the SpaceTEC educational and certification programs. Demand was now being created for a new class of aerospace technology worker, the "supertec." He predicted that a growing area for certification would be in the rules and regulations governing human spaceflight for 2012 and beyond. In responding to listener questions, Al talked about the space worker training in other countries. As you will hear, many use more engineers than we do so technical worker training or certification programs are not as common as here in the U.S. You don't want to miss his assessment of educational and worker training opportunities in China, Europe, and Russia. Other industrial areas discussed for advancing worker certification state of the art programs focused on the automotive industry sparked by a listener question, space tourism, and research and technology areas. Our guest provided us with some examples including the Liquid Air Back Pack and using KSC facilities as a commercial test center. In his closing comments, Dr. Koller had one wish which was to infuse middle and high school students with a STEM education to provide them with expanding opportunities via space and other disciplines. If you have a comment or question for Dr. Al Koller, please post it on the blog URL above. You can also email him at alkoller@gmail.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:18:57 UTC
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Open Lines, Sunday, 12-19-10 (62.84MB; download) -- Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: SSP, Heavy lift rockets, electric cars, energy, NASA FY 11 budget. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. This was our final Open Lines program for 2010. At two hours, you will find this show to be loaded with controversial statements & discussion points. During the first segment, Atlanta John called to talk about the budget for FY 11, heavy lift, the ISS, Orion, Dragon, & our space program. He predicted that we would see an across the board budget cut including one for NASA but he said it was a guess. We talked about heavy lift and what it might be used for based on our understanding of what might be our civil space program. Marshall then called to talk about electric cars as during the opening discussion points, I talked about an SSP email group note about Space X helping to make the business case for SSP by radically lowering launch costs and driving up electricity prices as more people buy a Tesla electric car. We extrapolated the email's specific comments about Space X to the industry in general and I said that if the only way SSP can be competitive is to drive up electricity prices either through policy or by high demand for electric cars when the grid cannot today supply the added electricity, then you still do not have a competitive business, just a policy to achieve a certain outcome. Marshall had much to say about the state of our grid, especially in the larger cities and he also talked about having liquid fuels available to support electric cars for freeway usage. He talked about rectenna sizes and using salt flats for their locations. In the second segment, the green energy and electric car discussion took over with Dave calling in to talk about nuclear power, the cost for electricity, and the development of new nuclear power plants. As Dave works in the nuclear power industry, he does know what he is talking about. He then applied parts of his discussion to SSP and electric cars and as you will hear, the numbers are not there. Dave went on to talk about human spaceflight capsules versus lifting bodies. He had much to say about these two designs and concluded his discussion saying SpaceX was significantly ahead of other companies in development of human spaceflight hardware. Andrew from Tucson emailed his comments about energy, electric cars, and SSP and commented how he loved coal so much he wanted it for Christmas. He then sent in his mailing address and asked listeners to send him chunks of coal for a Christmas present. I assumed he was kidding and that he really did not want to get chunks of coal in the mail but a note he sent me after the show say he would video his opening any coal presents and put the video on YouTube. I know we space cadets can be a bit over the top but we may be going out of 2010 way over the top with Andrew's wish list for Santa. Tim from Huntsville called in to advocate a radically different type of energy policy for the U.S. and I seconded the need for such a policy. He then listed several sources of energy and provided us with the amount of energy each kind was capable of producing. We talked about the fact that electric cars can hardly be green when they require electricity that largely comes form burning coal in this country. Tim also talked about heavy lift. Many do believe we need heavy lift but I continually here from very well informed people that heavy lift is not essential when we have on orbit propellant depots. The Space Show plans on addressing this issue in a panel discussion for 2011. If you have questions or comments about this show, post them on The Space Show blog URL above. If you want to send a note to any of the callers or those sending in an email, tell me who and send the note to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward it on your behalf. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:07:01 UTC
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