Bob Zimmerman reports on the latest space news during regular weekly slots (usually Tuesday and Thursdays) on the John Batchelor radio program. See the iTunes free Podcast for links to the latest shows.

This week, Bob came on the show on Tuesday, Thursday, and tonight Friday.

Tuesday was two segments:

Segment 1: commercial space:
1. Falcon 9 static fire test a success. Launch on Friday.
2. Antares hot fire test a success. Antares launch in about 6 weeks.
3. India launched 7 satellites on one rocket on Monday.
4. The House passes bill renaming Dryden Center after Neil Armstrong.

Segment 2: science:
1. A comet might hit Mars in October 2014.
2. Captain Kirk names one of Pluto’s moons!
3. New orbital data has revised the risks of Apophis hitting the Earth.
4. Mammoth Cave now longer than 400 miles.

Thursday was one segment:
1. China has scheduled its next manned mission for this summer.
2. The investigation into the recent Sea Launch failure finds problem but also reveals friction between Russia and Ukraine.
3. Update on Falcon 9 launch and sequestration.

Friday (to be aired tonight) one segment:
1. Dennis Tito’s proposal to send a married couple in a fly-by of Mars.
2. Cave exploration, on Mars, on the Moon, and on Earth.

Update: On tonight’s show,  he will also discuss the SpaceX Dragon problems in orbit after its launch today.

Update Mar.3.2013: Bob says the Friday show included only the Dragon discussion plus talk about Curiosity’s computer problems. The Tito and cave exploration segment will probably be broadcast on Monday.

Bob Zimmerman reports on the latest space news during regular weekly slots (usually Tuesday and Thursdays) on the John Batchelor radio program. See the iTunes free Podcast for links to the latest shows.  Here are links to this week’s shows and the topics discussed.

Tuesday:
Segment one:
1. Friday’s meter stories in Russia and 2012 DA14. Plus, a group of California scientists proposes using lasers to vaporize asteroids.
2. NASA has lost all contact with ISS.
3. The hot fire test for Antares has been rescheduled for Thursday.
4. Dragon has now been scheduled for March 1 launch to ISS.

Segment two:
1. NASA has released the cuts it would do if sequestration happens. SLS gets no cuts. Commercial space gets deleted.
2. A new poll of Earth scientists has found that a majority are skeptical of human-caused global warming.

Thursday:
Segment 1:
1. Some results from the flyby of 2012 DA14.
2. Kepler has found a solar system with a exoplanet slightly larger than the Moon.
3. The microfilmed bibles flown on Apollo are now the subject of a custody dispute.

Segment 2:
1. Polar bears and climate change.
2. IPCC head admits the climate has not warmed in 17 years.

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On the Wednesday “Hotel Mars” segment on the Batchelor Show with David Livingston, Dr. William Farrand reviewed the “Ten years with the Mars rover Opportunity”: The John Batchelor Show “Hotel Mars,” Wednesday, 2-20-13 – Thespaceshow’s Blog.