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Created on: 12 May 2005 Language: English |
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Tom Olson, Tuesday, 12-29-09 (58.36MB; download) -- Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: Summary of 2009 and a look forward to 2010 for space development. Tom Olson returned for our annual summary of space 2009 and our anticipation for what might be ahead for us all for space development in 2010. In our first segment of this two hour program, Tom highlighted Virgin Galactic and Space Ship 2. He also talked about the upcoming launch for Falcon 9 and the fact that Falcon 1 had a successful commercial launch earlier this year. He highlighted Augustine, the business plan competition at NewSpace 2009 and the Space Investment Summits. He spent some time going over the Solaren and PGE SSP deal, all from a perspective you have heard before on this show. A listener asked about the need for a killer app for human spaceflight and the subject of the killer app was discussed in detail. We talked about the Augustine Commission suggestions as well as issues around space advocacy civility which is a topic that has been addressed on recent programs by many guests and listeners. In our second segment, NewSpace was discussed in terms of it starting to show some profitability for some of its components. The issues of what happens if Virgin or space tourism goes the way of the Concorde came up and Tom boldly examined this possibility and what it would mean for the industry and space development. A listener asked him if he would invest in any NewSpace or launch vehicle company. He said no but listen to his full explanation. See if you agree. When asked about progress being made with the Space Investment Summits and the business plan competitions, he said he thought so but the jury was still out regarding deal flow. He told us the next Space Investment Summit would be in Chicago the day before ISDC starts in May 2010. When Mr. Olson was asked to look forward for NASA, he suggested that the agency would simply "muddle through." He was asked about Spaceport America and its potential commercial success and their development of the runways now underway. He had much to say about this project and spaceports in general so make sure you hear his comments. As we started our third and final segment, Tom mentioned a German scientific paper stating that global warming violated the first and second law of thermodynamics. Here is the URL that describes the paper and contains the link to the actual paper: www.climategate.com/german-physicists-trash-global-warming-theory. I thank Tom for sending this to us. The subject of the trillion dollar asteroid came up in the context of some business plans Tom and others have recently seen regarding this idea as a commercial venture. Tom puts forth the arguments against this idea as a commercial success. See what you think about what he had to say. We talked about long term space missions and the enabling technologies that would be needed to help us realize such missions. Tom strongly suggests that investing in nanotechnology and enabling technologies may well prove more viable and profitable than any actual space investment over the near to intermediate term. You won't want to miss this discussion. Tom made several references to the global economic problems and meltdown and its impact on space projects and development. Toward the end of the show we talked about Masten winning the LLC and wondered aloud about what might be next for LLC technology. When Tom was asked for his closing comments or pearls of wisdom to close out 2009, he said "play nicer in 2010!" If you have any comments or questions for Tom Olson, please send them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will send them to him. For all Space Show listeners, a very Happy New Year to you and the best for a terrific 2010! Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:26:28 UTC
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Dr. John Logsdon, Monday, 12-28-09 (41.04MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. John Logsdon. Topics: U.S. space policy, Augustine Commission, JFK and more. Dr. John Logsdon, founder and former director of the Space Policy Institute was our guest for this program. In our first segment, Dr. Logsdon discussed the times in our history where our space policy was at a crossroads, starting with the transition from President Eisenhower to President Kennedy, then to the post-Columbia period and the VSE. This led to a discussion about the disconnect within the space community and the general public along with the variety of ways that people get information today, and the choices that we now have compared to what was available during the Apollo era. As this segment ended, we talked about the space advocacy community and space policy. Our discussion focused on the need for this community to stop the infighting to become more effective. This is a conversation you will certainly want to hear. In the second segment, Dr. Logsdon shared his views with us as to the pending space policy as a result of the Augustine Commission. We also talked about NewSpace and the entrepreneurial space effort. Our guest suggested that at some point this community will need to put forth results rather than rhetoric. Don't miss all of what Dr. Logsdon had to say on this important topic. We also talked about the Augustine recommendation for $3 billion of added funding for NASA. Dr. Logsdon explained how this additional funding was to be allocated and he cleared up misconceptions about this issue. Listener Dwayne called in to ask if Augustine had exceeded its statement of task and if it lacked focus. You will want to hear what Dr. Logsdon had to say about these two issues. In the third and final segment, a listener asked about referencing numbers when talking about NASA. For example, suggesting NASA expenditures result in a 5::1 return to the taxpayer for every dollar spent on space. We were cautioned against doing this because of the difficulty in verifying these econometric conclusions. Another listener asked about the AST and the possibility of it being a drag on the ability of space companies to attract investment dollars. This resulted in an interesting discussion on stability and the role of the AST in support of space businesses. Toward the end of this segment, Dr. Logsdon told us about the book he was writing on JFK and space policy. This proved to be a very interesting part of today's show and he certainly got us excited about his book. I took advantage of this topic to ask about various things that we read or are told about JFK and space, including the Bay of Pigs fiasco as the reason why he announced the lunar program. We also talked about public opinion during Apollo and later during Apollo 13 given what was going on in Viet Nam. Toward the end of the program, our guest was asked about space tourism. Dr. Logsdon said it was like upside down bungee jumping and that it was hard to see it becoming a commercial success over the long haul. We also talked about his observations of Space Policy Institute students over time and if they remained in the space industry for their careers. Our program concluded with a brief discussion of the importance of the issue of orbital debris and optimism for the next decade of space development. If you have a comment or question for Dr. John Logsdon, please send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward it to him.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:02:10 UTC
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OPEN LINES, Sunday, 12-27-09 (66.75MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. David Livingston and Open Lines. Topics: fusion, SSP, Green Energy, webcam for Space Show, Lunar Base. Today was a two hour Open Lines program. As soon as the program introduction was completed for the first segment, John Sved called from Germany to discuss fusion and his company, NSD-Fusion (see www.nsd-fusion.com). John spoke with us about Industrial Neutron Generators and his company activities. This discussion included a review of the potential for HE3 on the Moon, RLVs, Ariane 6, Skylon, fusion energy, and the newly forming British National Space Agency. In Segment Two, we received a listener chat question about the PGE and Solaren SSP deal. Since I am a PG&E rate payer and customer, I spoke about the green energy options that are coming our way through the Marin Clean Energy (www.marincleanenergy.info) that PG&E is resisting and that many feel are without economic merit. We discuss how staying with PG&E, going light green or dark green plays into one scenario for green energy and SSP in California. This can be applied directly to the SSP deal since California is supposed to be making the effort to replace about 30% of its current energy usage with green, renewable energy. This discussion took up the entire second segment, addressed ideas and issues with the North American power grid with a phone call from Stephen in Canada, plus lots of email and chat listeners. Paying more for subsidized green energy that is not economic was not on the shopping list of those that participated in this segment. The business case issue for SSP also came up again, as it does every time SSP is discussed on The Space Show. For those of you that might be curious, it still has not been made! As this segment ended, we talked about a correspondence between Daniel in Australia and comments Bob Zimmerman made on his last show regarding cooperation versus competition in terms of space policy, using the ISS as the focal point and model. I read the correspondence between Daniel and Bob on air. See what you think of this issue for lunar bases. I'll be happy to forward any comments you have on this issue to both Daniel and Bob. In our third and final segment which took us to a 2 hour 15 minute program, Charles Pooley of Microlaunchers called to tell us that 2010 would be the year for Microlaunchers. Listen to his plan. He then talked about N Prize, and the Google Lunar X Prize where he suggested all was not good down on the farm. Listen to his comments carefully. For those of you that want to contact Charles Pooley, you can do so through me or by emailing him at ckpooley@microlaunchers.com. For all other comments and questions regarding This Space Show Open Lines program, please let me hear from you at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:14:54 UTC
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Tom Ligon and Michael Simon, Tuesday, 12-22-09 (55.18MB; download) -- Guests: Tom Ligon; Michael Simon. Topics: Polywell fusion, fusion, space propulsion. Tom Ligon returned to The Space Show and we welcomed Michael Simon to update us on the Dr. Bussard fusion program with Polywell Fusion and more. We started our first segment with an overview of Dr. Bussard's fusion work.. Our gusts brought us current with the status of the EMC2 Fusion Development Corporation and explained Polywell Fusion, the concept of using Proton Boron-11 (PB-11) fuel, along with the idea of using HE3 on the Moon. Our second segment led off with a call from Jack inquiring about the fusion work by Dr. George Miley at the University of Ill as well as a timeline for the applied research demonstrator. Tom and Simon then described as much as they could about the contracts and funding for Polywell Fusion and the use of PB-11. Much of what is known is classified so our briefing was a general update. Jack also inquired about a possible hybrid with fission and fusion reactors. As listener Jack attended the launch of the Ares 1X test flight, he shared with us what he saw and his perceptions of that launch. As we neared the end of the second segment, the issue of climate change and the need for fusion cam up as did peak oil. Regardless of one's position or thoughts on climate change, it makes total sense and should be an objective of us all to move toward clean and powerful fusion energy, not just for our terrestrial power needs, but for the differences it would make in space access and propulsion. In our third and final segment which was extended, our guests talked about the commercial potential of Polywell and the fact that there was no patent on the Polywell. Don't miss this discussion. Throughout the show and particularly in this segment, we fielded several questions from John about using HE3, the problems related to using PB-11 as a fuel, SSP, and other fusion issues. Our guests thought that if PB-11 could be confirmed, it would probably be so cost effective and abundant that it would render these other power ideas and HE3 unnecessary. The issue of fusion funding came up and as you will hear, more than $10 billion has been invested in traditional fusion and many millions have been invested in alternative fusion such as the Polywell. This led to a discussion about the tokomaks, their usefulness and contribution to the fusion efforts so far, and how research money is spent on fusion. Several of the smaller fusion efforts were mentioned and our guests said that the success of any one of them stands to change humanity and while everyone hopes for their effort to be successful, the success of any of these methods would be a huge step forward. The nuclear rocket came up for discussion and Tom talked about the pioneering work on the nuclear rocket by Dr. Bussard. A Denver listener emailed in a question about extraordinary claims and rhetoric needing extraordinary proof and this became an important part of our discussion, not just for fusion but for science, climate issues, politics, healthcare, etc. I asked the question again that I ask on air all the time and that is how can we the people avoid the spin, the rhetoric, the misleading hype because we don't have the time to do due diligence on every single thing. If you have a solution to this problem, let us hear from you. Toward the end of the segment, a listener asked about WB 8 and 8.1 being built to use PB-11. By the way, we learned that WB stands for Wiffle Ball and you will want to hear this explanation. There are several websites to check out for more information on this subject: www.askmar.com.fusion.html; www.talk-polywell.org; www.emc2fusion.org; http://iecfusiontech.blogspot.com and www.tomligon.com. To contact Tom Ligon and Michael Simon, use www.tomligon.com/Contact.html for Tom and for Simon, use msimon6808 at yahoo d*t com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:04:59 UTC
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Dr. William Rowe, Monday, 12-21-09 (47.90MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. William Rowe. Topics: Special medical and human factors issues and solutions for long duration spaceflight and settlement. Dr. William Rowe returned to The Space Show to update us on some of his new research regarding spaceflight and kidney, cardiovascular, and other health issues regarding very long duration spaceflight and/or settlement. In segment one, Dr. Rowe introduced us to the issue of kidney risk. While some of what you hear may be a bit of a medical and technical discussion, make sure you listen carefully to what Dr. Rowe tells us. These are factors that have the potential to impact our going out into space to Mars and other destinations. This is important information. Other medical issues in this segment came up regarding the cardiovascular and stress test issues for former astronaut James Irwin. Dr. Rowe introduced us to the role of magnesium and the difficulty in delivering it to astronauts in space. In this context, he also drew important analogies for us to the Bushmen of the Kalahari. Pharmaceuticals were introduced as was the problem of malabsorption. As we launched the second segment, Dr. Rowe told us more about the important role of magnesium and why its a crucial issue for long duration spaceflight. Bill suggested we visit his website for some of his papers, research, and Letters to the Editor. Please visit www.femsinspace.com. Click on the flashing NEW sign or go direct to www.dovepress.com/potential-renovascular-hypertension-space-missions-and-the-role-of-mag-peer-reviewed-article-IJNRD. You will find many interesting articles and research papers on Bill's webpage. Later in this segment, Dr. Rowe began talking about gene therapy and vascular disease. He also talked about the difficulty in getting his researched published in space journals and in NASA quarters, but he gets published frequently in reviewed medical journals. Listeners asked Dr. Rowe several questions including applying what Dr. Rowe was talking about to much shorter suborbital tourist flights. Dr. Rowe stressed the importance of understanding the spaceflight risk for those that have hypertension. As we started the third and final segment, we returned to the subject of gene therapy and viral vectors. Listen to what Bill has to say about gene therapy as a possible solution to some of these serious medical challenges and note the time line he is talking about. Note his timeline for humans being able to go Mars. Do you agree with him? As we neared the end of the program, we spoke about the issue of obesity and spaceflight. Here, Dr. Rowe said that its a double threat for the astronaut or spaceflight participant in that not only will the problems of obesity be pronounced in spaceflight, so will the problems of spaceflight that Bill has been discussing on this show. Here he talked about insulin and other problems. As the show was winding down, I asked about age as a factor. How disgusting to learn that past 30 years of age we have some serious issues that are impacted by spaceflight. Listen to what Dr. Rowe had to say about the age issue. He even presented a short summary of a plan on how to groom and train Mars bound astronauts from about age 13. Do any of you think such a program would be possible in our culture even if medically and scientifically warranted? At the end of the show, Bill provided us with the example of the cave dwelling troglobite. You must hear this story . Listen to the question Bill asks us all, are we really that different in nature than the troglobite? If you have a question or comment for Dr. William Rowe, you can reach him through his website above by clicking on the Contact button near the bottom of his home page. The direct email address is drrowe@femsinspace.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:45:52 UTC
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Capt. Sarah Ford, Dr. John Jurist, Sunday, 12-20-09 (49.32MB; download) -- Guests: Capt. Sarah Ford; Dr. John Jurist. Topics: High-Altitude skydiving, bailout from space, space tourism, astronauts. U.S. Air Force Captain Sarah Ford and Dr. John Jurist were our guests today regarding Capt. Ford's thesis for graduating with an MAS from the Space Studies program at UND in Grand Forks, ND. Dr. Jurist was her Adjunct Faculty Advisor for this project. In segment one, Captain Ford explained the subject of her research and the focus on why even look into the problem of high-altitude bailouts, sport space skydiving, and emergency ejection from a spaceship, either government or private. My first question dealt with the impact of a person's body shape and weight on the forces to be encountered in such a jump. You might be surprised with how our guests responded to this question. This led us to discussing drag and the two positions Capt. Ford researched in her paper, the tucked or cannon ball position and the more common skydiving position. Pay attention to the forces that are applied to the person in each position and the green safety zone for a jump using one or the other position. We also talked about the training that a private spaceflight participant might have to go through regarding such an ejection or bailout and as you will hear, its clearly best to avoid having to get out of the vehicle. Both Dr. Jurist and Capt. Ford then talked at length about the Capt. Joe Kittinger jump from about 103,000 feet to test a new Air Force pressure suit. You will find the facts around Captain Kittinger's jump to be most interesting as well as the application of lessons learned to the issue of spaceflight. As we started our second segment, Sarah talked about the famous SR-71 breakup and the pilots coming down from approximately 79,000 feet. One pilot did not make it but Bill Weaver did so listen to the story. Sarah then talked with us about the facts surrounding Columbia at 177,000 feet and Mach 14.4. The destructive events included rapid and extreme depressurization resulting in the astronauts not have enough conscious time to get their suits operational before losing consciousness. The dynamic forces were too great for the restraint systems as they were inadequate to protect them under the conditions associated with the vehicle breakup. In addition, the cold temperature was way outside the operating zone for their spacesuits. When asked for the best corrective solution for these problems, both Sarah and John said to make sure the heat shield was operational. This is an important discussion as it talks about space suits, dynamic forces, restraints, and since some of this was addressed as part of the SUSTAIN Conference Dr. Jurist and I attended this past February, much of our discussion is also applicable to space tourism, even suborbital space tourism. As we began our third segment, the famous Kittinger comment that he did not recommend people try to beat his record for safety reasons was discussed. Dr. Jurist also mentioned three Air Force key people that paved the way for our human spaceflight program, Dr. (Col.). John Paul Stapp, Capt. Joe Kittinger, and Dr. David Simons. During this segment, Sarah talked about her academic program at UND Space Studies, her research and work on this project, and her future journal and publication plans. Toward the end of the program, you will hear important recommendations for future research and study on this subject for all space activities including private, civil, and military. If you have questions or comments for Capt. Sarah Ford and Dr. John Jurist, you can send comments for Sara to John or me. For Dr. Jurist, use JMSpace@aol.com and for me use drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:30:29 UTC
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Dr. John Jurist, Friday, 12-18-09 (60.92MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. John Jurist. Topics: Ares 1, civility in space advocacy. Dr. John Jurist returned to The Space Show to discuss his December 7, 2009 Space Review article, "Ares 1, The Space Advocacy Community and the Media." You can read this article at www.thespacereview.com/article/1524/1. In our first segment, Dr. Jurist introduced us to his Space Review article by dividing it into two segments dealing with Ares 1 and space advocacy civility. Dr. Jurist cited many examples to make his points including interviews with ATK re Ares 1, and more. He also commented on a few of the email comments that were posted in the comments section of his article. I read an email question to him from listener Kelly which was summarized by the question "Why shouldn't the space advocacy community viciously hate and attack the program (referring to Ares 1)?" Dr. Jurist also started addressing a frequent issues raised by many and that is that SRBs are not as safe for human spaceflight as liquids. This was specifically referenced for the vibrational and oscillation issues that are well discussed regarding Ares 1. In the second segment, Dr. Rygalov replied regarding my earlier question about Soviet liquid rockets and vibration problems for the cosmonauts. I read his note and my original question on air so make sure you hear it as it pertains to this continued discussion pitting SRB against the liquid. In the end I suggested that we need non-NASA rockets that serve the mission and I used a truck rental analogy to make the point. During this segment, John returned to the civility issue and commented on additional specific emails by a few of those that had posted hostile and offensive notes on his Space Review article. I would urge you to read the comments on that article and see what you think. We started the third segment with John's take on the space media. We talked about the NASA press conferences we both attended as part of the ATK Ares 1 5 segment static test and what we heard among those in attendance. Dr. Jurist mentioned that he thought the use of the present tense for events or other things that do not yet exist by the advocacy community confuses many and results in some of the rhetoric that he was bringing to our attention on this show. See if you agree with his comments. Toward the end of this segment, commercial space became the subject and we addressed restrictions due to ITAR. A listener asked how he could tell if he was getting a spin job when either reading or listening to a space news story. I suggested doing due diligence research on the issue but am aware that this is labor and time intensive. As we started the fourth and final segment, I read a question by email from Daniel in Australia about subjecting humans to lunar or some other g force to minimize skeletal problems. This provided an interesting discussion and again, a plea for the need of a centrifuge on the ISS to answer these important questions. The Pelosi interview with Florida Today came up again and we talked about her lack of support for going to Mars, her comments about job creation and the overall human spaceflight program. I also mentioned the findings of the Dittmar Associates study about those in the Gen Y group that do not support a humans to Mars mission. Dr. Jurist talked about this problem and then we moved toward the end of the program by his again repeating that by practicing civility in our space comments and discussions, we do much more for space advocacy and development than by doing otherwise. If you have comments or questions for Dr. John Jurist, please email him at jmjspace@aol.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:33:01 UTC
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Jeffrey Manber, Tuesday, 12-15-09 (49.10MB; download) -- Guest: Jeffrey Manber. Topics: Mir Space Station, Russian space capitalism, NASA, space commerce. Jeffrey Manber returned for this two part Space Show program to talk about his new Apogee book, "Selling Peace: Inside The Soviet Conspiracy That Transformed the U.S. Space Program." This book is available on the OGLF website as an Amazon partner so if you buy it through the OGLF site, Amazon makes a contribution to The Space Show. Please use
www.amazon.com/dp/1926592085?tag=onegialeafou-20. We started our first segment with Jeff telling us how he came to work for the Russian Space Agency. Not only is this story fascinating, its important background to the story of the Mir Space Station, MirCorp, and how what happened changed space for the best. This is a must listen to story. As you will hear, Jeff was there when Russia transformed from the Soviet Union to modern Russia and this included the shift to capitalism for just about everything, including space. Pay attention to the stark differences with the actions and attitudes of the Russians versus NASA. As we started the second and final segment, Jeff explained the title to the book. I'm sure you will agree after listening to Jeff, reading his book, and hearing this interview, that indeed the U.S. space program was transformed. Jeff goes into some of the major players and characters. You will hear him talk about former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Russian Yuri Semenov, Rick Tumlinson, Walt Anderson, Dennis Tito and others. I promise, you will have a new understanding of commercial space and the relationships that today dictate activities for the ISS, the Russians, and NASA. Later in this segment, Jeff was asked about advocacy rhetoric. He pointed out that there were three influences on space, advocacy, policy, and business, and that there were significant differences among all of them. This is a discussion you do not want to miss. We also talked about cultural differences and how important it is to understand the culture of those engaged in business with you. In particular, he told one story about the Walt Anderson $7 million phone call. Don't miss it, its a really good and very funny story. Toward the end of the program, Jeff talked about his current commercial space activities with Nanorack LLC, cubesats, and the ISS. As we concluded the interview, Jeff stressed that for the future, space programs must be commercial given what is happening economically around the world and in particular in the U.S. If you want to contact Jeffrey Manber with your comments and questions, visit www.sellingpeace.com. You can use the Contact link on the website or you can post to his blog. As always, you can send your message to Jeffrey through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:46:22 UTC
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Robert Zimmerman, Monday, 12-14-09 (54.54MB; download) -- Guest: Robert Zimmerman. Topics: Space policy, space news, commercial space, Climategate.. Robert Zimmerman returned for this end of the year wrap up Space Show program that went overtime to two hours. In our first segment, we talked about Hubble and Bob mentioned his Hubble book as a guide to see how the government works regarding policy, congress, and tax funds. His book, "Universe in a Mirror," is available at www.amazon.com/dp/0691132976?tag=onegialeafou-20. We then focused on the SpaceShip2 rollout and the initial tests it will undergo, plus the overall commercial plans for SS2 and suborbital tourism. Bob discussed the Lunar Lander contest and contests in general. Toward the end of this segment, Mr. Zimmerman talked about Augustine and I told him about the Sen. Shelby amendment attached to the budget bill that restricts the administration as to what they can do with NASA policy for 2010. In the second segment, we picked up on the Sen. Shelby amendment and Bob considered the impact of the bill on space policy, Constellation, and overall policy. We talked about funding to the tune of billions a program that would likely be cancelled in the next budget but Bob said this was how government worked. Its an interesting discussion if not heavy on the forecasting and trying to second guess congress and the administration. Bob did speak out about congress micro-managing thee space program and drew parallels to these problems from previous NASA administrations. Later in this segment he told us why he favored international competition for space programs, not cooperation. See if you agree with him. Toward the end of the segment, we talked about commercial space, using EELVs, and if government should be doing this or buying the service from the private sector. You will hear Bob push for buying these services from the private sector. We kicked off the third and final but long segment with a discussion on Space X, Dragon, and Falcon 9. We discussed human rating EELVs and the Falcon 9 and some of the differences in doing that for the various vehicles. Toward the end of this segment, Bob brought us to problems with science and used the Climategate scandal as an example. I brought up a recent article on The Space Review that even challenged NASA Earth imaging satellites to see if they had been "tweaked" as part of the faulty science that has now been revealed through this scandal. Bob and I both talked about the need to be able to trust science and the potential damage caused to all of science, government, institutions, and organizations as a result of what we now know from Climategate. Bob talked at length on this subject so you will want to hear his comments. At the end of this segment, NewSpace was stressed as one of the bright spots in the space arena as we move toward 2010. As the show was ending, I asked Bob for an update on the bat fungus that has been destroying cave bats in the northeast. For those of you following this problem, you will be interested in this short update. If you have questions or comments for Bob Zimmerman, you can find his email address near the bottom of his website, http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3cxxp/zimbib.htm or you can forward it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:41:07 UTC
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Dr. Ray Williamson, Sunday, 12-13-09 (46.28MB; download) -- Guest: Dr. Ray Williamson. Topics: Secure World Foundation, space debris. Dr. Ray Williamson, Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation (SWF), was the guest for this Space Show program. We started segment one by asking Dr. Williamson to provide us with an overview of SWF. As you will hear, SWF is looking at the long term sustainability of outer space. One of their main interests lies in mitigating the space debris problem and we talked about this throughout today's program. Dr. Williamson summarized the increased interest in the issue by not only the United States but also by ESA, Russia, and others. A listener asked our guest about his recent congressional testimony on the Global Space Capabilities. This discussion led to our talking about the NASA budget and political priorities as reflected in the budget. A listener asked about SSP and Dr. Williamson quickly disposed of that topic. Planetary Defense was talked about and as you will hear and was a recurring theme for this show. As we moved to the second segment, we continued talking about space debris and congressional testimony. Ray said that testifying before Congress was a good example of how our system works. In response to a question about our technical readiness to mitigate space debris, he said we still need more work , we are not there yet. One of the issues about space debris is that there might be a particular intervention method that is also construed as a space weapon. Nobody knows for the sure the time table for finding solutions to the debris problem but he estimated it ranged from 10-20 years. As we started the third segment, a listener asked Ray how his work as a college professor differed from his work with SWF in for example, the issue of space debris. Ray said that in teaching, knowing the audience is important and student feedback with questions was very important. His role as Executive Director at SWF is more of an activist role. He received a listener question about the statistical likelihood of our planet getting hit by something so why should planetary defense be a major issue. Ray addressed this and you will want to hear the discussion. That said, SWF allocates about 5% of its resources to the planetary defense issue. Others such as NASA are in a more appropriate position to deal with the issue differently and with more resources. Also in this segment, we talked about space policy issues, Ray's thoughts on Augustine, and we asked him for a look forward for SWF and 2010. Don't miss what he had to say about the upcoming year. To find out more about the Secure World Foundation, visit their website at www.secureworldfounation.org. For general information on SWF, please email info@swfound.org. If you have a question or comment for Dr. Ray Williamson, please email him at rwilliamson@swfound.org. To see Dr. Williamson's paper, please visit http://www.secureworldfoundation.org/index.php?id=167&page=Staff_publications_and_interviews#ray. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:19:05 UTC
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