Talking Space

Episode 1504: Space Debris Risks – Perception vs. Reality With a Little Human Nature Thrown In

Talk about risky! This time around, the two cousins are being left alone to see what mischief they can get up to. Good thing there’ll be an adult in the room. 

Mark Ratterman and Larry Herrin are joined by our guest, NASA’s Dr. Mary K. Kaiser, to discuss the omnipresent issue of space debris. We are “flexing” once again from our usual format to bring you a wide-ranging discussion that will cover how scientists objectively calculate risk versus subjective risk perception; dealing with Low-Probability/High-Consequence Risks; and the realities of basic human nature. How does all this relate to the issue of space debris and the world’s willingness to do something about it? We’re about to find out!

As mentioned, our guest for this discussion is Dr. Mary K. Kaiser. Dr. Kaiser spent 30 years as a research psychologist in the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames Research Center. She now serves as a consultant to the Human Factors Technical Discipline Team at the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). This fascinating scientist spends her days worrying about things as diverse as subjective risk perception and innovative spacecraft instrument display technologies. She has authored or co-authored dozens of scientific papers, holds two patents, and is the self-published author of a novel, “The Muse of Kill Devil Hills,” available now on Amazon. 

Then, see and hear Dr. Kaiser’s NASA NESC Academy presentation on “Miserable Risk Estimation: "Managing" Low-Probability, High-Consequence Risks" here.

If you want to hear even more about Dr. Kaiser’s very interesting career, keep listening after the main podcast for a big Easter egg’s worth of conversation we left there for you!

Let us know what you think of our new “flexible” format and your thoughts on this week’s show. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com .

Show recorded 5-15-2023.

Host: Larry Herrin

Panelists: Mark Ratterman

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

Gene Mikulka, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will be back.

Episode 1503: Of Spaceplanes and Starships

In this installment, we welcome Larry Herrin, a former 10-year-old Apollo astronaut, as the newest pundit on the Talking Space podcasting team. We forgot to mention in the show that Larry is also Mark Ratterman’s cousin!

As his inaugural contribution, Larry tells us about a relatively new, reusable, rocket-powered spaceplane designed and built by New Zealand-based Dawn Aerospace. You can find out more at Dawn Aerospace’s website.       

Then Gene, Mark, and Larry take on the story of the week: The first launch of the SpaceX Starship on the morning of April 20. The team discusses the launch itself, the ramifications of the launch (citing “The Next 30 Trips” blog and the" ESG Hound " blog ), the fallout from residents, the mishap investigation which has grounded the Starship program, and what may happen in the months ahead.

NOTE: Since this recording, several conservation groups have brought legal action against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for granting the Starship launch license to SpaceX. This will be a story we will be following.   

Let us know what you think of our new “flexible” format and your thoughts on this week’s show. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com .

Show recorded 4-30-2023.

Host: Mark Ratterman

Panelists: Gene Mikulka, Larry Herrin

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will be back.

Episode 1502: 50-50 and More

We start this week off with a roundup of news from NASA with the announcement of the Artemis II crew, its Mars Habitat, the second independent review of the Mars Sample Return, and a celebration of two missions hitting 50 - 50 orbits for Juno and 50 flights for Ingenuity (and you can even an audio recording of the Mars helicopter here). We then chatted about Blue Origin’s Club for Future and the FAA licensing of Starship’s launch attempt. 

The first of our main stories was a discussion of the successful launch of ESA’s JUICE mission to study the icy moons of the Jovian system, including taking some selfies as it began its journey. We wrapped up with a report from the recent NASA student launch competitions, which you can see for yourself on MSFC’s YouTube. 

Show recorded 4-16-2023

Panelists: Dr Kat Robison and Mark Ratterman

Episode 1501: New Season, New Era

Talking Space returns for its fifteenth season with a new format!

First up, we have a brief roundup of news, including Kathy Lueders retirement from NASA, with Ken Bowsersox set to take over Space Operations on May 1st, the cessation of Virgin Orbit’s operations, more delays with Starliner, Soyuz’s uncrewed return to Earth, and a special report on one of our favorite non-rocket vehicles at KSC from Mark.

We then head down under as Kat provides an update on Australian space news, including AUKUS in space, NASA’s visit to Canberra and Adelaide, including their announcement of a new Indigenous internship at JPL, and the first woman to be trained under the Australia Flag, Katherine Bennell-Pegg – who also happens to be the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency. Mark continues our show with a discussion of the next Artemis RS-25, and shares some facts about the engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne that were even new to us on the show.

Gene rounds the show off with a discussion of the complicated funding and politics of the VERITAS mission to Venus, which has encountered delays and setbacks (and what amounts to a “soft cancellation”), despite being on budget and time and the exciting announcement of volcanic activity on Venus.

We dedicate this show to the memory of Helene Smith. Please be sure to let us know what you think of the new format and let us know your thoughts on the topics of the show. 

Show recorded: 4-1-2023

Host: Sawyer Rosenstein

Panelists: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, & Dr. Kat Robison

Episode 1407: The ”Endurance” of Commercial Crew

The Talking Space team was on site as the Crew-5 astronauts and cosmonaut made their way to the ISS. Hear the launch audio plus what went on behind the scenes when a hurricane threatened the mission and ground infrastructure.

Full show notes coming soon.

Episode 1406: Launchapalooza

August 4th, 2022, was one of the most active launch days in recent memory. The Talking Space Team attempts to check all the boxes bringing a little insight into each one, including some launch audio from the Mighty AtalsV that carried the SIBRSGEO 6 into orbit and the scream of the Falcon 9 as it took South Korea’s KPLO probe to the Moon. 

 We briefly discuss some debris left from a Chinese rocket that showered down on the Philippines and some flotsam from the SpaceX Crew-1 Trunk that impacted an Australian sheep paddock.  

The war in Ukraine has impacted everything for the worse. The repercussions have been felt far and wide, and the space sector has not been immune. The Northrup Grumman Antares 230 launch vehicle is another victim of the war; the fabrication shop for its core stage located in Ukraine was destroyed. With only enough parts to assemble two more rockets, Northrup Grumman has a plan for a domestic version of Antares, which will take an unusual alliance of a bold new corporate venture and an old lion ready to learn new tricks. 

Speaking of Russia, is Roscosmos leaving the International Space Station Partnership like the mainstream media is saying? We provide real context around the story.

Artemis -1, the first launch of a new program to return humans to the Moon, create a sustainable presence there, and move on to Mars, is set for an August 29th launch attempt. We discuss the mission objectives for this first flight, the non-human crew, and the implications for this test flight. 

Dr. Kat Robeson brings a NASA JPL article to our attention concerning the Antarctic Ice Shelf and the loss of mass it may have experienced. We also mention that on the day we recorded ( August 11th ), operational control of the  Landsat 9 Earth Observation Satellite was turned over to the US Geological Survey from NASA. We end the show reminding all that while exploring the heavens is a vital part of space, looking down at our planet is just as critical. 

 

Host: Sawyer Rosenstein

Panelists: Dr Kat Robison & Gene Mikulka 

Engineer and Editor: Mark Ratterman 

Episode 1405: Launch Weather for the Win(d)

On this episode of Talking Space with Mark Ratterman and Dr Kat Robison we have an excellent interview from Mark with Kennedy Space Center’s Dr Kristin Smith and Kathy Rice, both of whom are in KSC's weather office. Special thanks to KSC’s public affairs team, especially Mary MacLaughlin, who make it possible to bring interviews like this to our listeners. Mark talks with Kristin and Kathy about NASA’s Tropospheric Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (TDRWP) which monitors weather in the upper atmosphere like upper level winds (which we all know are very important on launch days). Kathy and Kristin explain how users, from NASA to SpaceX, utilize this important data and how it differs from other tools, such as weather balloons. The data from TDRWP is publicly available. Also, check out this link for info on how it was tested with ham radio operators and this site for more info on the whole system at KSC.

 

Mark and Kat also have a brief chat (and please forgive her technical difficulties!) about a few space news topics before the interview. Kat shares about a history making series of launches in Australia at the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) in the Northern Territory. The series of three sounding rocket launches to study astrophysics were the first NASA launches from a fully commercial spaceport and were undertaken in partnership with Equatorial Launch Australia. She and Mark also discuss the first deep field image from JWST, which includes light from one galaxy which traveled 13.1 billion years to JWST’s mirrors. Find out more and see the rest of JWST’s first images here. 

Show recorded: 7-24-2022

Hosts: Mark Ratterman & Dr. Kat Robison

Special Guests: Dr. Kristin Smith and Kathy Rice

Episode 1404: A New Era in Commercial Space

This episode we take a unique look at the historic Axiom-1 mission to the ISS from multiple perspectives.

That includes our own Sawyer Rosenstein who was at the press site for the launch and our own Mark Ratterman who viewed the launch from offsite. There was a unique oddity to the audio from this launch which you'll have to hear for yourself.

We compare how this mission differs from other SpaceX missions to the ISS, typically carrying astronauts for NASA and ESA, including some pre-launch quirks. Plus, what a private mission like this does to scheduling aboard the International Space Station, especially as a long-duration crew depart and return within weeks of this all-private mission.

Plus, this isn't just a tourist mission. We look at the experiments being done onboard this first all-private mission to the orbiting laboratory.

In addition we also take a look at the ongoing effects of Russia's war with Ukraine on relations aboard the ISS.

Finally it's a look at the Artemis program's latest concerns and announcements. That includes the roll back of the massive SLS rocket set to launch the first uncrewed test mission around the moon sometime this year after some issues appeared during a "wet dress rehearsal". Also a look at what vehicles will likely be taking astronauts to the launch pad before they depart for the moon.

Show recorded: 4-15-2022

Host: Sawyer Rosenstein

Panelists: Mark Ratterman & Gene Mikulka 

Episode 1403: The First Four Miles to the Lunar Surface

Our Mark Ratterman was on hand at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the rollout of  America's new launch vehicle: NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion Spacecraft sitting atop the 322 foot stack. . It was the first time a large rocket set on its way to the launch pad from the Vehicle Assembly Building since the Space Shuttle. No longer on the drawing board or an artistic rendering, Mark was on hand to bring us his unique perspective on this moment of history, including a reminder that space travel isn't just technology, there's a very human side to it too.

The team discussed the upcoming preparations for the initial Wet Dress Rehearsal, a test of the rocket's ground support equipment, procedures, and the people who will be responsible for launching the SLS/Orion combination on the first leg of the journey to the Moon.   

The team also examines further the impact of Russia's actions in Ukraine and the continued fallout there has been for the spaceflight community, and we end with a light side of space courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency.

All this and more on this edition of Talking Space

Show recorded: 4-2-2022

Host: Sawyer Rosenstein

Panelists: Mark Ratterman & Gene Mikulka 

Episode 1402: The Heavens Above, The Troubles Below

The concept that space unites nations on Earth is tested like never before.

In a rare single topic installment of Talking Space, the team pauses its regular reports and observations of the space sphere and examines the impact of the current geopolitical circumstances and the short and long-term impact they may have on space exploration going forward.

Recorded on the evening of Saturday, March 5^th, 2022, we look at the implications the Russian-Ukraine conflict will have on the International Space Station and its logistics chain, both transporting crew, and cargo. Also, what impacts are there to various other launch service providers, many of whom are already in a state of transition with their booster programs, and who may be most vulnerable to the situation?

Another area we place under our microscope:  the status of the Russian space program going into this crisis, the damage caused by the conflict plus some wounds that the agency may have inflicted upon itself since the start of hostilities. We attempt to take on the big question of what the future hold for Roscosmos, the ISS partnership, and future cooperative efforts.

All this and more in this episode of Talking Space.

Show recorded: 3-5-2022

Host: Sawyer Rosenstein

Panelists: Dr. Kat Robison Hasani, Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman