Talking Space

On this episode, we talk about OpenLuna Foundation OpenLuna is a volunteer organization. They welcome and encourage participation. The OpenLuna Foundation was founded to return mankind to the moon through private enterprise. Listen to our conversation with Paul Graham, President/ Chairman of the Board and Debi-Lee Wilkinson VP of Membership/Development & board member. OpenLuna is innovative and op...

On this episode, we talk about STS-133 tanking test and rollback to the VAB. The launch of Soyuz TMA-20 with Expedition 26 crew members Dmitry Kondratyev, Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli. We kick around some ideas wondering about the loss of communications from the mission control center outside of Moscow to both the Soyuz and the ISS. Then we reminisce about @NanoSailD :( Moving on to another...

On this episode, we start by discussing the delay, once again, of Discovery on STS-133, which is now scheduled for No Earlier Than February 3rd, 2011. We then go on to discuss our main topic, which was the successful launch and re-entry of the Falcon 9/Dragon Capsule launched by SpaceX from Florida on December 8th at 10:47am EST. Included are the team's remarks as well as audio from the post-splas...

On this episode, we start by discussing the new launch date and time for Discovery. As well, we predict whether or not the shuttle will launch in December or during its next launch attempt, in February. We then move on to discussing the Expedition 25 mission aboard the International Space Station after landing in the high deserts of Kazakhstan. We then move on to talk about NASA's new position as...

First, I'd like to extend a special thank you to Gene Mikulka for performing the editing. On this episode, we discuss the never-ending delays of the space shuttle Discovery. Stay tuned to our STS-133 Live Launch Coverage page to find out all of the latest information on the launch. We then continue to discuss the recently released Inspector General reports released by NASA. We then discuss some po...

On this episode, we discuss the troubles preventing Discovery from flying on her final voyage. We talk about the cracks discovered in the external tank and what this could do to a launch date. We also discussed the recent Expedition 26 spacewalk aboard the International Space Station. We then delve into more space policy dilemmas as well as budgetary issues for the James Webb Space Telescope, the...

After the long delay, which we apologize for, we are back! On this show, we begin by discussing the recent success of the Deep Impact spacecraft on its EPOXI mission where it had its closest encounter ever with Comet Hartley 2. From there we move on to our discussion about Discovery's final flight: STS-133. Although we haven't been able to bring you our live launch coverage, we still have some gre...

On this very special episode, we invite on special guest Mike Mullane: Air Force Colonel, veteran of 3 space shuttle flights, and author of Do Your Ears Pop in Space and 500 Other Surprising Questions about Space Travel as well as his astronaut memoir, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut. We discuss the details his memoir as well as his personal experiences in space f...

On this episode, the team discusses the successful launch and docking of the new digital Soyuz TMA-01M carrying the Expedition 25 crew to the International Space Station for a 5-1/2 month stay aboard the orbiting complex. We then discuss the successful drop test of the VSS Enterprise, or Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and its implications for the future of commercial flight. We then indulge on a l...

On this episode, the whole team of four is back in action. First, we discuss Mark's visit to the Assembly and Refurbishment Facility (ARF) for the final mating of the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters for STS-134 scheduled for launch in February 2011. Many former members as well as astronauts were there for the occasion and we have audio clips from them, as well as the team's reaction. We al...

Mark Ratterman attended the final roll out of Orbiter Vehicle 103, known as the Space Shuttle Discovery and describes his experiences while at the Kennedy Space Center. He also had the opportunity to speak with Stephanie Stilson, NASA Flow Director overseeing Discovery's processing operations, a duty she has had since December 2000. Mark also attended the arrival of Space Shuttle External Tank Num...

On this special episode, Gene sits down with Mark to discuss his recent expedition to the Kennedy Space Center for the arrival of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2 (AMS02). Mark discusses its purpose aboard the ISS as well as talks with some of the members of the AMS02 team and the crew of STS-134 who will be bringing AMS02 to the ISS aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the final space shuttle fligh...

On this episode, we go all around the world in 47 minutes. We start off discussing Discovery as she Endeavours towards the lost city of Atlantis...or as it seemed after the water main break at KSC. We then discuss it's payload, Robonaut 2, as well as the recent Progress docking to the ISS. Mark then talks about NASA sending up its pieces to the ISS via the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)...

Are you 1...STOP! This episode, our 43rd episode ever, the 30th of this season, marks the one year anniversary of the Talking Space Podcast. On our birthday episode, we discuss how NASA's sending drones to spy on hurricanes, as well as the processing of Discovery. We then go on to discuss a possible crew announcement for 135, and then how the Russians are unhappy aboard the ISS with their lack of...

On this humorous episode, the gang discusses the progress of STS-133, some maintenance on the crawler transporters, and the pending demolition of Launch Pad 39B, first used for the space shuttle on January 28, 1986. We then move on to discuss how NASA is helping out Chilean government in discussing the survival of the 40 trapped miners. We also discuss Kepler's findings of two exoplanets transitin...

After returning from an unannounced two week vacation, it's Guy's Night Out as Gina was unable to join us. We start off recapping the ISS repair of the broken ISS ammonia pump. We then move on to some shuttle news as we discuss the processing of Discovery for her final flight: STS-133, as well as some washers in the External Tanks (liquid fuel tanks) constituting some x-rays. Ending the shuttle co...

Pull up your chairs for some travelers tales from both Gina Herlihy and Mark Ratterman. Gina visited the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia and describes her exploration through the museum. Mark was one of the lucky attendees at the International Space Station (ISS) NASA Tweetup hosted by NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The guest speaker was ISS Expedition 23 Astronaut T.J. Cr...

On this episode, we invite on special guest, Apollo 9 astronaut and founder of the B612 foundation as well as a member of the Association of Space Explorers, Rusty Schweickart. Having logged thousands of hours in high performance jets as well as having performed an EVA (a spacewalk), Rusty comes on to discuss his role in the future of asteroids and their potential of impacting the earth, as well a...

On this episode, we discuss the 41st anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which occurred on the release date of this show, July 20th in the year of 1969. We focus on one question throughout the whole program. What impact did the Apollo program have on your life? Not only does our panel answer, but we have some special interviews with those that worked on the program: Joe Blondin who worked o...

Sara Howard, our guest on this Talking Space Exclusive interview played an integral part in that "One Giant Leap for Mankind". Working as a systems test engineer, she helped breathe life into the 138 foot tall S-1C, the first stage of the Apollo Saturn V rocket. Her duties at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, included examining the telemetry transmitted from sensors on board the S-1C during it's t...

On this episode released especially on the 4th of July in the United States, we honor an American hero: Apollo 7 astronaut Walter "Walt" Cunningham. We discuss with him the state of America's space program, as well as looking back in the past to help predict the future. We also discuss aviation, piloting, and the recently-released National Space Policy of the United States of America and his opini...

On this special episode, we all discuss a recent release by the United States Government entitled the National Space Policy of the United States of America. It discusses six key goals the government hopes to implement in terms of international cooperation in space as well as unmanned space exploration, manned space exploration, and military use of space. To view the full document, you may click he...

On this show, we discuss a policy to be released by President Obama about future space policies and international cooperation. At this time, the report is already released, but we discussed what we predicted, and listen up for a short episode to be released shortly discussing the outcome of it. We then continue to talk about Sen. John Glenn's letter regarding human spaceflight. To read Gene's blog...

On this episode, We discuss the return of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA)  Hayabusa probe after a 7 year voyage to obtain a piece of Asteroid Itokawa. We discuss the Mars 500 experiment and answer two questions from our mailbag, and a thanks to @QuantumG and @racshot653 for the questions. Keep them coming! After that we look at NASA's  Expedition 24 to the International Space Stati...

Gina Herlihy returns this week, as we discuss the upcoming STS-133 mission schedule for September. We also congratulate the 2010 Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees as Gina gives an overview of the induction ceremony. We discuss the major event of the week; the successful launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.  The booster was  commercially launched with minimal support from NASA. A big thanks to listen...