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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Wayne White, Monday, 11-30-09 (54.27MB; download) -- Guest: Wayne White. Topics: Space law and policy, orbital debris, space property rights. Wayne White, noted space attorney, returned for this nearly two hour Space Show program. In our first segment, Wayne mentioned the importance for young people pursuing a career in space law and policy. This was a recurring theme throughout today's program. Wayne then offered an update regarding the issue of space debris and current mitigation efforts. He started out listing several recent events including the January 2007 Chinese shoot down of its own satellite at 537 miles up creating about 100,000 pieces of debris. On Feb. 20, 2008, the U.S. Navy shot down our own satellite 130 miles up with most debris burning up in the atmosphere. The third event was Feb. 10, 2009 with the Iridium and Cosmos satellite collision 461 miles up, an event totally missed by the Space Surveillance Network. Toward the end of this segment, Wayne started discussing liability issues regarding these events and other possible space events. In our second segment, our guest said space law really got started with the 1957 Sputnik launch and that it was similar to the law of the High Seas. Mr. White then referenced Articles 9 and 6 of the Outer Space Treaty. He also summarized all the five UN space treaties. He talked about how the U.S. has taken the lead in debris mitigation and that NASA was actually the first to develop debris guidelines, most of which are in the U.S. Government Standard of Practices. He summarized several of the general principles and highlighted the final solution which is Direct Retrieval. You definitely want to hear this discussion. Space Traffic Control was discussed and he directed us to an important AST website so have your pencil ready when listening to his comments. In our third segment, we continued talking about space traffic control and law, plus Wayne focused on educational paths for becoming a space attorney. We talked about the ISS Agreement which is known as the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). In responding to a listener question, Wayne talked about space property right. This is an important discussion and it you may be surprised as to how Wayne White suggested we deal with the issue of space property rights and what it might mean for facilitating commercial space development. Regulation and policy were major issues in this discussion, including taking positive steps such as Zero G Zero Tax. He concluded today's show by appealing to people to study to be a space lawyer and to study space law and policy. If you have comments or questions for Wayne White, please send them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com for forwarding to Mr. White. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:23:51 UTC
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Open Lines, Sunday, 11-29-09 (63.71MB; download) -- Guest: Open Lines. Topics: Due diligence, science peer review, individual accountability. Today's program was a two hour Open Lines program with each segment running about an hour. As the themes were the same throughout the discussion, I've not broken this description down by segment. We started the program with my brief comments reminding listeners that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. My comments were largely directed at recent SSP claims made to me in emails as well on the show, plus a few books I have previewed for authors. Our first caller was Markus from German who told us about his interesting podcasts at http://omegataupodcast.net. I recommend adding this website to your source information for space and science matters. In addition to learning about his podcasts, I asked him about space advocacy and the interest of Germans in space development, even space tourism. I suspect many of you will be surprised by what he said so I urge you to listen to his comments. The next caller, John from Montana, brought up the issue of science funding, selective agenda driven project funding, NSF funding and more. This became the basis for the primary theme of today's program which was how do we know what is real, objective, etc? In the scope of discussing this issue and individual accountability for doing due diligence, at least on a few issues that a person cares about from politics, health care to space development issues, many listeners participated in the discussion. Andrew in Tucson suggested following the source code to the origin and more but his suggestions require people to have skills, expertise, knowledge, and time that most of us do not have. How many of us for example can follow computer source code to its origin and verify it? As you will hear in our discussion throughout this entire show, we need effective methods to be sure we are not being mislead, lied to, given inaccurate information, or unduly influenced on policy in this or that direction. The risk in all this as we discussed was that policy gets made on bad science, bad engineering, and we often don't know the facts, only what is told to us or reported to us by agenda driven media, ill-informed media and others. We discussed the media and not relying on it, the recent leaks of the U.K's Climate Research Unit's "cooked" computer code and climate models used for predicting Earth warming and global warming trends, and the difficulty in getting funding for grants and research if the project seeking funding is not among the accepted approach to study and research. Later in the show Marshall called in to discuss ethics and engineering and then Stephen called in from Canada to talk about the downside of using the term cheap access to space when in fact the use of the word "cheap" implied too many negatives and should not be used. Instead, low cost space access or affordable space access were preferred. We then talked about the use of other cultural based terms such as the frontier and colonization versus settlement. If you want to send a comment or question to any of those that called the show today, send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward it to the person you designate. I also welcome your feedback to me. The next Open Lines program is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 27, 12-1:30 PM PST. Remember, Open Lines programs unfold on air based on the input, calls, and topics coming from the listeners. Any and all topics are welcome and as you will hear on this show, any and all topics come up for discussion. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:50:59 UTC
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Paul Breed, Friday, 11-27-09 (60.15MB; download) -- Guest: Paul Breed. Topics: Lunar Lander Challenge (LLC), rocket technology, space vision and policy. We welcomed Paul Breed back to The Space Show to discuss his recent LLC experiences. We started our first segment with Paul giving us an update as to this year's LLC and the Unreasonable Rocket effort to win both phases, the 90 second and the 180 second phase. You can learn more about his efforts and work at his blog and website, http://unreasonablerocket.blogspot.com. Paul tells about his errors and the mistake he made in going for both phases rather than focusing on only one of the two goals. This is a most interesting and instructive discussion so don't miss it. During this discussion, Paul was asked why errors like what he was describing are so often made in rocketry and space projects. See if you concur with his answer to this question. In our second segment, Mr. Breed explained his choice of launch location and the advantages to being under the amateur launch rules. Later in this segment, we began discussing the next step for the LLC contestants and the issues of drag and energy came up, especially in terms of going orbital for not only the LLC companies but for NewSpace in general. This is an important discussion, don't miss it. We also addressed market concepts and science payloads between 100,000 feet and LEO. See what you think about our saying the market in this area is uncertain. Paul did mention the space tourism market which may be real but is also largely unknown and will remain so until the flights starting taking place and the market unfolds. He talked about Russian rockets and how they use propellants compared to American rockets. Near the end of this segment, the questions was asked about what is new, what is advanced since the 6o's? Paul talked about electronics and the use of some composites. As we started segment three, we talked about Earth to LEO transportation and the NewSpace industry. Here Paul talked about Space X and also what was known about Blue Origin though as we all know, Blue Origin maintains very tight control over its press announcements and company information. The subject of autonomous spaceflight vehicles came up and Paul had much to say about this that was positive. Again, its an important discussion, don't miss it. We began segment four with a discussion on the commercial potential of SSP and could SSP be the needed silver bullet to drive down launch prices. Paul talked about space tourism as a silver bullet and mentioned a threatening NEO as another possible silver bullet. The subject of human spaceflight came up and we talked about it in the context of a NASA jobs program and the need to do human spaceflight exploration and exploitation. This led to a discussion about reforming and remaking NASA to more of a DARPA or NACA organization. I asked Mr. Breed for the five year vision for his company and he said he would like to be able to work on and achieve some orbital capabilities but first needs to replenish bank accounts after his LLC efforts. He said he definitely wants to do more in space with long term meaning. If you want to send a question or comment to Paul Breed, please use paul@rasdoc.com but you will have to first reply to his spam filter. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:15:54 UTC
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Alan Boyle, Tuesday, 11-24-09 (44.08MB; download) -- Guest: Alan Boyle. Topics: Pluto, solar system planets, space tourism. Alan Boyle returned as a guest to discuss his new book, "The Case For Pluto: How A Little Planet Made A Big Difference." This book is available as an Amazon partner on the One Giant Leap Foundation (OGLF) website, www.amazon.com/dp/0470505443?tag=onegialeafou-20. If you order it from this OGLF Amazon link, Amazon makes a contribution to The Space Show/OGLF. During our first segment, Mr. Boyle talked about Pluto and why it has garnered so much attention among people all over the world. Perhaps its because Pluto is small, possibly seen as an underdog planet, even having a name that makes people think of the adorable Disney pup character by the same name. Alan and I talked about perspective regarding the solar system. For example, depicting just how far Pluto is from Earth and the sun. Alan suggested we visit an excellent website that does a good job of showing this distance so do visit www.phrenopolis.com/perspective/solarsystem/. During this segment, Alan talked about the IAU vote the took away the planet status of Pluto, the upcoming New Horizons Pluto Mission =, and the possibility for ice volcanoes and other geologic activity on Pluto. His book also discusses Planet X so we asked him about that and 2012! In the second segment, Alan was asked about the potential gravitational impact on Earth from Pluto which he said was probably not there but that Pluto does exert an influence in its neighborhood. Alan also outlined the structure and contents of his book which I strongly recommend to you for your own reading and for gift giving this holiday season. Listeners asked him for updates on JP Aerospace which he talked about and also Bussard Polywell Fusion which he addressed. Another listener asked about suborbital tourism vehicles and their flight testing profiles. Don't miss this discussion. As we started the third and final segment, Bill from Virginia asked Alan if he would be willing to let his parents, family, kids, and others close to him take a ride on the suborbital vehicles and what would he require for flight testing before saying yes. You do not want to miss his response to this question. We also talked about the Augustine Commission options and Alan indicated that we should definitely explore all the possibilities for the best way to get to space, the ISS, etc. He thought that a successful Falcon 9 launch had the potential to strongly impact the options and decisions for the best. As for NewSpace, he talked about it seeming as if we were always two years away from a commercial space tourism flight. We talked about autonomous systems and Blue Origins although Alan did not have lots of information to share with us as the company operates in a tightly controlled information environment. When asked what his next book would be about, Alan said he wanted to do a book on fusion but that he had no such book in the works as of yet. When asked what he saw ahead for space in 2010, Alan gave us perhaps the best comment of the year, listen for his exact quote but the essence of what he said was that 2010 would be a year of clarity, pivotal clarity on what reality will be! Read Alan's blog, Cosmic Log at http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/. To learn more about his book, visit www.thecaseforpluto.com. If you want to send Alan Boyle a question or comment, please do so at alan@thecaseforpluto.com and reference The Space Show in the subject line. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:24:53 UTC
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Michael Belfiore, Monday, 11-23-09 (48.76MB; download) -- Guest: Michael Belfiore. Topics: DARPA, space and technology research and development. Michael Belfiore returned to The Space Show to discuss his new book, "The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs." This book is available on the One Giant Leap Foundation (OGLF) website as an Amazon partner, www.amazon.com/dp/0061577936?tag=onegialeafou-20. Remember, if you buy the book from the OGLF site, Amazon makes a contribution to The Space Show/OGLF. During our first segment, Mr. Belfiore provided us with a basic understanding of DARPA and its origins. He talked about developing the ARPANET in 1969 which was the beginning of the internet. During this segment, we also discussed the mission for DARPA and NASA in the early days and how each mission developed into the two modern organizations. Alternative energy and biofuels were discussed near the end of this segment as examples of current DARPA projects, along with the DARPA activity in the medical field. In segment two, we continued talking about medicine with a DARPA focus to keeping people safe. Science fiction came up and you will find Michael's comparisons and comments regarding Iron Man to be most interesting. We talked about career opportunities for women and others, that DARPA researchers work for a fixed time and then move on. Also, one has to be an American citizen to work at DARPA. Michael was asked about the success rate of DARPA projects and we learned its not tracked. We also learned that DARPA researchers have permission to fail. Listen to this discussion, its most interesting. Scramjet research was introduced in this segment as was the funding for DARPA. Toward the end of the segment, autonomous auto races and vehicles came up with related technology and this discussion spilled over to the last segment. In our third and final segment, we talked about commercial spinoffs from DARPA projects, especially with cars and other vehicles. We talked about the computer environment at DARPA and the constant for the organization being change. We also talked about the differences between DARPA and NASA. Among the many listener questions, Michael was asked if DARPA did SSP research. He said he doubted it as DARPA focuses on near term projects, 2-6 years out and projects must have a commercial affordability component to them. I strongly recommend you read this book as DARPA is a very important organization impacting all our lives for the better. You can learn more about Michael Belfiore and his work at his website, www.michaelbelfiore.com. To send him an email comment or question, please use his Contact webpage and reference The Space Show, www.michaelbelfiore.com/contact.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:58:05 UTC
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Jim Crisafulli, Sunday, 11-22-09 (44.14MB; download) -- Guest: Jim Crisafulli. Topics: Hawaii commercial spaceport, aerospace development and commerce. We welcomed Jim Crisafulli, Director of the Hawaiian Office of Aerospace Development to the show. In our first segment, we focused on Hawaii's plan to develop a commercial spaceport to service spaceplanes for space tourism. We learned that Hawaii is in the process of preparing for an environmental assessment regarding expanding the usage of several of their commercial airports to include the horizontal takeoff and landing of a spaceplane. As you will hear, this will enable Hawaii to have several spaceports without having to incur the cost for significant new infrastructure. We talked about the possibility of local opposition to any new development or expansion plans and the hope that the environmental assessment will suffice so that they do not have to go through a full EIR. Timing is estimated to take up to three years once Hawaii starts the environmental assessment which they have not yet commenced. Jim also talked about the long term prospects for space tourism. As we neared the end of the initial segment, we talked about the larger Hawaiian aerospace industry, the aerospace innovations on the various islands, and Hawaii serving as a bridge to important and prolific Asian-Pacific Markets. Jim addressed the space awareness level of Hawaiians. In our second segment, Jim received some questions that were skeptical about the market and future for space tourism, especially suborbital tourism. He said there were lots of questions but that it was a matter of when, not if. He received several questions asking him to clarify the commercial spaceport plans and again he said they were going to expand the use of some of their main airports and that the cost should be about $350-500K for the environmental assessment report. He elaborated from the first segment and said there would need to be new fuel, hangers, and other facilities for the spaceplanes, but there plan did not require any actual infrastructure for the takeoff and landing of the spaceplanes. He also pointed out that from Hawaii there could be orbital flights, not just up and down flights as going east would not be a problem from a commercial spaceport on any of the islands. He was asked about liability limiting legislation as what is in place in other states and he said they were aware of such legislation but that the actual discussion on adopting such measures was premature. Jim then talked about the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), and Hawaii's relationship with the other Asian-Pacific nations. He talked about SSP and recent beaming experiments held in Hawaii. In our third and final segment, listeners wanted to know if Hawaii was using an existing spaceport as their business model, specifically Burns Flat in Oklahoma or Mojave. He said no to using any spaceport as a model but that Mojave was closest to what they want to do given that Mojave was an operating commercial airport. In response to another listener's question, he said that aerospace development enjoyed bi-partisan support within the Hawaii legislature. He also mentioned the need for long term and strategic planning for the state. He said aerospace development has to be open minded and collaborative. A student asked him about job prospects for grad students in the Hawaiian aerospace industry and Jim suggested that interested parties send him a short letter and their resume and he would see what help could be offered. At the end of the show, in response to my question about future atmospheric and light pollution in the state that would impact their observatories, he said that they had passed a state law for dark skies, the Starlight Reserve State Lighting Bill. If you have a question or comment for Jim Crisafulli, you can email him at JCrisafu@dbedt.hawaii.gov. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:09:16 UTC
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Dr. Jim Vedda, Friday, 11-20-09 (58.46MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Jim Vedda. Topics: Space policy and goals. We were most fortunate to have as our guest for this program, Dr. Jim Vedda. Our two hour discussion was wide ranging over many aspects of both U.S. and global space policy. In our first segment, Dr. Vedda talked about the "why" of space policy in the final chapter of the Augustine Commission Report but suggested this information relating to the goals of our space program should have been at the front of the report given its importance. This opened up our discussion on space goals being about our capability, not a destination. He suggested we go where resources are and where we can solve problems. Thus, the goal is about being capable to do something that is meaningful and important, not about the location or destination. He provided us with several examples form Apollo, JFK himself, the early days of communication satellites, and robotic space exploration. I also brought up Mars by 2019 for his commentary so you will certainly want to listen carefully to what Dr. Vedda had to say about the importance of space goals. As we started our second segment, we talked about the need for good public and private partnerships for space exploration and development. Dr. Vedda referred to the old NACA model, saying NASA should enable us to go to the stars, not necessarily lead us to the stars. We talked about the NASA workforce and jobs, infrastructure assets and more, all in the context of the NACA model. Opportunity costs were brought into the discussion and fusion power served as an illustration of this concept. Dr. Vedda introduced us to long term thinking and strategy in this segment. In the third segment, Dr. Vedda was asked to identify good policy/programs. The ISS was referenced and he said we need to be fully using it and that since it exists and is largely paid for, policy and programs using it would probably make more sense than a new program going to the Moon taking away resources targeted for the ISS. Dr. Vedda talked about the need to harvest space resources and learn to use them as another good program-policy idea. Another listener asked him about the goals and plans of space agencies from other countries. This proved a very interesting discussion, especially about Europe. Don't miss it. Our fourth segment talked about space solar power and making the most from NASA spinoffs. Space tourism was a topic as was the issue of space futurists. Don't miss this latter discussion. It's a good one and its important. Toward the end of the program, Dr. Vedda quoted from a book by Dandridge Cole, "Beyond Tomorrow;: The next 50 years in space." This quote served as the pearl of wisdom and I urge you to remember it. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Jim Vedda, please email them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward them to him. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:40:01 UTC
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Edward McCullough, Tuesday, 11-17-09 (46.22MB; download) -- Guest: Edward McCullough. Topics: Advanced technology, launch vehicles, space and lunar solar power. As we started our first segment of tonight's program, we focused on launch vehicles and Ed said up front that the launch vehicle companies must be profitable. With insufficient flights and fewer and fewer flights, it's hard for them to be profitable but were we to build and deploy a space solar power system, that would change things. He also spoke about the need for a single stage to orbit vehicle and indicated that a thermal protection system (TPS) was the major obstacle to developing the SSTO. As for the SSP system, he said he preferred a private system, not government. The start up costs would be between $200 and $400 billion. He was asked several questions about the Falcon 9 and SpaceX and said that ULA has had more than 140 successful launches in a row and that is a hard record to beat for a new rocket. Toward the end of this segment, listener Jack asked about coal fly ash as a lunar regolith simulate and this led to a comprehensive discussion of not only the lunar regolith, but how coal is processed and why fly ash is the best for simulate. Don't miss this discussion. We started our second segment with a discussion about Ed's Navy nuclear training. He talked about the quality of the Navy schools, the intensity of the programs, and then serving on a nuclear submarine. He was asked about the sub being an analog for a possible long duration spaceflight. You will find his answer most interesting. Also in this segment, we talked about the nuclear rocket and as you will hear, he is in support of it. We talked about its safety even launching from Earth so don't miss what Ed had to say about this. A listener asked him about nuclear power plant safety and he mentioned the Molten Salt Reactor and urged listeners to check out the videos and information on it on the internet. He also talked about the Thorium and Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor (www.google.com/search?q=optical+phone+conjugation&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLL_en). Toward the end of this segment, we started talking about various advanced technologies available today including wave length routing, Metro Networking, and Optical Phase Conjugation. Ed told us how advanced technology remains on the shelf and why it's so often difficult to get into commercial use. As you will hear, it's not always an honest system. In the third and final segment, we started off by talking about the AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee and what the goals were to facilitate space colonization programs by 2015, none of which happened. Like me, I am sure you will find this story fascinating. As we neared the end of the program, we returned to space solar power and funding for it, plus the potential profitability for an SSP venture. He suggested we would see the breakeven point in about 12 years. Ed again stressed that infrastructure costs would be paid off about a year so after commercial operations started and that the IRR would be in the low to mid 40% range. In his concluding remarks, he said innovation is being suppressed. Needed and available technology sits on lab shelves and it could change the world. If you have a question or comment for Ed McCullough, please send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Ed website is www.explainingthebigpicture.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:33:32 UTC
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Dr. Ted Bateman, Dr. Jeff Willey, Monday, 11-16-09 (45.97MB; download) -- Guests: Dr. Ted Bateman, Dr. Jeff Willey. Topics: Microgravity environment of space and bone loss in astronauts due to radiation. Our guests are involved in bone loss studies at the radiation levels astronauts will probably encounter on long duration spaceflights and to Mars. Their research flows from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). Visit www.nsbri.org for more information about this and other projects. In our first segment, our guests provided us with an introduction to bone loss from radiation as compared to bone loss from microgravity. We also discussed the different kinds of radiation and their relative biological effect on the body. Our guests connected this research to radiation bone loss as a result of receiving cancer radiation treatment and what this bone loss means to cancer radiation patients. We talked about hip and pelvic fractures and the problem of osteoporosis, especially for older people. We learned about radiation experiments using mice and the development of countermeasures to mitigate the radiation damage. As we started the second segment, our guests talked about osteoporosis drugs that are available and the role they play in mitigating some of the problems. Specifically, we talked about bisphosphonates but also the potential role of anti-oxidants. They mentioned research that has showed early positive findings for one anti-oxidant in particular. Lifetime radiation doses were discussed as was possible radiation damage to the storage of vital chemicals and essentials in the bone, including magnesium. Several listeners inquired about going to space for a few hours on a suborbital flight if they already had osteoporosis, inquiring if that time in space would be a complicating factor. Radiation from solar flares was brought up as was the physical condition of the person in space. As you will hear, the more physically fit the person, the more likely the person will be going to space with greater bone mass which is preferable to lower bone mass. In the third and final segment, we talked about the sources of funding for this type of research and the interest in this research in other countries. Japan seemed to be most interested and involved given they use heavy ion carbon radiation therapy for cancer treatment. We then discussed pros and cons of carbon ion versus proton radiation cancer treatment and how this applies to space radiation. Also in this segment, our two guests stressed the seriousness of hip fractures for people beyond 50. Gene therapy came up in a question but our guests were not familiar with any gene therapy research for radiation bone loss. Toward the end of the program, we talked about the mice models and some specifics regarding animal research. Our guests told us how they got interested in this field of research which was mostly by accident. Listeners wanted to know if other animals were used or why mice. Cost was and is a big factor but as the research moves forward to include more blood vessel studies with radiation, larger animals such as rabbits will be used. Our guests described some of the animal research protocols that are followed and told us about the IACUC standards and regulations. The humans to Mars 2019 timeline was discussed and both guests said making that timeline would be at great risk to the astronauts. We also talked about the five year goal of their research so you want to hear what they had to say. For example, we learned that five years might be a bit optimistic in achieving their stated research goals. If you have questions or comments for either of our guests, please email them directly: Dr. Ted Bateman, bateman@clemson.edu. For Dr. Jeff Willey, jwilley@clemson.edu. Their website at Clemson is www.batemanlab.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:16:40 UTC
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Mel Marsh, Sunday, 11-15-09 (46.05MB; download) -- Guest: Mel Marsh: Topics: Informed consent, space tourism, minor children, technology evaluation, anthropology, and astrosociology. Mel Marsh returned to The Space Show for this program. In the first segment, we focused on Mel's paper, "Ethical Issues Regarding Informed Consent for Minors for Space Tourism." You can find this paper and more of Mel’s work at his website: www.melsmarsh.com . During this segment, we highlighted some of the medical issues facing suborbital spaceflight, but talked about the challenge in applying these factors to minor children given the absence of credible data and research. Listeners offered comments and asked questions, attempting to draw parallels to spaceflight with sailing, school sports, and other risk oriented activities that minor children do all the time with the consent of their parents. Mel mentioned the Mature Minors Clause and also provided an explanation for the question offered by Shirley from Arizona regarding her teenage daughter's abortion which was performed without parental consent or knowledge. As we started the second segment, we honed in on market analysis and rules of thumb for basic due diligence. Mel suggested focusing on one or two strong markets and really know them well rather than simply listing every possible potential market potential and recommended estimating markets out to at least five years and using conservative analysis and numbers, not best case or inflated numbers to make the case for the venture. He told us about several instances of finding outrageous numbers used by a company and we inquired about the motivation of a company to do that. I know you will find this discussion most interesting and applicable across a wide ranging set of business and economic disciplines. Later in this segment, Mel took on a question from Dr. Rygalov about astronaut training and ethics. Don't miss this question and Mel's response to it. As this segment ended, Mel talked about the lack of space interest and awareness in the anthropology field as well as with psychologists. As we started the third and final segment of the program, listener Marshall asked about life on the ISS and how long it might take to develop the systems and environmental support to do a three year round trip mission to Mars. See if you agree with what we said. Later in this segment, Marshall called in to give his take on the timetable which both Mel and I thought was optimistic. Also in this segment, we talked about the developing field of astrosociology and Mel brought up the apparent gap in interest regarding the field with younger people versus older, more established people. As you will hear, the younger groups seem to have more interest and energy in the subject of astrosociology, however even within the field the areas of interest are quite different. If you have a question or comment for Mel Marsh, please send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. He said you could find his email address on his website, but you have a better chance of Mel seeing it and responding with a quick response by having me forward your question or comment. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:17:18 UTC
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