Episodes
Thursday Dec 26, 2013
Episode 541: The Jade Rabbit and the Bunny Girl
Thursday Dec 26, 2013
Thursday Dec 26, 2013
On this episode of Talking Space, we take an in-depth look at the issue with the coolant pump aboard the International Space Station, the first spacewalk to repair it, and its affect on the Orbital Science launch that was scheduled for earlier this month. We then talk about ESA's Gaia spacecraft, which plans to create an in-depth map of our Milky Way galaxy. We then talk about China's successful landing of its rover on the moon, about a publicity snafu, and how it has connections going all the way back to Apollo 11 in 1969. Lastly, we address a disgruntled listener letter which is in favor of cutting planetary science, and we give our reasons why we think NASA and planetary science should still be, and is, alive and kicking.
To read the congressman's letter to the President, visit http://bit.ly/1edPFGd
To read Wayne Hale's "It's Our Choice, Really" visit http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0909/b.html
This is the last news show for Season 5! Don't miss a special look back at 5 seasons of Talking Space and space news on Tuesday, December 31, followed by a very special Apollo-related episode to kick off Season 6.
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman
Show Recorded 12/23/2013
Friday Dec 20, 2013
Episode 540: ISS Science Update 6
Friday Dec 20, 2013
Friday Dec 20, 2013
On this episode of Talking Space we talk with Liz Warren,
Ph.D. from NASA ISS Program Science Office Communications Integration at
Johnson Space Center.
We learn about the upcoming Orbital Sciences CRS cargo launch and experiments (some from students) it will take to the ISS. We also hear about some of the effects of microgravity on the human body. Liz says we need to keep our people healthy in space and learning how to do that has brought home some very valuable science that applies to life here on earth too.
Some experiments have an educational component to them like the NanoRacks-NCESSE-Falcon Student Spaceflight Experiment Program. With 17 experiments involving thousands of students on the ground. This is the 5th opportunity the student spaceflight program has participated in. Some of their experiments investigate fungal growth, antibiotic efficiency, seed germination, bacterial growth and space radiation. Did you know that bacteria grow faster in microgravity? Having a space station to fly to makes science experiments like we’ve been talking about possible by students in grades 5-12. Pretty incredible!
We learn that it is rather fun to train astronauts. Liz describes them as overachievers, wanting not just to do their best but to do a job better than the next guy. The astronauts want to get really good results for the Principal Investigators. From research in space there have been changes in Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamins by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that affect bone loss. There are medications now on the market from research in space that can help patients affected by bone loss due to chemotherapy.
While we were talking about the ISS, gravity came up. The Hollywood movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney named “Gravity” that is. So do you think science fiction has a place in our discussion about ISS science?
Please watch and share this video Liz spoke of. The
stories told will touch, inspire and change how you look at the ISS and
research done there. Please, please, please share this video. We’ve only begun
to see the International Space Station’s “Benefits For Humanity”.
Benefits For Humanity: In Their Own Words http://youtu.be/HhsaKTFz0TM
NASA ISS Program Science Office web page - www.nasa.gov/iss-science/
Phone (281) 244-6187 email
Host this week: Mark Ratterman. Panel Members: Gene
Mikulka, Emily Carney.
Special Guest: Liz Warren, Ph.D. ISS Program Science Office
Friday Jun 21, 2013
Episode 519 - Different Wavelengths
Friday Jun 21, 2013
Friday Jun 21, 2013
With Sawyer Rosenstein under the weather, the Talking Space Team is joined by singer song writer and space advocate, CraftLass with Gene Mikulka in the left seat. We examine NASA’s new Astronaut Class and discuss the media’s reaction. The Wave At Saturn project to coincide with a photo NASA/JPL plans to take of Saturn’s ring with a cameo appearance by our home, Earth in the photo. We then move on to NASA’s Asteroid Initiative Industry and Partner Day, where the space agency asked, Academia, Industry, and anyone to help get humans to an Asteroid by setting up a Request For Information. We discuss an article by Policto article indicating Congress is trying to do away with the Asteroid Mission altogether and put in place a Constellation-Like program, featuring a Lunar and Mars base (with no additional funds to pay for it). and a little bit of a Twitter firestorm that happened when Gene Mikulka posted the article on his Twitter feed. The Houston Chronicle's SciGuy, Eric Berger, posted the results. Host this week: Gene Mikulka. Panel Members: Mark Ratterman and special guest CraftLass Show Recorded 06/19/2013
Wednesday Dec 05, 2012
Episode 438: Curiosity About the Outer Solar System
Wednesday Dec 05, 2012
Wednesday Dec 05, 2012
On this epside of Talking Space, we talk about the "earth-shattering" discovery made by Curiosity that rumors had been circulating around before the announcement. We then talk about Voyager 1 reaching a new part of the solar system. We then discuss an update on Orion, including some cracks and how "made in America" it is. On our second trip around the table, we discuss an interesting discussion on NPR involving Chuck Yeager. We then discuss some big news about Reaction Engines. Then, we discuss a free e-book NASA has made available. On our final trip around the table, we discuss Atlantis being angled in preparation for its display and the crew that will be staying aboard the ISS for 1 full year. Lastly, we then discuss the discovery of water on Mercury and if it really is a big deal or not. To hear the NPR segment mentioned in the episode, visit http://sciencefriday.com/segment/11/30/2012/scifri-book-club-has-the-right-stuff.html To download "Earth as Art" the free NASA e-book, visit http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/earth_art_detail.html Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 12/3/2012
Thursday Oct 25, 2012
Episode 434: Skylon with SABRE - Single Stage to Orbit
Thursday Oct 25, 2012
Thursday Oct 25, 2012
We interview Reaction Engines LTD Mark Hempsell about the SABRE (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine). This is a breakthrough rocket engine in aerospace technology that can operate in both air-breathing and rocket modes. Join us as we talk about the SABRE rocket engine, the Skylon Spaceplane (runway to orbit) and LAPCAT (Mach 5 cruise Brussels to Sydney in 4.6 hours). Plan on spending some time looking over the Reaction Engines web site for an extensive download list of images, video's and technical documents. http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/index.html https://twitter.com/ReactionEngines Host this week: Gene Mikulka, Panel Member: Mark Ratterman Show Recorded 10/17/2012
Tuesday Jul 12, 2011
Episode 329: The Final Countdown
Tuesday Jul 12, 2011
Tuesday Jul 12, 2011
On this episode of Talking Space, the team picks themselves up after a long week of covering the STS-135 mission and discuss the final flight of the space shuttle program. We talk about Atlantis's now 13 day mission to the ISS, its purpose, and some moments of anticipation as the clock ticked down to launch. We mention the significance of the end and hear some stories from the people of the future of manned spaceflight as well as some funny stories of the training for this mission. Also, check out some pictures still being posted on our blog at http://talkingspaceonline.com/135. And don't forget, a full show on our amazing adventures for this launch will be coming up in the very near future! NOTE: We couldn't complete this episode without thanking everybody who helped to make our live broadcast of the launch a complete success, especially those at the website http://astronomy.fm who hosted us and lent us their servers for this historic event. A copy of the broadcast will be available shortly on our website. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 7/10/2011
Tuesday Jun 14, 2011
Episode 325: Finding NEEMO
Tuesday Jun 14, 2011
Tuesday Jun 14, 2011
On this special episode, we interview the Associate Program Scientist for the International Space Station, Dr. Tara Ruttley. Tara was the Lead Hardware Engineer for the Health Maintenance System on the station until about two years ago when she acquired her current title. Dr. Ruttley discusses with us a couple of the experiments being performed onboard the ISS and some of the intricacies, concerns, and fun facts about them. We talk about her background on getting involved and her interest in biology. We then discuss with her on NEEMO-6, a NASA mission (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) which simulated time onboard the ISS, although underwater. We discuss schedules, aquanauts, and men who don't sound like men underwater. This is an episode not to be missed! For more information on what's going on with science on the ISS, check out: NASA's Site for ISS Research: http://1.usa.gov/mKipOl NASA's ISS Research Twitter account: @ISS_Research For the ISS research blog which Tara is an author for, check out A Lab Aloft at: http://bit.ly/jioBRG To follow Tara on her personal Twitter account, give her a follow at @SpaceMama Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and special guest Associate Program Scientist for the International Space Station Dr. Tara Ruttley Show Recorded - 6/5/2011
Thursday Jun 02, 2011
Episode 323: Meteorite Men 'Rock'
Thursday Jun 02, 2011
Thursday Jun 02, 2011
On this special episode of Talking Space, we welcome back co-host of the Science Channel original show "Meteorite Men" and now author, Geoff Notkin. We discuss some moments together at the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education and other personal topics. On top of that, we discuss his new book, available online only, Meteorite Hunting: How To Find Treasure From Space. We include talks about shooting stars, land owners with shotguns, late-night stargazing in graveyards, and some behind-the-scenes stories from the television show that you'll never see on air! To purchase a copy of Geoff's book, Meteorite Hunting: How To Find Treasure From Space, please visit http://meteoritehunters.tv. The book ships to anywhere in the known universe, so our international listeners are not excluded from this! For more information on Geoff Notkin as well as more on the Science Channel show "Meteorite Men", check out: http://meteoritemen.com for information on the television show To contact them through social media, check out their Facebook page http://facebook.com/meteoritemen and their Twitter account @meteoritemen as well as Geoff's personal account at @geoffnotkin For Geoff's website and to find out about if a meteorite is geniune or to purchase your own space rock, check out http://aerolite.org Two images were inserted here. To view them, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, guest panelist CraftLass with special guest, co-host of Meteorite Men and author, Geoff Notkin Show Recorded - 5/2/2011
Tuesday May 31, 2011
Episode 322: The Ghost of Spacecraft Past
Tuesday May 31, 2011
Tuesday May 31, 2011
On this clip-filled episode of Talking Space, we begin with the conclusion of the STS-134 mission, recapping the final spacewalks and the outline for the end of Endeavour's operational career. We then briefly discuss STS-135 before delving deeper into it through a special interview which Mark obtained with Space.com writer Denise Chow. We then move on to talk about the rebirth of Orion as the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle, or MPCV, and listen to clips from an interview with Doug Cooke from NASA. Then we finish off by discussing the official loss of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit, who last year became stuck upon a rock. Contact was unable to be reestablished, and we bid her farewell. To read Denise Chow's articles, check out the website http://SPACE.com and you can follow her on Twitter as @DeniseChow Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 5/29/2011 Listen now:
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Episode 321: Booster Ignition and Liftoff!
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Tuesday May 24, 2011
On this episode of Talking Space, we countdown 3, 2, 1, as we did on May 16th live on Astronomy.FM reporting on the final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. We go into a deep discussion on the subject of STS-134's timeline and payloads, including the spectacular Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS. We then move on to talk about a US Senate hearing on human spaceflight and national security. Listed below is the transcripts of Frank Slazer, Dr. Christopher Chyba, and Capt. Frank Culbertson. We then move on to the case of the busted lunar sample seller, and lastly provide the final result of the BTS-1 mission onboard their Inspiration 1 capsule. The links to the testimonies of the following people to the US Congress are available on http://talkingspaceonline.com: Dr. Christopher Chyba, Professor of Astrophysics and International Affairs, Director, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University Captain Frank L. Culbertson Jr., Astronaut and former Commander of the International Space Station Frank Slazer, Vice President of Space Systems, Aerospace Industries Association The link to the updates on BTS-1 from Camilla herself can be read at http://camilla-corona-sdo.blogspot.com/ Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 5/22/2011