Episodes
Friday Oct 31, 2014
Episode 617: The Loss of Antares
Friday Oct 31, 2014
Friday Oct 31, 2014
On this special episode of Talking Space, we throw out our originally-scheduled show to discuss the loss of the Orbital Sciences Orb-3 mission. The Antares rocket had a failure upon launch and exploded within 20 seconds of lifting off. The rocket was unmanned, carrying a Cygnus spacecraft with more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station. In this episode we break down the facts of what is known and what is not known. We also discuss what was said in the press conference and where both Orbital and NASA stand. One interesting examination we look at is how all different forms of media covered the event from national news to local to Orbital themselves. We then look at the next steps in the investigation and the future state of the ISS as well as Orbital Science's contract with NASA for these resupply missions. Also included is a brief discussion of some of the science experiments onboard that were lost.
If you find any debris, DO NOT keep it as a souvenir or even touch it. Call the Incident Response Team at 757-824-1295.
This is obviously an ongoing story, and keep in mind this was recorded on the night of the launch failure. We will continue to update via Twitter and future episodes as information becomes available. Our hearts go out to the team at Orbital Sciences and to all of those who had experiments or equipment onboard.
Show recorded 10/28/2014
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Milulka, Kathryn "Kat" Robinson and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft Lass
Friday Oct 24, 2014
Episode 616: Here Comes the Judge
Friday Oct 24, 2014
Friday Oct 24, 2014
The Talking Space team plays "catch-up" this week opening the discussion with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) decision. NASA decided on 16 September, 2014, to go with the conical shaped spacecraft offered by Boeing (CST-100) and SpaceX (Dragon Version 2) over the Sierra Nevada Corporation lifting body design, Dreamchaser.
This week, a judge with the US Claims Court allowed NASA to continue
work on CCP related activities while the US General Accounting Office
considers SNC's challenge to the overall decision.
The International Space Station is becoming a very busy place with robotic cargo vehicles coming and going. The team gives a traffic report for the orbiting laboratory with cargo ships from SpaceX, Roscosmos and Orbital Sciences.
Want to go to Mars? You can, well okay, virtually. The team describes how to pick up your boarding pass not only for NASA's upcoming Exploration Test Flight 1, but for a future mission to the Red Planet.
Our Mars focus continues with the once every million year encounter that occurred on 19 October, 2014 when Comet Siding Spring made its historic close encounter with the fourth rock from the Sun.
Additional Links:
Aviation Week: NASA Document Spells Out Reasons for SNC's Commercial Crew Loss
Show Recorded 10/22/2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Episode 615: Hashtags for Space Outreach
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Our guests for this episode Kathryn "Kat" Robison and our very own Kassy Tamanini (aka Craft Lass) took on the task of studying the impact of social media on space flight outreach and awareness. In an academic paper entitled "Hastags for Outreach", both had an opportunity to present their findings at the 2014 International Astronautical Congress held in Toronto, Ontario from 29 September to 3 October. This installment explores the results of their combined research. Ms. Roberson is a graduate student and teaching assistant at Youngstown State University in Ohio, Her main speciality is the impact of social media and how it is leveraged by various interest groups. Ms. Tamanini has distinguished herself not only as a talented singer/songwriter with her ground breaking 2009 single "Bake Sale for NASA" but as a leader in innovative science outreach methods. Both are the masterminds behind the blog "Geek Girls Night Out" an online community for "female geeks both in and off line."
Show recorded 10/13/2014
Host this week: Gene Mikulka. Panel Member: Mark Ratterman with special guests Kathryn "Kat" Robinson and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft Lass