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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Megan Prelinger, Friday, 5-21-10 (43.38MB; download) --
Guest: Megan Prelinger. Topics, space advertising, aerospace engineering recruiting, early human spaceflight 1957-1962. Megan Prelinger, author of "Another Science Fiction: Advertising The Space Race 1957-1962," was the guest for this Space Show program. Her book is available on the One Giant Leap Foundation website and if you purchase it from this link, Amazon contributes to One Giant Leap and The Space Show. Please use www.amazon.com/dp/0922233357?tag=onegialeafou-20. Please note that there is phone line noise in the audio of this program. We apologize for this inconvenience but sometimes phone lines do cause problems beyond our control. In our fist segment, Megan explained how she got interested in the subject and how this book evolved to completion. We talked about much of the material being in the public domain and why that was the case. I think you will find this discussion very interesting. As you will hear, most of the ads during this period were aerospace engineering recruitment ads. During this time period, a half a million engineering jobs were added to industry to launch our space program and the book documents how this was done, the advertising message, the great images used, and much more. We highlighted several of the ads and images including p. 173 and the Westinghouse ad that resembled a lunar base on pp. 178-179. We also discussed the focus on the military in space, a far cry from what we talk about today. Megan received several questions wondering if the images from back then would be useful today to drive more interest in space and related fields. You might be surprised by her answer. In our second segment, we talked about the time period and technology. As you will hear, up to about 1962, not so much was known about space so science fiction, fantasy, and space could all combine to work together. After 1962 as we started learning more about space and especially deep space, reality started to separate itself form the science fiction and fantasy and the ads and the messages started changing. This is why Megan targeted her book to cover 1957-1962. Listeners asked about the early space suit ads and the square helmet as well as if social problems were shown in the period being researched to have been resolved by going into space. When asked if Cold War advertising was explicit, the answer was no but you might be surprised by some of the comments on this topic. In our third and final segment, I asked Megan about the cover photo used for the book. As you will hear, it was a 1957 life insurance ad using a man floating in space with a concerned look approaching the planet Saturn. We switched focus to learning about the Prelinger Library located in San Francisco. You can find out more about the library by visiting www.prelingerlibrary.org. Also visit the website for her book, www.anothersciencefiction.com. If you have comments or questions for Megan Prelinger, please use author@anothersciencefiction.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 22 May 2010 15:50:16 UTC
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The Space Show Classroom Lesson 8 Human Factors Part 2, 5-18-10 (64.75MB; download) -- Guests: CLASSROOM: Dr. Jim Logan, Dr. John Jurist. Topics: Lesson 8, Human Factors Part Two. Drs. Logan and Jurist returned for this Classroom program which focused on long duration human spaceflight. As we started our first segment, I asked our guests what constituted long duration spaceflight. The working definition centered around spaceflight more than six months to a year in duration and any human spaceflight going beyond LEO. Both our guests said there were no show stoppers regarding Life Science in short term space flight but that it was very different in the long duration flight with the two major issues being radiation and microgravity effects, specifically bone issues. During this first segment, we focused on the bone loss issues. Our discussion with Dr. Logan and Dr. Jurist was comprehensive and detailed, explaining the problems, the facts about exercise (you will probably be surprised at what you hear on this topic), and counter measures such as artificial gravity, centrifuges, bisphosphonate usage, and more. Because of the bone loss issues, Dr. Logan said that some destinations in space would probably be classified as a civilization destination while others would be typed as a sortie destination. We talked about the lack of knowledge for the gravity prescription and what that really means for human spaceflight. In discussing artificial gravity which was typed as pseudo gravity by our guests, we learned that it was not the same as natural gravity on Earth and the lack of knowledge about it was a problem. You will certainly want to hear this comprehensive discussion on this and the other topics in this segment. Our second segment focused on space radiation issues. The two major types of radiation were identified as cosmic rays and the solar wind. Dr. Logan gave us some interesting facts for comparison in shielding on Earth versus shielding in a spacecraft, a space habitat, and a spacesuit. You will want to pay particular attention to the percentages Dr. Logan provided as this information was used throughout this segment. Our guests brought up the solar cycle, solar modulation from all directions, the LRO mission and its data findings, and the geometric issue for radiation shielding. We also talked about magnetic shielding and noted that when the spacecraft size decreases, the radiation field needed to deflect particles increases. Don't miss this discussion and explanation. Dr. Rowe asked about radiation and the early Apollo missions. Joe asked as question about the atmospheric particles and could they be used for shielding. Don't miss the answer to these questions. Much of our discussion centered on possible mitigation techniques. We went over many of those suggested but Dr. Logan suggested that the ultimate answer would not be in the form of a silver bullet but more likely a multiple faceted solution, a type of sandwich of solutions mixed together. Near the end of the program, our guests responded to a medical treatment question for a long duration spaceflight crew member with a heart attack. Pharmaceutical usage in space was talked about and our guests brought up the fact that humans were the weak link in the spaceflight chain. Fly By Wire was used as an example. Please remember to visit The Space Show Classroom Blog at http://spaceshowclassroom.wordpress.com. Post all your comments and questions there. Any comments or questions sent to me will be posted to the blog under the name of the sender. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 19 May 2010 14:21:04 UTC
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Janice Dunn, Monday, 5-17-10 (40.05MB; download) -- Guest: Janice Dunn. Topics: California Space Center and the California Space Authority (CSA). Janice Dunn of CSA returned for this program with new information on the California Space Center as well as other information pertaining to the California space workforce and upcoming programming for CSA. For more information, please visit the CSA website at www.californiaspaceauthority.org. In our first segment, Janice described the California Space Center project. It will be located on 71 acres in Santa Barbara county on property to be leased from the Air Force at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Vandenberg AFB comprises about 99,000 acres of land in total. It will be modeled to some degree after the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center. To be developed over ten years in phases, it will include museums, a Native American Cultural Center, Launch Viewing Facilities, a conference center and dining room, classrooms, labs, a rocket garden and much more. For more information about the California Space Center (CSC), please visit www.californiaspaceauthority.org/spacecenter/index.html. We talked about the plans for student linkups and the focus on fifth graders from all over the state. Listen to why Janice said their target was the fifth grade as I believe you will find it to be an interesting fact. In addition to discussing the cost of the CSC and fund raising opportunities for large donors, corporations, and individuals, we talked about tourist possibilities given the location on the Central Coast. In response to out of state listener questions, the classrooms and educational facilities will be available to students outside of California and in fact from other countries. In the second segment, we talked about the Native American cultural history with the local Chumash Tribe which has shown continued ownership of the land in this area going back 10,000 years! Janice described their canoe voyages to the Channel Islands using celestial navigation and their relationship to space. Ms. Dunn mentioned the unique advantage California has for the CSC with Hollywood and its participation as well as JPL and the Rovers, the Mars Science Lab, and even the space telescopes with the James Webb Space Telescope. During the third and final segment, listener Barbara David asked Janice about fantasy projects for the CSC once the needed and essential funding for the project was secured. Janice mentioned three such projects including having access to a Zero G plane right at Vandenberg for students and other to experience zero g immediately after learning about it. Another project was dubbed the Space Train. This would be a train that brought students from all over California to the nearby Surf Train Station for their visit to the CSA. Learning would start on board the train. The last fantasy project Janice mentioned was a space camp on the site. Listeners asked about academic credit for the student programs and we discussed curriculum requirements. Toward the end of the program, Janice was asked about the CSA support of SSP and she said they did support it. In response to another question, she said the agency was collaborative with other state space agencies, not always competitive. When asked if CSA was involved in working with developing the Mexican Space Agency, she said no but they were open to it. You can contact Janice Dunn with your comments or questions by emailing her at janice.dunn@californiaspaceauthority.org. The phone number for CSA is 805-349-2633. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 18 May 2010 00:58:08 UTC
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The Space Show Classroom Lesson 7 Human Factors Part 1, 5-16-10 (57.04MB; download) -- Guests: CLASSROOM: Dr. Jim Logan, Dr. John Jurist. Topics: Lesson 7, Human Factors Part 1. This program was Lesson 7 and the first part of a two part series on human factors for space travel. In the first segment of the program, our guests summarized the major human factors and medical issues for suborbital and very short term spaceflight. He said there were no real surprises or show stoppers for this category of spaceflight. We addressed bone loss issues and talked about G-loading positions for spaceflight participants to minimize acceleration stresses. We compared these positions to those flying in a high performance fighter jet. Centrifuge training was discussed in detail and why its so important to fly the suborbital or spaceflight profiles that one intends to take. We talked about cardiac dysrhythmia, medical qualifications, beta blockers, and corrective steps if medical conditions were found to exist in someone that wants to fly in space. Our guests talked about the disqualification process and explained it to us. Listen carefully as it was not what I thought would be and some of you may also be surprised by what our guests said about potentially adverse medical conditions. This is an important discussion so don't miss it. Floating around in the space vehicle was also brought up and discussed as a potential risk factor. We had a question from Mel for Dr. Logan asking him about the tricks to avoid getting air sick if one has the opportunity to fly in a high performance military jet with a downright "evil" pilot. You will enjoy this discussion! During this segment, we spent more time talking about cardiac issues and the usage of pharmaceuticals in space. One drug combination Dr. Logan talked about was ScopeDex for space sickness. Our guests also suggested that spaceflight participants fly different zero g parabolas to experience weightlessness and see how they react to it and what "space sickness" is like. Another issue that came up that would be critical for suborbital or any spaceflight was the ability for the person to do a rapid egress from the vehicle in case of an emergency. During the second segment, our guests repeated the three "commandments" for human spaceflight: Do no danger to yourself, do no danger to the mission, and do no danger to others. Dr. Jurist also talked about the risks of space diving explaining the major issues and risks associated with it. I asked Dr. Logan about what to eat before a spaceflight. Later in this segment, we talked about high altitude military jet ejections in the context of the earlier discussion on space diving. Toward the end of the program, we talked about space radiation issues which were not said to be that significant for a very short suborbital flight. While we discussed radiation in some detail, it will be a major focus of the second part of the human factors discussing in Lesson 8. As we neared the end of the program, we talked more about the g-loading as well as a question from Bill on radiation issues for the ISS and a potential solar incident during a suborbital flight. At the end, I asked each guest to prioritize the research as well as research dollars for suborbital and short duration human spaceflight. If you have questions or comments about this program or for Drs. Logan and Jurist, post them on The Space Show Classroom blog where this program is archived. Visit http://spaceshowclassroom.wordpress.com. Any emails sent me will be posted back on the blog under the sender's name as we want the discussion to be part of the Classroom series. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 17 May 2010 16:36:31 UTC
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Professor Frans G. von der Dunk, Friday, 5-14-10 (54.52MB; download) -- Guest: Professor Dr. Frans von der Dunk. Topics: International and transatlantic space governance. Professor Dr. Frans G. von der Dunk of the Space and Telecom Law Center of the University of Nebraska Law School in Lincoln, NE was our guest for today. Please visit their website to find out more about their program, http://spaceandtelecomlaw.unl.edu/home. In our first segment, Dr. von der Dunk told us about the recent conference, Space Security and Space Tourism: Challenges to, and Transatlantic Perspectives on Governance. To find out more about this recent conference and see most of the Power Point presentations from the two day meeting, visit http://spaceandtelecomlaw.unl.edu/conferences/lincolnconference/powerpoints. Our guest told us there was a focus on suborbital flights, the technology and regulations needed for suborbital point to point transportation, and some of the issues facing the European regulatory agencies for space traffic management. We talked about Sweden, the copying of the FAA AST policies, even the potential space launch impact of the Icelandic volcano and the restrictions that followed the eruption to much of European air space. At the end of the segment, we started talking about space debris issues and courts with jurisdiction to hear a space debris claim. As we started the second segment, we moved to security issues and a discussion about weapons in space. Here, Dr. von der Dunk described a weapon in space, explained the existing space treaty requirements regarding weapons in space and WMDs in space and much more. This is a comprehensive discussion on the issue and I urge all of you to listen to it as it clarifies the treaties on this issue and what nations can and cannot do regarding space weapons. Different nations were discussed in the context of space weapons issues and you might be surprised by what was said about North Korea, Iran, and others. Caller Bruce asked about nuclear power in space in the context of the treaties because of the possibility of using nuclear explosions as part of the propulsion system. Such nuclear explosions would be prohibited by the NPT treaty, not any of the space treaties. Again, this is an excellent discussion regarding the legal uses of nuclear propulsion in space so don't miss it. And remember, its mostly the test ban and similar treaties that prohibit or restrict nuclear space propulsion, not the space treaties. Our third segment started out with a question about the increasing privatization of space and if that means we will see more liability issues for the responsible states. Professor von der Dunk's response might surprise you. During this segment we discussed more space debris issues and the newer concept of space surveillance. Our guest talked about some of the U.S. STRATCOM issues mentioned in the keynote by AF General Kevin Chilton. As this segment ended, the subject of ITAR reform came up with four suggestions for modifying the ITAR restrictions. In our final segment, we continued the ITAR discussion and then inquired about the Space & Telecom Law Center and how it was doing since it is a relatively new program. Listeners and I inquired about the possibility of there being Astrolaw someday when we are engaged in space settlement. You will certainly want to hear this discussion. As the segment closed, I asked our guest to compare the interest space among American students and European students. Again, don't miss this brief but important discussion. If you have questions or comments for Professor Frans von der Dunk, please email him at fvonderdunk2@unl.edu. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 15 May 2010 16:37:53 UTC
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Kevin Sloan, Tuesday, 5-11-10 (42.59MB; download) -- Guest: Kevin Sloan. Topic: Mars Society University Rover Challenge 2010 June 3-5, 2010. Kevin Sloan returned to tell us about 2010 Mars Society University Rover Challenge (URC). To learn more about it, visit their website at www.marssociety.org/portal/c/urc. Sign up for their newsletter and URC updates at www.marssociety.org/portal/author/kfsloan. In our first segment, Kevin described the location for URC which is near Hanksville, Utah where the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is located. Kevin described the four main tasks that the rover teams must successfully accomplish. These include a sample return task, a site survey , an equipment servicing task, and an emergency navigation task. The control room for each robotic team is in a special tent and the only feedback they have with their rovers comes from mounted video cameras and microphones. Kevin explains this and the four tasks in this segment. He also discussed the nine teams that will be competing. You can see the list of teams at www.marssociety.org/portal/c/urc/Teams. Listeners inquired about coming to URC as spectators but Kevin said the site was too remote and they were not set up for visitors/spectators. He did say that there will photos and videos uploaded to the URC website as the challenge is underway. A listener asked about commercial value for the winning rover and Kevin said that for now there were no commercial markets but industry was often present for recruiting and other reasons. In the second segment, Kevin described the Oregon State robotic team with their website video showing the team running their rover the length of a football field running over the football team end to end the length of the field. You can see this video at http://oregonstate.edu/groups/osurc/urc-rover/videos.php. Kevin said most of the teams were in stealth mode so he was unable to describe for us what the other teams were planning for their rovers. In response to a question about one of the teams from Poland, he said that Polish news has been very interested and focused on the rover teams and they get lots of PR in Poland. In this segment, he also talked about the rover specs and that they were limited to a 50 kg weight. In response to a question from Tim, Kevin said that all teams were required to have a detailed plan costing out the elements of their rover. The NASA Robonaut 2 project came up and Kevin talked about it in comparison to the robots designed by the URC teams. As we began the third segment, Kevin spoke about team sponsorships, space grant support, and support from the team's schools. Kevin told us that there was a $15K cap on the hardware for each team rover. Near the end of this segment, he mentioned that their seems to be less of an interest in the aerospace engineering classes but that NewSpace and some of the space activities has helped to keep certain pockets of engineering interesting to students. If you have questions or comments for Kevin Sloan and the URC, please contact him at Kevin@marssociety.org. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 12 May 2010 15:34:32 UTC
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Gary Hudson, Monday, 5-10-10 (41.36MB; download) -- Guest: Gary Hudson. Topics: Obama space policy and FY 2011 budget. Gary Hudson was our guest today to speak about the Administration's space policy program and the Fiscal Year 2011 space budget recommendations. In our first segment, Gary defined heavy lift in the context of history. For example, early in the space days in the 1960's, heavy lift was thought to be a million pounds to orbit. Today we talk about 50 to 200 tons to orbit. During this segment we also talked about a Mars mission and commercial launchers and their readiness to transport humans to LEO. The subject of human rating the EELVs was discussed and Gary had much to say about this. We concluded this segment with a detailed discussion about the GAP facing our human spaceflight program. As we started the second segment, we received a call from John in Montana continuing the man rating discussion by asking about the acceleration profiles on Atlas and Delta, citing NASA acceleration standards for launch trajectories. Gary discussed these profiles in the context of the Black Zone Argument. Do not miss what Gary had to say about acceleration profiles and this issue. Anthony from the UK brought up the issue of risk averseness and Gary had much to say about this. This subject led me to go off on one of my rants about the subject and my apologies in advance to anyone I may have offended with my energetic commentary. Mr. Hudson brought up and addressed the COTS program as this segment concluded. We started the third and final segment by discussing the Orion Lite lifeboat concept. Gary liked the idea, talked about it at length and introduced us to the concept of space taxis. This is a discussion you will not want to miss. A listener asked him for his thoughts on the Augustine Commission and our guest said he thought it was the best space panel/commission ever. The issues of having goals and specific deadlines was addressed and Gary said the goal was to be truly space-fairing and to be able to go throughout the solar system with human beings. He said the administration program was very goal oriented. When asked if he was concerned that another nation might get to the Moon before we got back there, he said no. Don't miss his full comments on this subject. At the end of the program, Gary was asked to tell us what he saw for our space program five to ten years out and if our domestic and global economic problems would interfere with space development and expansion. He suggested that we segment our space issues from the rest of what is going on, to compartmentalize. Humans are adaptable and he believes humanity and space will prevail despite present day challenges. If you have comments or questions for Gary Hudson, please send them through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 11 May 2010 15:56:03 UTC
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Dr. Madhu Thangavelu, Sunday, 5-9-10 (42.15MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Madhu Thangavelu. Topics: USC Astronautics, class team projects for the ISS, Obama space policy, X37B and NEO deterrence. During our first segment, Dr. Thangavelu started our discussion by talking about the reorganization of the USD Division of Astronautical Engineering. To learn more, please visit http://astronautics.usc.edu. He then described his most recent team project class, the Concept Synthesis Studio. The theme for the end of 2009 class was the ISS but the students had to develop out of the box futuristic solutions and projects for using the ISS. He used WebEx to teach the class by distance. Listen to some of the student/team projects that he described during his discussion. As we started the second segment, he talked about another question he asked his students and that was around what to do with the astronauts if our space policy changes and they are mostly flying to the ISS on a Soyuz. One idea he had was to use them as Ambassadors and have them travel around the world promoting space development and human spaceflight. Since Madhu is a Moon guy and has done much work regarding lunar habitats and has books published on the subject, he said he was "let down" by the President's August 15 talk at the Cape. He thinks the Moon should be on the critical path but since its not and the focus is on the ISS, he is working with his students to make the ISS a very valuable and useful asset. He advocated bringing the Indians and Chinese aboard the ISS partnership. He also suggested having a Department of Space and turning the ISS over to private management. Listen to this discussion and see what you think as he advocated the privatization of the ISS. Later in this segment, he talked about the X-37B and suggested it was a game changing potential for human spaceflight and much better than using a capsule. As we started our third segment, we again heard from John in Atlanta with his questions around recovering a rocket from the ocean, specifically a liquid rocket motor. He asked our guest that if we do design a new heavy lift, should we design it from the ground up to be recovered from sea water? Dr. Thangavelu seemed to like the idea. I suggest that John bounce his idea off rocket engineers and those designing and building rockets. Perhaps he should contact members of the Direct 3.0 team or start posting on the engineering based blog www.nasapaceflight.com. Our guest then addressed the X-47B project and its potential. He then talked about his recent Space News article titled "Putting Surplus Nukes to Good Use" (www.spacenews.com/commentaries/1004712-putting-surplus-nukes-good-use.html). If you have questions or comments for Dr. Madhu Thangavelu, please contact him at thangavelu-girardey@cox.net. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 10 May 2010 15:54:16 UTC
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Dr. Erik Seedhouse, Friday, 5-7-10 (55.95MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Erik Seedhouse. Topics: Astronaut training process, human spaceflight. Dr. Erik Seedhouse returned to discuss with his book, "Prepare For Launch: The Astronaut Training Process." This book is available through the One Giant Leap Foundation (OGLF) Amazon partners page and if you buy it through this URL, Amazon contributes to The Space Show/OGLF: www.amazon.com/dp/1441913491?tag=onegialeafou-20. In our first segment, Dr. Seedhouse said that all national space agencies more or less follow the same astronaut training process. He talked about the number of applicants for the Canadian Space Agency, ESA, and NASA followed by how many are actually selected by each agency. He also suggested that winning candidates spend their academic and professional careers working toward the goal of becoming an astronaut. He talked about the academic background required for pilots and crew members. You won't want to miss this discussion. Toward the end of this segment, I brought up the part of his book that focuses on making very hard decisions in the arena of spaceflight bioethics. Again, don't miss this discussion. Erik compared the decision making process to decisions made by earlier remote expeditions and sailing ventures, suggesting that in the end the mission captain will have to make the decision for bioethical issues, in conjunction with doctors on the ground, possible family members, and the crew. As Dr. Seedhouse indicated, this type of analysis and problem solving does not yet appear in formal astronaut training but will when we get closer to long duration spaceflight. In our second segment, we talked about age and other requirements for astronaut training. As it turns out, some nations have strict age guidelines which we do not have in the U.S. Dr. Seedhouse also outlined what is covered in the basic 18 month training course. I asked if emotional or psychological training was part of it and he said no because the astronauts are considered professional and don't require it. For private astronaut training such as might be used by Bigelow Aerospace, there might very well be some training in this area. Listeners asked our guest about sex in space and astronauts. This was a topic discussed on and off throughout the program. We started the third segment by talking about the period leading up to launch. He described the personal gear astronauts take with them, the family escort process, and quarantine ten days before a launch. We also talked about astronaut fear factor riding the rocket, space sickness, and more. In fact, the issue of space sickness dominated the balance of this segment and we extrapolated to what may happen with private spaceflight participants. In the final segment, we looked at future astronaut training and how such training might evolve over time. Dr. Seedhouse compared suborbital with orbital and missions beyond LEO. Artificial gravity was brought up and then Erik talked about the private astronaut market. In concluding his comments, he said that those that make it into the program and become astronauts have to have an absolute burning ambition and passion to be an astronaut. If you have comments or questions for Dr. Erik Seedhouse, please email him at DrErikSeedhouse@hotmail.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 08 May 2010 16:14:47 UTC
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OPEN LINES, Wednesday, 5-5-10 (57.61MB; download) -- Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: nuclear rocket propulsion, VASIMR, space policy, ISS, Constellation, Ares 1. This Open Lines program was a two hour discussion with many listener phone calls and email/chat questions. As with all open lines shows, they have a mind of their own and go off in a direction that you the listeners want. During the first segment, I led with a discussion of the copyright issues for The Space Show. I summarized Space Show/One Giant Leap Foundation, Inc. policy on copyrights, unauthorized program use, unauthorized edits, etc. Please note our policy and if you have any questions or ideas, contact me. When the toll free line was opened up, our first call came from Dave who wanted to talk about the VASIMR, recent comments on it made by Dr. Zubrin when he was last on the program, and what his analysis of power generation and heat exchanger requirements were for this new technology. Dave then talked about the NERVA type of nuclear propulsion. As we started the second segment, our first caller suggested that VASIMR was simply a possible development path starting with the ISS and evolving to Mars and beyond. He then brought to our attention the announcement earlier in the day of the retirement of Congressman David Obey and what this might mean for our civil space policy given the person who might take his place as head of the House Appropriations Committee was more closely aligned with the military and this might suggest a policy continuing on with parts of Constellation and Ares 1 for the benefit of the Air Force. Our caller suggested it might be business as usual with NASA helping to cover the costs of defense department programs. Our next caller commented on thin film photo voltaic batteries and more. A caller then asked which technology represented a better path to low cost space access, Big Dumb Boosters or an RLV. My response focused on the need to develop commercial markets so there would be a reason to incur the R&D to develop either technologies or even different technologies. This opened up a discussion thread on which comes first, the rocket/technology or the markets. John from Huntsville called in to suggest a type of compromise between the booster and the RLV with a medium size heavy lift vehicle. John has been calling the show quite a bit lately to express his ideas about heavy lift and more. If you want to respond to him about his ideas and theories, he provided us with his email address which is j_hunt@mindspring.com. Callers also talked with us about recovering rockets from the ocean as part of an RLV, both SRBs and even liquid rocket motor components. As we neared the end of the show, I brought up space policy since it was not a major part of this program. In my comments I mentioned a Dr. Scott Pace interview that is worth hearing regardless of your views on space policy. Here is the URL for that interview: www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/222557. At the very end of the program, a listener asked the email question about our NASA budget operating under a continuing resolution in 2011 and if that meant Constellation would continue to be funded into 2011. I referred our listener to earlier space policy programs where this issue was addressed by people who know space policy issues and what it means to be operating under a continuing resolution. That said, I believe it does mean that Constellation is continued until the point the FY 2011 budget is passed and assuming that FY 2011 budget cancels Constellation, at that point funding for the program would cease. Please let me know if this is an incorrect analysis of what it means to operate under a continuing resolution. If you have a question for any of the listeners or callers for this show or the host, please send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will pass it on to the person you designate. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Thu, 06 May 2010 16:05:32 UTC
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