Talking Space

Episode 337: Clean Up Time for Low Earth Orbit

Low Earth orbit is a mess, with flotsam floating around at speeds between 17,000 to 20,000 MPH. These pieces of space debris, some that are relics from the beginning of the space age are numerous. They are various sizes ranging from the very large, (spent boosters and the like) to the to the very small like bolts, washers and various pieces of small hardware. Their presence threatens communications and weather satellites, and yes piloted spacecraft and orbiting manned platforms like the International Space Station. A report issued last week by the National Research Council indicated that the orbital debris problem may have reached a tipping point where collisions of decommissioned satellites, empty boosters and smaller pieces will continually collied with each other. The result:more debris in low earth orbit causing the problem to get worse. This may prevent future utilization of low earth orbit, and cause a threat to orbiting satellites and yes the International Space Station. To talk about this problem further and discuss ways to solve this looming crisis, we asked two recent graduates of Singularity University's GSP 2011 class; Major Franz Gayl United States Marine Corps (ret) and the author of the book "It's Only Rocket Science", Doctor Lucy Rogers from the United Kingdom, both already quite accomplished in their respective fields to discuses the issue of space debris. Both had studied the issue of Earth Orbital Debris, and brainstormed ways to attempt to solve the problem while at Singularity university. You may follow Dr. Lucy Rogers on Twitter. Her Twitter address is @DrLucyRogers Links: Space Debris Research - http://www.spacedebrisresearch.com/ Web site of Dr. Lucy Rogers - http://www.lucyrogers.com/ Web Site for "It's Only Rocket Science" - http://www.itsonlyrocketscience.com/ Singularity University - http://singularityu.org/ Discovery News - "What Can We Do About the Space Junk Problem " by Dr. Lucy Rogers - http://news.discovery.com/space/space-junk-recycle-problem-110904.html

Episode 336: The Holy GRAIL

On this episode of Talking Space, we return from our three week summer break to catch you up on the latest in space news, starting with the successful launch of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, (GRAIL) mission which successfully launched to study the moon and our own Mark Ratterman was there to cover the launch. Mark also gets a special interview with Kim Guodace, a former shuttle vehicle engineer for United Space Alliance. We then move on to the failure of a Progress 44 resupply ship launched aboard a Soyuz and how it may leave the International Space Station unmanned. We move onto the topic of space debris including the UARS satellite scheduled to crash back to Earth at an unknown location. We then discuss some stunning shots of the lunar landing sites taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, LRO. We finish off with pieces of metal on Spirit and Opportunity which were once a part of the World Trade Center towers which were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Two images were inserted here. To view them, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 9/11/2011

Episode 335: EVA-Expansive Variety of Acronyms

On this episode, we begin with a new control center which will be going online in a unique location in the world for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02). We then move on to a previously-deleted discussion about the Mars Science Laboratory, also known as Curiosity. We then discuss the next moon mission coming up called GRAIL, which will be two tandem spacecrafts operating together. Following that we discuss a DARPA aircraft which prematurely performed a nosedive into the Pacific Ocean and the impact of this crash. We continue on to a shuttle shuffle where Discovery and Endeavour swapped places and ended up meeting nose-to-nose. We finish off with a surprise discussion regarding the Space Launch System (SLS) and it's new completion date of 2032. Two images were inserted here. To view them, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 8/14/2011

Episode 334: Our Corner of the 'Cosmos'

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the successful launch of Juno on its way to Jupiter and Mark's experiences at the Kennedy Space Center for the launch on the spacecraft's five year journey to Jupiter. We then move on to Boeing's two announcements regarding its CST-100 spacecraft including its choice of rocket and who it will be choosing as its crew. We then discuss a discovery on Mars which could possibly be flowing water on the surface of the red planet. We then move on to the return of the PBS series "Cosmos" and its new host and its new major network, Fox. We end with a reminder to check out the Perseid meteor shower and then read one of the most amazing poems written by a former space shuttle worker titled "Empty Sky". Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and special guest Todd Cecilio Show Recorded - 8/7/2011

Episode 333: Juno About Jupiter?

On this episode of Talking Space, we talk with Dr. David McComas, the principal investigator for JADE, the Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment, aboard the spacecraft Juno launching to Jupiter on August 5, 2011. We discuss the spacecraft itself and many of the instruments onboard. We discuss the magnetosphere of the planet as well as the aurora which it produces. We talk about past Jovian spacecrafts, radiation belts, and the amazing size of the solar panels being used on board. This is one where you will come away amazed and well-educated on our solar system's largest planet. For more information on Juno as heard in the show, visit: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft) The Southwest Research Institute's (SwRI) Juno website: http://missionjuno.swri.edu/ Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and special guest Dr. David McComas Show Recorded - 7/29/2011

Episode 332: 30 Years, 6 Vehicles, 1 Amazing Journey

Atlantis safely touched down on the runway at the Kennedy Space Center ending 30 years of the space shuttle program. We talk about the mission, some of the final events, and our own opinion of the Space Transportation System. We then move on to an article in a Russian newspaper taking their own view of the space shuttle program and the role of the Soyuz, the Russian spacecraft which Americans will now be riding on. We end with a special interview we conducted during our STS-134 live broadcast in May of 2011 with Bill Moore and Andrea Farmer of the Kennedy Space Center and how they will be showcasing Atlantis when she is ready for display. Two images were inserted here. To view them, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 7/24/2011

Episode 331: Talking Space Broadcasts Live at STS-135 - Part 3

On this speical episode of Talking Space, the entire team gathered at the Kennedy Space Center to broadcast live coverage of the final space shuttle launch. We were overwhelmed to find out that over 200,000 of you listened to us live on launch day. In case you missed the covereage, however, which was broadcast on http://astronomy.fm, we have the entire broadcast for you here. The broadcast lasted from 10:30am EDT to 1pm EDT on July 8, 2011. This episode is being posted on the date of the final shuttle landing. The launch which you will here was the final space shuttle launch, ending a 30 year legacy, and is broken up into three parts. Part 3: In this segment, our final and longest segment, we discuss with the people who were there what launch felt like. We ask the questions of the people who witnessed it whether it be for the first time or the fifth. We also have two very special conversations with the team developing future space suits as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Chris Hadfield, who will be going up next year for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station. Host: Sawyer Rosenstein. Live Stream Host: Michael Foerester Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Special thanks to Astronomy.FM for hosting the live stream and to all affiliate stations who joined it. Also, thank you to anybody who came on, listened, or ever had a dream about going in to space. This is for you as well. Show Recorded - 7/8/2011 Live from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida Listen now:

Episode 331: Talking Space Broadcasts Live at STS-135 - Part 2

On this speical episode of Talking Space, the entire team gathered at the Kennedy Space Center to broadcast live coverage of the final space shuttle launch. We were overwhelmed to find out that over 200,000 of you listened to us live on launch day. In case you missed the covereage, however, which was broadcast on http://astronomy.fm, we have the entire broadcast for you here. The broadcast lasted from 10:30am EDT to 1pm EDT on July 8, 2011. This episode is being posted on the date of the final shuttle landing. The launch which you will here was the final space shuttle launch, ending a 30 year legacy, and is broken up into three parts. Part 2: In this segment, we welcomed in our affiliate radio stations tuning in to us throughout the world. It begins right after the poll conducted by the launch team at the Kennedy Space Center giving Atlantis the "go" for launch. We then proceed through the countdown, all the way to a glitch at T-31 seconds. After a quick resolution, you hear the launch in all of its glory. The final flight of the shuttle program can be heard directly from our own microphones as we narrate the 8 and 1/2 minute climb to orbit which Atlantis performed. Host: Sawyer Rosenstein. Live Stream Host: Michael Foerester Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Special thanks to Astronomy.FM for hosting the live stream and to all affiliate stations who joined it. Also, thank you to anybody who came on, listened, or ever had a dream about going in to space. This is for you as well. Show Recorded - 7/8/2011 Live from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida

Episode 331: Talking Space Broadcasts Live at STS-135 - Part 1

On this speical episode of Talking Space, the entire team gathered at the Kennedy Space Center to broadcast live coverage of the final space shuttle launch. We were overwhelmed to find out that over 200,000 of you listened to us live on launch day. In case you missed the covereage, however, which was broadcast on http://astronomy.fm, we have the entire broadcast for you here. The broadcast lasted from 10:30am EDT to 1pm EDT on July 8, 2011. This episode is being posted on the date of the final shuttle landing. The launch which you will here was the final space shuttle launch, ending a 30 year legacy, and is broken up into three parts. Part 1: In this segment, we introduce the team and the mission at hand. We discuss the crew as well as the goal of the originally-scheduled 12 day mission. We discuss payload to the future of NASA, to the weather predictions which were not in our favor. Host: Sawyer Rosenstein. Live Stream Host: Michael Foerester Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Special thanks to Astronomy.FM for hosting the live stream and to all affiliate stations who joined it. Also, thank you to anybody who came on, listened, or ever had a dream about going in to space. This is for you as well. Show Recorded - 7/8/2011 Live from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida

Episode 330: A New Dawn is Upon Us

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the STS-135 mission, and give an update on its status from spacewalks to unloading and reloading cargo. We also talked about special bits of memorabilia special to this mission including flags, flowers, and even M&Ms. We then go into a lengthy discussion regarding the spacecraft Dawn which successfully entered orbit around the asteroid Vesta. To learn more about Dawn, you can follow them on Twitter as @NASA_Dawn. Afterwards, we move onto the possible cancellation of the James Webb Space Telescope. Finally, we move on to an interview with Elmo conducted by Gina and Sawyer on launch day. Below is the video of the interview. If you are unable to view it, you can go direct to the original hosting of the video on Vimeo at http://vimeo.com/26359611 Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 7/17/2011