Talking Space

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 post on it, visit our Team Blog page. We then also discuss a possible plan to land on an asteroid by 2025 and the delays of STS-133 and STS-134. Finally, we discuss Mark's time at the NASA Family Education Night as part of its Summer of Innovation program. Below are two images which were taken from the event at the Astronaut Hall of Fame as part of NASA's Summer of Innovation program: Two images were inserted here. To view them, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com to view them. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 6/27/2010

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 Station,  and review an  interesting editorial from MSNBC's James Oberg on reliance on the Russian Soyuz vehicle. We comment on relatively breaking news of President Obama's plan to take $100 million out of NASA's budget to put toward job training for NASA contractors who will be losing their jobs as a result of the Project Constellation shutdown on the space coast and elsewhere.  We end with a discussion of a mystery on board Atlantis, NASA giving you a chance to send your face into space, and a brand new exhibit opened at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum honoring the crew of Apollo 1 called "27 Seconds". A spe

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 listeners Alex Shimp (@shimpster), @sciencenate/@MrTubbs220 and @Kiki_Gaviln for their comments on SpaceX and Falcon 9 . Remember to send  your comments in to us! For more information, check out our Contact Us page. We also talk about the Boeing X-51 "Waverider" going hypersonic, the WISE demise, and SOFIA's first light. Lastly, Gene and Guest panelist  CraftLass discuss the New York City World Science Festival Tweetup. To watch the 2010 Astronaut Hall of Fame inducition ceremony, you can watch the full event on YouTube here: http://tinyurl.com/astrohalloffame. Also, for more information on the Astronaut Scholarship Fou

On this episode, we are not only joined by guest panelist Tavi Greiner from Astronomy.FM, but we invite on special guest Scott Maxwell, one of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) "drivers". He discusses his experiences at the Jet Propulsions Laboratory and his work playing around with robots on another world. Frankenstein, anybody? For more info on Scott, check out his blog "Mars and Me" at http://marsandme.blogspot.com/ Learn more about the MERs at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov Be sure to also follow him on Twitter: @marsroverdriver Also, thanks to Tavi Greiner, who is part of Astronomy.FM, which broadcasts Talking Space every Tuesday night at 10pm EDT and is replayed every three hours. There's even an interactive chat. Check it out at http://astronomy.fm Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and special guest panelist Tavi Greiner. Special Guest: Mars Rover "Driver" Scott Maxwell. Show Recorded - Sunday 5/30/2010

On this episode, we discuss a very busy week in space news. We talk about the Ariane 5 returning to flight, as well as Japan's (JAXA) H-II A launch of a probe to Venus. We then visit Opportunity setting a longevity record, SpaceX adding more delays, and honor PROP officer Lonnie Schmitt on his 100th shuttle mission behind the doors of mission control. For more info on Lonnie's accomplishment, check out the collectSPACE article by clicking here. We then discuss with Gene and Gina the STS-132 Launch Tweetup which they were selected to attend.  Credit for the audio of David Letterman is from CBS, and CBS maintains all rights to the clip. Below is a picture from the tweetup event. An image has been inserted here. To view the image, please visit http://talkingspaceonline.com. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - Sunday 5/23/2010

On this very special episode, we are joined by special guests Geoffrey Notkin and Steve Arnold of the Science Channel show, "Meteorite Men". We discuss their show, how they both got their start as meteorite hunters, some of their favorite moments from their television program, along with some science and some friendly poking fun.  Gina Herlihy's batteries needed recharging after the STS-132 Tweet-Up so , we asked  Rebecca Setzer (@beccasetz on Twitter) from the broadcast "Astronomy Out & About" heard weekly on Astronomy.FM to join our panel for this week. For more information on the Meteorite Men, please check out the following links: Meteorite Men Website: http://meteoritemen.com Meteorite Men on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/meteoritemen Meteorite Men on Twitter: @meteoritemen Steve Arnold's Company: http://stevearnoldmeteorites.com Geoff Notkin's Company: "Aerolite Meteorites": http://aerolite.org Science Channe's Official Meteorite Men Page:http://science.discovery.com/tv/meteorite-men/ A

On this episode, we discuss the STS-132 mission set to launch on May 14th. As well, we get into the tweetup which is accompanying it, as our very own Gina Herlihy and Gene Mikulka will be there participating. Stay tuned as they will be giving updates on the field and we will post them. We then discuss the successful test of the Pad Abort system for Ares/Orion, and then finally remember the late Guenter Wendt, aka the "Pad Führer" who died Monday at age 85 For more information on Guenter Wendt, here is a link to collectSPACE rembering his life: http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050310a.html As well, here is the video that Mark mentioned. Original source was from here Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - Monday 5/9/2010

On this episode, we discuss everything to do with the shuttle somehow. We start off with the recent STS-131 mission, along with the final three missions and the rotation of the final two flights and their order. We then go on to discuss the launch of the US government's own mini-shuttle, which was originally designed in cooperation with NASA and nothing to do with the military. We also discuss the 20th anniversary of the release of Hubble and its journey, as well as an SDO update. For information on SDO and to see First Light pictures, visit their website as mentioned in the show:http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/firstlight/ As a note: We have heard your comments regarding issues with our uneven volumes and sound problems. We have done our best to fix that for this episode. Please send us a comment in our Contact Us section letting us know if the sound quality has improved. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - Monday 4/26/2010

On this episode, we discuss the major announcement made by President Barrack Obama, who on Thursday, April 15, 2010, announced his future plan for NASA, which included a budget increase, a new Heavy Lift Vehicle to be ready by 2015, and the goal to land on an asteroid and then get into orbit around Mars with humans by the 2030s. Quite an interesting conversation. Also thanks to Alex Shimp (@shimpster) for sending his email to us at mailbag@talkingspaceonline.com to aid in the discussion. Again, these are just our views. If you have a different view, we want to hear it. We then went on to discuss Gina's trip to Kennedy Space Center for the Apollo 13th Anniversary event. For more information on Gina's organization mentioned in this show, visithttp://astronautscholarshipfoundation.org Also a special thanks to @CraftLass for allowing us to use her song, Bake Sale for NASA, which along with her new album Above the Sky is available at http://craftlass.com Show recorded - Sunday, 4/18/2010

In this episode, we discuss the recent launch of STS-131 and Discovery, and it seems that no matter what we talk about, we keep coming back to that beautiful bird. We then go on to discuss Spirit who will hopefully have the spirit to survive the Martian winter, as well as NASA helping out Toyota, and president Obama's visit to Florida. But, is it all about space, or is it just a secondary thought? Listen and find out! Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success! Remember to email us with questions or comments as text OR an .mp3. Send it to our email, talkingspaceonline@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/talkingspace and be sure now to become a fan of us at our Facebook

On this episode,we have special guest Brian Shiro with us, who is an geophysicist who is currently stationed at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii. He discusses his role in the recent earthquakes and tsunami potentials that have come out of that. Then, it's on to his time on FMARS 2009 (Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station) and MDRS Crew 89 (Mars Desert Research Station), and what it would be like to spend some time on Mars. For more info on Brian, check out his blog: http://astronautforhire.com and for more on the PTWC, visit http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/ Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success! Remember to email us with questions or comments as text OR an .mp3. Sen

On this episode, the crew discusses the potential delay for the space shuttle Discovery, which is scheduled to launch on April 5th on STS-131 to the ISS. We then also discuss the successful test firing of the Falcon 9 and what it means for the future of commercial space industry. We finally go on to discuss the extension of the ISS, Obama's speech on the space coast coming up, and the Legends of Aerospace event on the USS Intrepid, which Gene and Sawyer went to. The link in which Mark references in the podcast can be found by clicking here. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success! Remember to email us with questions or comments as text OR an .mp3. Send it to our email, talking

On this episode, we welcome back friend of the show Miles O'Brien, who currently is the host of "This Week in Space", an online video podcast, as well as a commentator for shuttle launch coverage for SpaceFlightNow. Recently, Miles went in front of the US Congress to testify regarding the NASA 2011 Fiscal Year budget. We talk about his testimony as well as his thoughts on the future of manned space flight and NASA as a whole. A conversation not to be missed. To see "This Week in Space", check out http://milesobrien.com http://spaceflightnow.com or download it on iTunes by clicking here. For more info, check out Miles on Twitter: @milesobrien as well as This Week in Space: @thisweekinspace. Due to circumstances beyond our control, Mark Ratterman was unable to join us for this episode. Host this week: Gina Herlihy. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Sawyer Rosenstein, and special guest Miles O'Brien. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to

In this episode, we talk about the recent meeting between the two US Chambers of Congress to discuss NASA and its fiscal year 2011 budget which includes the cancellation of the new Constellation program. We discuss how with the congress and its current view of the proposed cuts, NASA's budget may not pass. We then go on to discuss SpaceUp Sand Diego, the unconference, and announce the passing of artist Robert McCall. For the article from Florida Today as heard in the podcast, click here. Be sure to visit Robert McCall's website to take a look at some of his work which is at http://www.mccallstudios.com/ Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success! Remember to email us with question

On this episode, we talk a lot about the future of NASA. We start off discussing NASA's possible watch-over role in the future for the US manned space program. We then discuss President Obama's call to the International Space Station and his comment regarding his "unwaivering support" of space. Is he telling the truth? Listen to our opinions and tell us what you think: Message us on Twitter: @talkingspace Email us: talkingspaceonline@gmail.com or leave us a message on our Facebook wall: http://bit.ly/talkingspacefb. We then talk about the NASA Tweetup that occured in Houston for the STS-130 mission. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success and bringing us to our second season! Re

On this episode, we all have plenty of new experiences to bring to the table. We discuss a letter written by congress fighting against the cancellation of constellation, along with the possibility of a shuttle extension. Following that, we talk with @MelissaOx about her adventures at the tweetup for the launch of SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory). We then talk with Sawyer and Mark who saw the launch of STS-130, and Gina talks about her trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Special thanks to @ThisWeekInSpace for the audio clip used in this podcast. We encourage you after listening to our show to watch the videos at http://spaceflightnow.com Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podc

On this very special episode, the Talking Space team is joined by a few special guests. The first is Neal Wiser from the website SaveNASA, which is located at http://savenasa.ning.com. We are also joined by special guest listeners from Twitter via a service called Twalk.in which is at http://twalk.in. We discuss the recent release of NASA's Fiscal Year 2011 budget and whether we agree with or disagree with NASA's decision to cancel the Constellation program. Host this week: Gina Herlihy. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman, and Sawyer Rosenstein . Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by: Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer     (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you, the listener, for making this podcast a success and bringing us to our second season! Remember to email us with questions or comments as text OR an .mp3. Send it to our new email, talkingspaceonline@gmail.com, follow us on

On this episode of the Talking Space Podcast, the crew discusses the recent rumors surrounding what is to come of NASA's budget. Just a reminder, this was recorded on Sunday, Jan 31 and the budget was just released the day after we recorded on February 1. We go over the pros and cons to canceling Constellation as well as turning human spaceflight over to private entities and many other subjects related to the budget. We then go on to remember the crews of Apollo 1, STS-51L (Challenger) and STS-107 (Columbia) and talk about how their sacrifices have bettered human spaceflight as a whole. Don't miss our next show on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at around 9:15-9:30pm EST as we welcome on special guest Neil Wiser from SaveNASA and open up our phone lines via http://twalk.in and let you the listener call in. For more info, please read our facts sheet on this at http://drop.io/talkingspace and to register your number as well as to see our Twalk, check out their website at http://twalk.in Host this week: Sawyer R

On this very special episode, we invite Rebecca and Jeff Setzer on our show from "Astronomy Out and About" which airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST/8pm CST on http://astronomy.fm. We talk with them about the live show that they do every week, how they got started, and some of the challenges they face. Afterward, we discuss some topics currently floating around the space industry including budget cuts to NASA's programs, congressmen/women who just won't listen, and the future of space travel and if it really can get much safer depending on NASA's decision to keep or scrap project Constellation. Also, we're pleased to announce some good news: Talking Space will now be played on http://astronomy.fm on Tuesday nights at 10pm EST/9pm CST following Becca and Jeff's show "Astronomy Out & About" and will be replayed throughout the 24 hours after it is initially played. To keep up with Becca and Jeff, follow them on Twitter at @beccasetz and @astrosetz respectively. Also, to write a letter to your local congress person sa

In this episode, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of what has happened this week in space. We talk about some comments NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said at a safety meeting. also discussed is a Rasmussen poll released showing a decline in public interested in NASA and funding its programs. We also discuss the fallout of the bag of cocaine discovered inside Discovery's hangar at the Kennedy Space Center. Along with that, we answer your questions, and thanks to @racshot653 and Russ Dale (@flight0001) for submitting your questions and comments. Don't forget that we have a new Facebook page. Be sure to become a fan and check us out there. You can access it at http://bit.ly/7Hzfm7 Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein.  Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman. Announcer: Russ Dale (@flight0001), Theme Composed by:Todd Cecilio (@negativereturn). Also a very special thanks to Jen Scheer (@flyingjenny) for designing the amazing Talking Space logo. Of course, a special thanks to you,