Episodes
Monday Mar 14, 2016
Episode 803 Two Deserts, One Sky
Monday Mar 14, 2016
Monday Mar 14, 2016
In a departure from our usual fare of space news and policy, this week we took some time to contemplate the skies. Danielle Adams, a doctoral candidate at The University of Arizona in the School of Middle East and North African Studies with a minor in the School of Anthropology stopped by to discuss her current project with us. Two Deserts, One Sky is a project in cultural astronomy connecting the present day desert sky in Arizona across time to the desert skies observed by Arab cultures between the 9th and 12th centuries CE. Danielle weaves the stories recorded by these past cultures in with instructions on how to view the asterisms in the night sky with naked eye observing. In this episode, we speak with Danielle both about Two Deserts, One Sky and how her interest in astronomy and Arab culture led her to the pursuit of this project.
We often speak about the importance of NASA in the community on our show, and this episode provided us with an opportunity to showcase how NASA supports not only those in the STEM fields, but important social science research as well. Two Deserts, One Sky is funded as an outreach project by NASA through the Arizona Space Grant Consortium, along with The University of Arizona’s School of Middle East and North African Studies and the School of Anthropology.
Show Recorded 2-29-16
Host this week: Kassy Tamanini
Special Guest: Danielle Addams
Panel Members: Gene Mikulka and Kat Robison
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
Episode 802: Ripples on the Cosmic Pond.
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
Tuesday Feb 23, 2016
This
week we take a journey from the halls of Congress out through our solar
system, and then journey out to a point 1.3 billion light years away
from home. On February3rd, the Space Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
met to discuss the current status of NASA’s Journey to Mars, and how it
may survive past the current presidential administration. We examine
the winners and losers in the 2017 NASA budget proposal. NASA announces the Exploration Mission 1 Launch Director and we discuss the Cygnus OA-6 Mission launch delay.
The Year In Space increment on board the International Space Station is coming into the home stretch, while back on Earth, the primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is completed.
European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission continues, but without the Philae lander that made landfall on Comet 67P in November. There has been no response from Philae since July and ESA has announced they will stop trying to contact the spacecraft. We discuss some of the highlights and lessons learned from this milestone mission. NASA releases a terrain map of Pluto’s ‘heart’ region, based on New Horizon’s spacecraft data , revealing a few big surprises.
The final story: the discovery of gravitational waves from the collision of two massive black holes. These waves reached our own planet this past September and were detected by the freshly-upgraded advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), providing the first proof of parts of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. What does this mean and why is it so exciting? We break it down for you
The LIGO comic by Talcott Starr discussed in the episode can be found here and make sure to give it a like if you enjoy it.
Host: Sawyer Rosenstein
Panelists: Kat Robison and Kassy Tamanini
Thursday Nov 05, 2015
Episode 713: IAC 2015 In The Spotlight
Thursday Nov 05, 2015
Thursday Nov 05, 2015
The theme for IAC 2015 this year was "Space: The Gateway for Mankind's Future" and we review the various gateways starting to open though the International Space Station, leveraging cis-lunar space, and finally humanity declaring "Earth independence" setting sail for Mars. The episode includes commentary from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and new European Space Agency Director General Johann-Dietrich Wörner. On various concepts including analysis of NASA's Journey to Mars outline and ESA's vision for a permanent research outpost on the lunar surface.
Saturday Oct 10, 2015
Episode 711: Water, Water, Everywhere...
Saturday Oct 10, 2015
Saturday Oct 10, 2015
So you want to be a Martian? On October 1st NASA held an event at the Kennedy Space Center to explain more about the agency's push to send the first humans to Mars and our own Mark Ratterman was there and provides insights. We highlight Two Deserts, One Sky a project by Danielle Adams a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona, and briefly discuss new solar power technology. United Launch Alliance (ULA) puts 100 successful launches in the books sending Mexico's Morelos-3 communications satellite into orbit on into orbit on October 2nd. However as the company looks toward Launch 101, the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing heads into uncharted territory and uncertain waters as a launch services provider. The team discusses.the challenges that lay ahead for the firm.
On September 28 NASA announced the confirmation that brine water has at certain times, been collecting on the surface of Mars. The initial report made on 4 August 2011 (which we discussed on Episode 334 ) was confirmed with a NASA press conference and the team examines the announcement itself, the reaction to the announcement in some circles, and the implications not only for NASA's planned human Mars exploration efforts, but for the future of human solar system exploration going forward.
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein,
Panel members: Mark Ratterman, Kat Robison, Kassy Tamanini (CraftLass) & Gene Mikulka
Friday Sep 25, 2015
Episode 710: Orion in Waiting
Friday Sep 25, 2015
Friday Sep 25, 2015
We kick off the show with congratulations, an upcoming celestial event, and follow ups to two previous stories. First an update to rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne's attempt to purchase launch provider United Launch Alliance. We report on the preliminary results from the Ardbeg distillery experiment that flew to the International Space Station. We send congratulations to NASA's five new flight directors including a name that the audience may recognize. So is the world going to end this week? Umm, no but we do have a an upcoming Lunar Eclipse on September 27 for the Western Hemisphere, Europe, most of Africa, and parts of Asia to enjoy, local weather permitting! NASA TV will provide coverage starting 8:00 PM EDT on Sunday 27 September, Midnight GMT September 28.
NASA last week gave a status report on the progress of the Orion spacecraft, a linchpin in NASA's human space exploration effort, with a probable delay with the first piloted flight. The team examines the implications. The NASA Inspector General's Office released a report which casts some doubt on OrbitalATK's recover plan to resume cargo flights to the International Space Station. We shed some light of our own on the implied difficulties. Launch provider Blue Origin has decided to call Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force station home, not just to launch rockets but to build and test it's vehicles. We consider what this means for commercial space and the economy of Florida.
Show recorded 9/21/2015
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein, Panel members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and Kassy Tamanini (CraftLass)Saturday Aug 15, 2015
Episode 707: First Harvest
Saturday Aug 15, 2015
Saturday Aug 15, 2015
So what is that white stuff that NASA’s Dawn spacecraft found in Occator Crater on Ceres? What about that four mile high mountain or “pyramid”? We sort the wheat from the chaff. The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 44 crew partook of the first edible harvest from the NASA’s VEGGIE experiment becoming the first humans to harvest food grown in space while on orbit. We highlight efforts to use Asteroids as fueling depots for future deep space missions, and mention the successful spacewalk conducted by cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko on the station’s Russian segment. We look at an unusual experiment flying on board Japan’s HTV 5 cargo vehicle to be launched to the ISS on Sunday August 16th. CBS News had a worthy feature on light pollution and its impact on ground based astronomy, we visit the piece for comment.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sent a letter to Congress saying due to Congressional action, NASA was forced to extend the launch services contract with Russia into 2019 to the tune of $490 Million. Eric Berger of the Houston Chronicle had some thoughts on that topic similar to our own and we debate. We visit the NTSB’s findings of the October 31 Virgin Galactic accident released on July 28th..
Our Spinoff of the week: A NASA Sensor allows plants to send a text to farmers to say “Can I have some water, please?”
Click Here for more information on the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)
Show recorded 8/3/2015
Hosts this week: Kassy Tamanini a.k.a. CraftLass & Gene Mikulka
Thursday May 07, 2015
Episode 704: A Lack of Progress
Thursday May 07, 2015
Thursday May 07, 2015
On this episode we bookend the whole conversation with the launch and loss of Progress 59 and the implications for the International Space Station and future resupply missions. Then we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with some historic highlights and personal perspectives of the mission, along with a discussion about the upcoming end of the program and whether Hubble could or even should be extended, inspired by the op-ed by Donald F. Robertson featured on Space News that put forth the idea that there could be another Hubble servicing mission and John Morse’s rebuttal of the idea. Moving on to the more immediate future, we look into Dava Newman and her Senate confirmation as the new Deputy Administrator of NASA. While on the topic of Capitol Hill we go over the House Science Committee’s first swing at the next NASA budget and the notable changes in budget distribution that have been proposed. Could there be a special hope in the Senate, though? NASA’s lioness in Maryland, Barbara McCluskey just might be making this a feature of her last term, and we discuss her ideas as well as the political upside to supporting NASA. Finally, we round things out with our new weekly feature on NASA Spinoffs with an explanation of just what Nissan means by “zero gravity seats” (and why you just might want them).
Show recorded: 4/28/2015
Host This Week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Kathryn Robison and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft Lass
Listen now!
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Episode 703: Don't Shoot the MESSENGER
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Sunday Apr 26, 2015
Friday May 09, 2014
Episode 611: That's My Shuttle
Friday May 09, 2014
Friday May 09, 2014
On our 200th episode of Talking Space, we welcome on decorated fighter pilot and two-time shuttle astronaut Bob Springer. We begin with his military career and his favorite planes to fly. We also talk about his time in the TOPGUN program. Then it's onto how he got from test piloting to being a space shuttle mission specialist. Then it's on to his flights, including two that never flew and the connection the flights, and Bob, had to the Challenger Disaster. The other flights included STS-29 and STS-38. Finally, we talk about his work with Boeing, the Kennedy Space Center, and his vision for the future.
Below is the STS-38 patch as described in the episode:
[An image was inserted here. To view it, visit http://talkingspaceonline.com]
A huge thank you to everybody who has helped the show grow to what it is today, allowing us to create 200 episodes!
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman and special guest astronaut Bob Springer
Show recorded 04/17/2014
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Episode 609: Mars Madness
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Friday Apr 18, 2014
On this episode of Talking Space, we talk with the Executive Director and co-founder of Explore Mars, Chris Carberry. In the interview, we discuss what Explore Mars is all about, and as you can guess, it has a lot to do with Mars. We begin with discussing the upcoming "Humans 2 Mars", or H2M conference coming up in Washington D.C. from April 22nd to the 24th. We then go into his thoughts on manned vs. robotic, the best way to get to Mars, and jumping off points such as the moon and the ISS. We also go into some of the STEM programs that they are participating in, and look at the future of Mars exploration.
For more on Explore Mars, visit their website http://exploremars.org/.
For more on the H2M conference, visit http://h2m2014.exploremars.org/
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Mark Ratterman and special guest Chris Carberry from Explore Mars.
Show Recorded 4/7/2014