Talking Space

On this episode of Talking Space, we talk about the successful launch of MAVEN on its way to Mars, and look at some amazing facts behind the mission, including cost. We then discuss the successful launch of 29 satellites at once from the Wallops Flight Facility. We then discuss some little known info about theMorpheus Lander. On our second and final trip around the table, we listen to a question a...

On this episode of Talking Space, we talk about the recent launch and return of crew members from the ISS, as well as their special cargo, the Olympic torch. We discuss the torch and whether this is symbolic or just a big publicity stunt. The, we talk about India's Mars Orbiter Mission, how much it cost, and if the cheap price tag means less science. Then, we talk about some great articles to read...

On this episode of Talking Space we discuss ATV4 (named Albert Einstein) which departed the ISS on 28 October. Burning up on re-entry is only part of the final objectives to be met by this cargo carrier launched by ESA on 5 June 2013. Sawyer has a Washington Post story about research and papers published by the Principal Investigators indicating the real prominence of the research done at our Inte...

On this episode of Talking Space we discuss release of the Cygnus capsule from the ISS and an upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9.1 Dragon launch. Also the most recent test flight of the SpaceX Grasshopper and the reusability it may provide. Sierra Nevada readies for a drop test of their Dreamchaser test vehicle. Did you hear about the concern raised on twitter that the Near Earth Object discovered Oct 8th c...

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the earth flyby of JUNO. All's well that ends well but the spacecraft dropping into safe mode made for a tense departure from earth outbound for its rendezvous with Jupiter in 2015. Gene refers to an article (linked here) by Ken Kremer detailing JUNO's return to full operation. To see the fun series of video's by Bill Nye teaching all about JUNO Watch "...

On this episode of Talking Space, we take a deeper look into the effects of the government shutdown on NASA and the US space program as a whole. We then look deep into commercial space with Cygnus' recent docking and the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9.1, which may or may not have had a malfunction depending on who you ask. We also look at a recently announced lawsuit between Orbital Sciences and the...

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the launch of Orbital Science's Cygnus resupply vehicle on its demo flight to the ISS and a minor issue it hit. We then talk about the next crew going up to the ISS and look at the "resolution" for the minor failure aboard the previous Soyuz. On our second trip around the table, we look to see if Curiosity really did find methane on Mars or not. We then...

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the return of the Soyuz TMA-08M. Although the crew returned safely, there was a major flaw with the craft. We then take a look at Orbital Science's first attempt to send its Cygnus resupply craft to the International Space Station aboard its Antares rocket. On our second trip around the table, we discuss Voyager reaching interstellar space, but is that...

On this episode Sawyer and Gene discuss the LADEE launch via the Orbital Minotaur V rocket and the upcoming Orbital Cygnus cargo test flight to the ISS via the Antares rocket. Also discussion of the $44 billion budget estimate by DOD, NASA and GAO for the cost to launch government satellites through 2018. Gene talks about the interview of former NASA manned spaceflight director Chris Kraft by Eric...

On this very special two-part episode celebrating four years of Talking Space, we continue our talk with PGAV Destinations, the company behind the design and building of the space shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. We go into the story behind the shuttle reveal, and the simple theater tricks used to make a lasting impression. We also discuss the interactive exhib...

On this very special two-part episode celebrating four years of Talking Space, we talk with PGAVDestinations, the company behind the space shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In this first part, we discuss how they got the space shuttle and their reactions to finding out what they'd be building. We then go in depth into the behind-the-scenes of the building surrou...

On this episode of Talking Space, we start by tie everything in to the ISS. We begin with a discussion on whether or not the ISS will make it past its current planned deorbit date, and not because of age, but because of budget and politics. We then discuss how the world isn't going to end as the sun's poles flip. We then discuss an upcoming conference which we've talked a lot about in the past, th...

On this episode of Talking Space, we begin with the news of Deputy Administrator Lori Garver's departure from NASA and discuss who may be next to fill the position. We then discuss the successful launch of the HTV-4 to the space station as it "screamed" into the sky. We also go into detail about some of the unique items it's bringing to the ISS. We then talk about the development of the X-56A and ...

On this episode of Talking Space, we return from our two-week summer hiatus to bring you the news of our absence. We start with a discussion of the rapid, four-orbit approach the next ISS resupply vehicle took, Progress 52. In the conversation, we discuss the recent spacesuit failure which resulted in astronaut Luca Parmitano's spacesuit filling with water. Sticking with Russia, we discuss the lat...

On this special episode of Talking Space, Mark Ratterman interviews Andy Scheer, a spacetweep from Merrit Island, FL also known as  @apacheman  Andy is husband to Jen Scheer  @flyingjenny  and father to their new baby, Fara. Starting in July 2000 Andy worked at Kennedy Space Center Pads 39B and 39A. He was part of the PRSD Power Reactant Storage and Distribution Shop team working on Orbiter Fuel C...

On this special, patriotic episode of Talking Space, Sawyer and Mark head to Florida for the grand opening of the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex. On top of walking you through the exhibit, we talk with the people who worked on the exhibit, designed it, organized it, and astronauts who flew on the shuttle. You'll hear what the grand opening sounded like...

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...

On part two of our two-part special on SpaceFest V, we invite attendee Libby Norcross to join us as we discuss the rest of the Sunday panels, which included the Mars and asteroid panels. Discussed are the benefits of going to Mars, robots vs. humans, and what the experts such as Emily Lakdawalla and Peter Smith think about the idea of commercial companies such as Mars One and Inspiration Mars. We...

On this special two-part episode of Talking Space, we begin by discussing last week's Soyuz launch before devling into the weekend-long event in Tucson, AZ. The event involved vendors and artists who specialize in space, as well as an impressive panel of astronauts which spanned every single American manned space flight program from Mercury to shuttle. On top of the astronauts were many panels and...

On this episode of Talkling Space, the regular gang is dealing with illness and traveling on the road. However, Mark Ratterman comes to the rescue with a phenomenal interview about something this show has become known for: space debris. Mark interviews Alex von Eckartsberg, who recently returned from the Sixth European Conference on Space Debris in Darmstadt, Germany. Alex discusses some shocking...

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss some ISS news, including the return of the Expedition 35 crew, which occurred during the recording of the episode. We then talk about the emergency repair that occurred onboard, as well as about Chris Hadfield and his as well as Canada's current and possible future contributions to the station. On our second trip around the table, we discuss an auction...

On this episode of Talking Space, we return from a technology issue the previous week with a delay of the next Orbital launch and look into why. We then discuss some interesting comments made by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, who announces his frustration with NASA's budget and where we're going next. We then discuss a video with a look at commercial spaceflight, if it can be called that. On o...

On this special episode of Talking Space, we discuss the maiden voyage of Orbital Science's Antares rocket. Our very own Gene was in Wallops Island, VA and recounts his experience. We discuss the pre-launch festivities, the launch scrubs prior to Sunday's successful launch at 5pm EDT, as well as the way Orbital handled their media relations. We also discuss the future of Orbital as well as their f...

On this episode of Talking Space, we discuss the deorbit of the Russian Progress vehicle. We then go into an in-depth discussion into the reason why Gene was unable to join us tonight-the demo launch of Orbital Science's Antares rocket from Wallops Island. We discuss the flight, the COTS program, and our thoughts on it. We then discuss a cool little camera doing some big science. On our second tri...

We're not foolin' on this April Fools Day episode, recorded April 1st. We discuss some ISS news, with the new members of the Expedition 35 crew arriving to the station in under six hours, and our thoughts on whether it's a good idea or not. We then discuss a cool experiment onboard the station called ISERV. On our second trip around the table, we discuss SpaceX's CRS-2 mission coming to an end and...