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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Robert Zimmerman, Friday, 12-1 & 11-27-06 (66.53MB; download) -- Robert Zimmerman returned for this Space Show program. With some sarcastic humor and serious commentary, Bob Zimmerman spent much time during this program connecting the dots to a future successful space program to a resolution of many of the global political and economic threats facing the U.S. and the free world. No doubt many listeners will disagree with Mr. Zimmerman's political assessment of issues facing America and how they might impact space development but Mr. Zimmerman is clearly not the first to express these concerns nor he is the first to do so in the context of space policy. He gave us his assessment of possible changes in space policy with new Democratic congress and he seems to think the change to really watch might be on the regulatory side for the developing private space industry, especially in terms of risk and space tourism. This concern is based on the wishes of some members of Congress to regulate the industry back at the time President Bush signed the Dec. 2004 legislation giving the industry a regulatory holiday for many years providing this period remains major accident free during this time. Zimmerman also discussed aspects of the NASA VSE, the Stick and other hardware issues. He talked about the future of the program, lunar settlement and the active involvement of China, Russia and India with their lunar programs. He gave us his assessment on their progress and future. We discussed Hubble, the recent press articles about Russia and its selected partners wanting to build their own version of a Hubble. His comments on the potential of a Russian space telescope were most informative. The telescope discussion included comments on the James Webb telescope being made and much more. Listeners asked him questions about the US budget deficit and how it might impact the space program. You will want to hear his comments. Throughout the program he was asked about the military presence in space and here Mr. Zimmerman did a comprehensive analysis of the military presence in space and the fear of weaponization of space. This discussion topic generated considerable interest and listener questions during the program. At one point during the program I suggested to Bob that he was like a rubber band during the show, always snapping back to the global threats he discussed up front at the beginning of the show. All roads led him back to the global threats during this program and in response to listener comments, he compared the present situation and the US to the 1930's rather than agreeing with listeners that our situation today reminded us all of the 60's and Viet Nam. You need to hear Bob's commentary on analysis and why he uses the 1930's for his comparison point. He concludes this two hour discussion with a look ahead into 2007 to see what space may offer for the year. His answer surprised me. Perhaps it will you as well. This show is classic Robert Zimmerman regarding space issues and geopolitics and space development in the broader context of our world of today. Mr. Zimmerman will gladly respond to your questions and comments and send them to him through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Mr. Zimmerman returns to The Space Show in April 2007. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:10:22 UTC
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Dr. Henry Hertzfeld, Tuesday, 11-28-06 (40.91MB; download) -- Dr. Henry Hertzfeld returned to The Space Show for this special program. Last on the show April 9, 2003, we opened up discussing the changes in the space world since his earlier guest appearance on the program. We talked about changes resulting from the Columbia accident, the VSE, SS1 and more. In addition, we discussed his 2005 paper, "Launch Vehicles: An Economic Perspective." You can find this paper and many others of his as well as others from the Space Policy Dept. at GWU by visiting the website, http://www.gwu.edu/~spi/. The paper we discussed is third down from the top and I urge listeners to download and read it as Dr. Hertzfeld addresses important topics and presents solid conclusions based on quality analysis to many crucial issues facing the development and implementation of space vehicles. In addition, note this email address on the site: spi@gwu.edu. If you have follow up questions or comments for Professor Hertzfeld, please send them to him using this email address. Please put for his attention and The Space Show in the subject line of your email. If you like, please copy your question or comment to drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will also follow up or reply if you request it. In the discussion regarding launch vehicles, we talked about the government program which includes the military and NASA and we discussed the entrepreneurial part of the industry as well. Dr. Hertzfeld stressed the importance of quality business management and economic analysis in addition to the obviously needed engineering. Listeners asked him questions about the impact of lowering launch costs on increasing the flight rate and you will want to hear his answer and why. We also talked about the demand curve and the elasticity for demand of launch vehicles. Later in the show, Dr. Hertzfeld explained how we measure socioeconomic benefits using the weather and earth observation satellites. This is a most valuable discussion. Don't miss it. In addition to our comprehensive discussion on most all things relating to launch vehicles, EELVs, RLVs, markets, supply and demand, flight rates, killer aps and more, we talked about two very important space law issues, ITAR and property rights. As Professor Hertzfeld is also an attorney, he brings to this discussion not just the legal perspective, but the policy, regulatory, engineering, technical and scientific perspective. His views regarding property rights are especially important to note. In addition to the paper mentioned above that we discussed during the show, I urge listeners to download and read all the papers available on the Space Policy website for GWU. Its certain that Dr. Hertzfeld will return to The Space Show much sooner than another three plus year hiatus. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:21:51 UTC
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Alan Marlow, Sunday, 11-26-06 (82.46MB; download) -- Alan Marlow in the UK was the guest for this special 2 hour 20 minute Space Show program which focused on the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) and the early days of the British space program. First our apologies for the audio quality for Mr. Marlow. We had telephone line issues connecting with the UK and despite all efforts to secure a better line and clean up the interference, the connection with him was not up to usual Space Show standards. Mr. Marlow in charge of carrying out the oral history of the BIS and we were treated to several audio clips highlighting some of the more memorable BIS historical events and discussions. You will no doubt find the audio clips, the discussion of the events surrounding the clips and the full set of clips which follow at the end of the program to be interesting if not downright fascinating. In addition to discussing the BIS history and the people involved in the oral history on tape, Mr. Marlow fielded listener questions about the perspectives of the British regarding space, comparing them to those of us in the States and also the EU. We talked about creative space projects and how that creativity might have changed had the computer and some of the advanced software been available to the early pioneers of the BIS. Mr. Marlow brought to our attention some of the very early projects such getting to Jupiter for HE3 and settling Mars at the polar regions. You can join the BIS and find out much more about the organization by visiting their website at http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/. If you have additional questions or comments for Alan Marlow, please send your e-mail to marlow-horwood@supanet.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:53:31 UTC
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Mark Williamson, Friday, 11-24-06 (53.64MB; download) -- Mark Williamson was the guest for this Space Show program. Mr. Williamson began the interview by talking about his new book published by AIAA, "Space: The Fragile Frontier," why he wrote it and why he had an interest in the subject of Earth orbital debris in conjunction with planetary protection, space law, ethics and a workable balance with space development and space environmental protection. Mark is clearly on the side of a doable, sustainable approach to space exploration and development, including private sector development, but he makes the case for balanced protective policies to assure private and development access to space. We talked about Earth's orbital environment in terms of debris and protection, both LEO and GEO. Mark then extended the discussion to include the Moon, NEOs, and other planetary bodies. We talked about hardware debris versus the type of debris that may result from indifferent private sector access and usage. Mark explained how much is already being done to mitigate debris in the way new hardware is made versus the way it was made during the early days of the space program. He explained that there are already voluntary protocols in place to mitigate many of the issues he wrote about in the book and discussed on this program. He discussed ethics, existing and future space law, emerging industries in countries such as China and India as they have robust space programs. He fielded questions on this subject from the listeners and we went through his book highlighting important chapters, charts, pictures, etc. This is an important topic, it is getting more and more attention from international regulatory and space policy making bodies, including the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). Like it or not, this developing field will be part of our space development future so Mark's book and his work in this area is important to consider and understand. If you have follow up questions or comments for Mark Williamson, please send them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward them to him. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Sat, 25 Nov 2006 17:01:53 UTC
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Dr. James Wertz, Wednesday, 11-22-06 (52.76MB; download) -- Dr. Jim Wertz, CEO of Microcosm, Inc., returned to complete his discussion started last Friday, Nov. 17, 2006. We started the interview with a thorough discussion of why the U.S. government is not funding Scorpious and at times not even following the recommendations of the reports the government commenced. This comprehensive discussion not only included Scorpius, it addressed responsive space, the Darpa/Falcon project, and both the politics and engineering necessary to make these programs successful. We discussed how an entrepreneurial company such as Microcosm can successfully undertake a program like this while a lager and more traditional aerospace company would have difficulties in such a program. As part of this discussion, we hit on industry and company culture, corporate fiduciary and ROI obligations, the size of companies and how they must invest and spend on R&D given their size, and related business issues. Later in the program, Dr. Wertz talked about low cost lunar colonies, the ISS, economic opportunities with the Moon, why the Moon over Mars and near-Earth asteroids, and finally, how to engage in the political system to make a difference and help influence our elected representatives for constructive and productive space policy. In response to questions, he talked about the space programs of other nations and their challenges as compared to ours. Toward the end of the program, a listener inquired as to why the private sector (listener here implies civilian) sector can't bypass NASA, the DOD, the government space programs and just go to the Moon, go to orbit, etc. on their own. Dr. Wertz said there was no doubt many businessmen and women that would like to be able to do that but suggested they were not yet ready in terms of financing, business planning, etc. We also discussed the Kool-Aid mentality among segments of the space community, everything from the advocate side of the community to even those in government, the large industry and NASA. You will not want to miss this discussion which is the completion of our 4 hour interview with Dr. Wertz.. Also, we have 5 CDs re implementing Responsive Space to still give away and the book give away options are still available as described on air and in the Friday archives. Visit the Microcosm website at www.microcosminc.com and the bookstore website at www.astrobooks.com. Dr. Wertz can be contacted at jwertz@smad.com. I urge you to listen to this program! Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Thu, 23 Nov 2006 19:17:01 UTC
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Dr. Jeff Bell, Tuesday, 11-21-06 (61.06MB; download) -- Dr. Jeff Bell returned to The Space Show for this special two hour program. Our discussion with Dr. Bell covered many topics of interest. We started out by talking about the many space conferences that are going on during the year, the difference between an engineering/technical conference versus an advocate conference and Dr. Bell gave us his opinion about the conference situation. For those of you not familiar with Dr. Bell opinions as frequently expressed in his editorial opinion pieces with SpaceDaily.com, you are likely in for a shock or a surprise. You can read his pieces by doing a search at www.spacedaily.com for Jeffrey F. Bell. Our discussion with Dr. Bell progressed to discussing X Prize Cup and he fielded several listener questions about the Cup and the lunar lander challenge and NASA prizes. We then discussed his views about the irrelevance of space activism and he was asked specific questions about how to make it relevant. You will want to hear this discussion and why Dr. Bell says what he says. Remember, though may disagree with him, Jeff is a critical thinker, a scientist, and someone who has been there, done it, and been part of it. Noting his perspective is very important to moving off the planet as a space-faring culture. During the show we also talked about the Ares I booster (the stack), COTS and prizes, NASA, the space policy programs of other nations, returning to the Moon, the killer application for space which he believes to be space tourism. He was asked about space solar power and he clearly states why it won't be the "killer ap" we are all looking for regarding space commerce. Toward the end of the program, Jeff was accused of being nothing more than a NASA hater and he took on the question from our listener in Davenport, IA and explained why he is not a NASA hater but how he evaluates the situation, the track records involved, etc. Again, while you may not agree or approve of his answer, pay attention to the critical thinking process Dr. Bell employs because critical thinking is very important on this program. We also talked about the developing private space industry, many of the companies, how to lower launch costs and lots more. If you want to send follow up questions or comments to Dr. Jeff Bell, please do so through drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward them to him. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:38:48 UTC
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Dr. Alan Stern, Sunday, 11-19-06 (39.09MB; download) -- Dr. Alan Stern, the Executive Director of the Southwest Research Institute Space Science and Engineering Division in Boulder, CO was the guest for the first hour of this program. Dr. Stern began the discussion by talking about Pluto, the importance of dwarf planets and the science involved in discovering and understanding these planetary bodies. This led to a detailed discussion of the recent International Astronomical Union's (IAU) decision to change the definition of planets to exclude Pluto and other dwarf planets in our solar system and elsewhere. Dr. Stern explained to us why this is a bad idea and why the IAU action will likely not stand the test of time and be considered largely irrelevant. His discussion and explanations are great and I urge all of you to listen to Dr. Stern because he correctly shines the light on this decision, the science involved in planetary science and the importance of the type of work being done by researchers in this field. In addition to talking about the Pluto issue, we talked about Hubble and the upcoming Hubble repair mission and since Dr. Stern is the PI for the NASA New Horizon Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission now underway, we got a first hand glimpse into the mission, what scientists hope to find, the potential mysteries, and the mission operations so fundamental to the success of this exploration project. We also spent some time discussing science, voting on science issues and democracy in science. Be sure to listen to this part of the program. As Dr. Stern said, science is about adopting good ideas and rejecting bad ideas, not voting on what is a good or bad idea. Dr. Stern told us about the Southwest Research Institute which is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas with the Space Science and Engineering Division in Boulder. But the Institute does far more than space research and is in many different locations employing around 3,000 people. They are also hiring so check out job opportunities at their website which is www.swri.edu. The website for the Boulder division is www.boulder.swri.edu. Dr. Stern will return to The Space Show so save your questions and comments for his next visit. The last segment of the show today was devoted to Open Lines. Nobody called in on open lines but there were several email and chat questions. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:56:50 UTC
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Dr. James R. Wertz, Friday, 11-17-06 (52.26MB; download) -- Dr. James R. Wertz, CEO of Microcosm, Inc., was the guest for this special Space Show program. We began the discussion by announcing free offers that Dr. Wertz is making available. Please see below for the offers:
2 CDs on "Implementing Responsive Space" to be given away to callers at the discretion of the host. These are available on a first come first serve basis.
3 autographed hardcover books, either "Space Mission Analysis and Design" or "Mission Geometry; Orbit and Constellation Design and Management." To be given away as follows:
1 book drawn at random to an individual (not a bookstore or retailer) who either orders a book or E-mails an inquiry of any sort to the Microcosm Astronautics Bookstore, via the website www.astrobooks.com, E-mail at bookstore@smad.com, or toll free at 1-866-ASTROBK between the time of the show and Dec. 20, 2006.
1 book to the most unique or interesting recommendation for a way to make a living on the Moon within the general framework described on the show, assuming that this is one of the topics that we bring up. My favorite so far is the Lunar Mortician -- it could truly change society. Send your recommendation to drspace@thespaceshow.com by Dec. 20, 2006.
1 book to the best title for a book on "Why Colonize the Moon," as discussed on the Space Show, again assuming that this is one of the topics that we bring up. Send your recommendation to drspace@thespaceshow.com by Dec. 20, 2006.
Dr. Wertz discussed many topics on the show with the listeners, fielding many questions. We talked about responsive space, launch costs, space vision, education and outreach, NASA programs, private sector space, engineering and technology and its difficulty regarding space development and much more. This is certainly one of the most comprehensive discussions yet regarding these topics plus many others. Also, given the broad experience of Dr. Wertz with rockets, launchers, orbits and so much more, this is a must listen to show. Dr. Wertz will continue to answer questions or respond to your comments. Visit the Microcosm website at www.microcosminc.com and the bookstore website at www.astrobooks.com. Dr. Wertz can be contacted at either jim@smad.com or jwertz@microcosminc.com. I urge you to listen to this program!
Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:28:18 UTC
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Michael Belfiore, Tuesday, 11-14-06 (43.32MB; download) -- Michael Belfiore was the guest for this Space Show program. We began our discussion with Michael with a focus toward his new book, "Rocketeers: How a visionary hand of business leaders, engineers, and pilots is boldly privatizing space." Michael told us how he got the idea for the book, his interviews with the leaders he refers to in the title, we discussed the contents of the book through the Table of Contents and learned that the book will be available around July 2007. His publisher is Smithsonian Books which is a division of the larger Harper Collins. What Michael has to say about these leaders, what they are doing for opening space up and how they are doing it is very interesting and he will be returning to the program when the book is released to the public. We also received several listener questions addressing journalism, writing, publishing, copyrights and more. These were excellent questions as we got an insiders view of writing for magazines, newspapers, books, journals, and the wire services. Michael told us how he arranged to be sent locations to cover a specific space story and his comments should be most helpful to others wanting to write, be assigned to a space story, etc. We also talked about his suggestion that striving writers consider genres other than science fiction or space to start with given the market demands for the other fields over space and sci-fi. You will not want to miss his comments on this issue. Michael shared his ideas with us regarding the public space program as compared to the private space program and he spoke about shortcomings as he sees them with the VSE. Michael receives constant feedback from the general population, publishers, editors, and others so he is close to the pulse of decision makers regarding these subjects. We should all take note of what he says. Mr. Belfiore does a superb job of covering the private space community and you will know why after hearing him on The Space Show. His website is www.michaelbelfiore.com. He has a blog where everyone can participate. Check it out at www.michaelbelfiore.com/blog. If you have comments or additional questions for Michael Belfiore, please send them to him at michael@michaelbelfiore.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:03:07 UTC
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Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Sunday, 11-12-06 (39.68MB; download) -- Dr. Edgar Mitchell was the the guest for this Space Show program. I started the interview and discussion with Dr. Mitchell by asking a question I have been asking many guests of late, that is how do we make space a transforming place not just for science, engineering, technology, and commerce, but also for the betterment of humanity and the people on the Earth. That led to a wide ranging discussion about consciousness, the role of space in consciousness and our spirituality (this program was one in a series of The Space Show and Our Spirituality). Dr. Mitchell spoke from his own experiences on the Moon, returning to Earth, and his work since his Apollo 14 flight in 1971. We talked about the Institute of Noetic Science that he founded (see www.noetic.org), meditation to simulate his perception of seeing himself as a world citizen when he was looking at returning to Earth, not just a citizen of America. We discussed the reactions of other Apollo astronauts to the same issues Dr. Mitchell talks about and his experiences to learn that Dr. Mitchell was not unique in what he experienced or in his new perceptions but he was one of the few who spoke about it and expressed himself. We asked Dr. Mitchell about going back to the Moon and on to Mars and the program being implemented to carry out this vision by NASA. You will find his response and comments to these questions most interesting. Dr. Mitchell talked about the sustainable concept, again, this is something you will not want to miss. In response to a listener question, we spoke about the possibility of a space leader emerging for us all, much in the way we have had leaders come to us from the political, religious, commercial, and other disciplines in humanities and science. Dr. Mitchell believes this might be possible some day. We spoke with Dr. Mitchell about many of his experiences, thoughts, and wishes about his activities on the surface on the Moon. We spoke about the computer power the astronauts had to take them to the Moon versus the computer power we have today, even in our cell phones. I asked Dr. Mitchell about experiencing fear on the trip to the Moon and again, his response is one you will definitely want to hear. Dr. Mitchell strongly urges us all to be open to new experiences and to not prejudge such experiences. If you want to ask Dr. Mitchell a question or send a comment to him, please do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Selected by: David Livingston [ stations ], Mon, 13 Nov 2006 05:45:30 UTC
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