1. Tuesday, May. 10, 2022; 7 pm PST (9 pm CST, 10 pm EST): No show today as will be driving to Nevada with Pepper
2. Hotel Mars – Wednesday, May. 11, 2022; 1:00 pm PST (3:00 pm CST, 4:00 pm EST): TBD. Check the Upcoming Show Menu at www.thespaceshow.com for updates on scheduling.
3. Friday, May.13, 2022; 9:30-11 am PST (11:30 am-1 pm CST, 12:30-2 pm EST): Sir Martin Rees and Donald Goldsmith will talk about their latest book, “The End Of Astronauts: Why Robots Are The Future Of Exploration“.
4. Sunday, May.15, 2022; 12-1:30 pm PST (2-3:30 pm CST, 3-4:30 pm EST): Open Lines. Talk about your favorite topics. All callers welcome. Call 1-866-687-7223.
Some recent shows:
David has not hosted any programs since April 26th due to his move to Nevada and dental surgery. It appears the program will return to the usual schedule this Friday.
** Friday, Apr.22.2022 – Dr. John Horack “from Ohio State was with us today regarding the LEO super charged economy. We fielded multiple economically oriented questions, we talked about different segment of the commercial and NewSpace sectors, plus we talked national security space and the private sector“.
** Tuesday, Apr.9.2022 – Dr. Anita Sengupta discussed er “new company, Hydroplane.us, hydrogen propulsion for aviation, fuel cells, storage issues, hydrogen economics, hydrogen safety facts, hydrogen propulsion, creating a hydrogen infrastructure and more“.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3: Mission for Science – NASA
After more than six months aboard the International Space Station, the astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission are returning home. The four crew members — NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer — will travel back to Earth inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. These crew members contributed to hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations while aboard the orbiting laboratory. This valuable research helps to prepare humans for future space exploration missions while generating numerous innovations and benefits for humanity on Earth. Check out their scientific journey: https://go.nasa.gov/3vQmSXL
** Change of Command of International Space Station Takes Place – NASA Johnson
Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn handed over command of the International Space Station to Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev during a change of command ceremony May 4. Farewell remarks also took place ahead of Crew-3 undocking and splashdown following their six-month mission aboard the orbital outpost. Marshburn and Artemyev are in the midst of long duration missions living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Astronauts Undock from the International Space Station – NASA
Join us to watch the Crew Dragon Endurance undock live from space with the four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 aboard: NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer. Undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) is targeted to begin at 1:05 a.m. EDT (5:00 UTC), on Thursday, May 5. During their stay on the ISS, Crew-3 members worked on experiments to benefit humans in space and on Earth, like testing new methods for growing crops, studying drought-resistant cotton plants, and printing bandages made from skin cells: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st…
** Watch NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Splash Down on Earth – NASA
The four astronauts of Crew-3 are on the way home to Earth. Watch live as they reenter the atmosphere and splash down off the coast of Florida. Splashdown is targeted for 12:37 a.m. EDT (4:37 UTC), Friday, May 6. NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer spent six months living and working on the International Space Station. During their stay, they contributed to experiments to benefit life on Earth: https://go.nasa.gov/3vQmSXL
** Expedition 67 – Space Station Crew Talks with CBS News, CNN – May 6, 2022 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event May 6 with CBS News and CNN. Watkins and Cristoforetti are in the midst of a planned four-and-a-half month mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
** Down to Earth – S2:E2 | Sensory Overload – NASA Johnson
In episode two of Down to Earth: Conversations, astronaut Sunita Williams and environmental studies student Adrien Prouty explore what it’s like to conduct a spacewalk on the International Space Station.
Get in line with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and his Expedition 66 crew mates to experience a reboost of the International Space Station from the inside. This video is sped up 8 times fast. The International Space Station flies around Earth at around 400 km. It is reboosted periodically to maintain its orbit and overcome the effects of atmospheric drag created by molecules of the atmosphere, which causes the Station to lose about 100 m of altitude per day
. A Space Station reboost maneuver also optimizes phasing for future visiting vehicles arriving at the station. In March 2022 the ISS performed a reboost using Russia’s ISS Progress 79 cargo craft. By firing its engines for several minutes, the station was put at the proper altitude for a crew ship orbit rendezvous and landing operations. During the manoeuvre, the astronauts inside the station keep flying at the same speed and direction. While it seems like the astronauts are moving inside the station, it is in fact the ISS that gets the boost and is moving around them. More info on Cosmic Kiss here: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss
For the first time since mid 2011, ESA has two astronauts living and working together aboard the International Space Station. Watch a conversation between Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer in this rare moment for Europe in space. The astronauts’ meeting marks a brief crossover between the start of Samantha’s second space mission, Minerva, and Matthias’s final days in orbit for his first mission, Cosmic Kiss. Samantha arrived with Crew-4 on 28 April in @SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom, while Matthias will depart with Crew-3 in SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance in May after almost six months on the Station.
In this video Matthias is impressed by Samantha’s floating ability and says it’s like she never left. Samantha confirms weightless was the thing she missed the most on Earth and talks about the differences on Station since her Italian Space Agency ASI-sponsored Futura mission in 2014-15. Matthias is pleased with what he’s achieved in his time on Station, including the science he’s supported and the spacewalk he performed. He wishes Samantha all the best for her mission as she wishes him a safe return to Earth.
Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!
Alvin Remmers, whom I met while he was making a video series focused on the NewSpace industry and community, tells me about a new documentary film he is producing and directing. The Magic of Inspiration aims to
… unleash the potential of young women and cultivate their aspirations for careers in STEM-related fields. Firm in the belief that “If you can see it, you can be it”, the film is bursting at the seams with role models who have the ability to launch dreams into careers.
We are profiling women who will provide a look behind the curtain at their remarkable careers, the paths they took to get there and the challenges and joys they derive from their vocations. Our goal is to develop a more diverse and capable workforce.
We also will profile organizations and institutions dedicated to developing the curiosity in young people necessary to begin to imagine themselves solving today’s puzzles and influencing tomorrow’s outcomes.
The Magic of Inspiration – a documentary intended to inspire girls and young women to pursue STEM careers.
Alvin says the website, themagic.film, “contains brief info about the film, the reasons for making it, the film’s intended audiences and profiles of the filmmakers“.
Sign up here for updates on the making of the movie.
** What’s Up: May 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL
What are some skywatching highlights in May 2022? May provides some great planet spotting, including a close conjunction of Jupiter and Mars. At mid-month, a total eclipse of the Moon should delight skywatchers across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. And all month long, the Coma star cluster (aka, the Coma Berenices star cluster, or Melotte 111) is a great target for binoculars in the evening. YouTube Full Description (i.e., “Show More”)
0:00 Intro 0:11 Planet-spotting opportunities 1:02 Lunar eclipse
2:27 The Coma star cluster 3:33 May Moon phases
Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….
In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64. About this Series “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-galle….
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Mission Overview – NASA Johnson
The next flight to the International Space Station is ready to launch! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission will deliver four new crewmembers to the space station and power the next increment of groundbreaking science research. Join NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, for a look into their expedition to low-Earth orbit, and share their excitement about the prospect of flying on the Dragon vehicle for the first time.
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 1 Highlights – NASA Johnson
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts lifted off at 3:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for the International Space Station for the fourth NASA and SpaceX commercial crew rotation mission aboard the microgravity laboratory. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, into orbit to begin a six-month science mission on the space station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Freedom, will dock autonomously to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module around 8:15 p.m. EDT.
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Flight Day 2 Highlights – NASA Johnson
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts docked autonomously to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module at 7:37 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 27. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, arrived after a one-day journey to begin a six-month science mission on the space station. Following docking Lindgren, Hines, Watkins, and Cristoforetti joined the Expedition 67 crew of NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsakov, and Denis Matveev.
** NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 Docks to the Space Station (Official NASA Broadcast) – NASA
Watch NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts arrive at the International Space Station aboard their Dragon spacecraft Freedom. Docking is scheduled for approximately 7:40 p.m. EDT (23:40 UTC). Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, astronauts Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren of NASA, alongside Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), will spend nearly six months conducting new scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. Crew-4 lifted off on April 27 at 3:52 a.m. ET (7:52 UTC) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Watch the launch broadcast replay: https://youtu.be/JNKPbe_gacg
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer gives a glimpse into his evening routine aboard the International Space Station during his Cosmic Kiss mission. Matthias’s crew quarters, known as CASA (short for Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation), is located within the European Columbus science laboratory module. But before he floats into his sleeping bag in there for the night, Matthias takes a little detour to one of the three “bathrooms” currently on board the Space Station. Separated from the work areas and installed in different modules of the USOS and Russian segments of the Station to allow them some privacy, the astronauts on board share these bathrooms to wash up, take a “shower” in space and brush their teeth. More info on Cosmic Kiss here: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss
** Time-lapse of NASA growing peppers aboard the International Space Station for Plant Habitat-04 – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
NASA grew chili peppers aboard the International Space Station in the Advanced Plant Habitat for 137 days in 2021 in the Plant Habitat-04 (PH-4) experiment. PH-04 used the NuMex ‘Española Improved’ pepper, a hybrid developed by New Mexico State University. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough initiated the experiment on July 12, 2021. Expedition 66 flight engineer Mark Vande Hei performed the first harvest on Oct. 29, 2021 and made the second and final harvest on Nov. 26, 2021. Astronauts ate some of the peppers harvested and packaged samples for analysis. Those samples returned to Earth on April 25, 2022, along with the first mission with an entirely private crew to the space station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). To learn more about the experiment visit: https://www.nasa.gov/content/plant-ha…
ake a look inside the box and join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer from a very special perspective as he supports the @DLR Mason/Concrete Hardening experiment. The Concrete Hardening experiment investigates the behaviour of various concrete mixtures containing cement and sand or simulated ‘Moon dust’ combined with water and various admixtures. On Earth, higher density components tend to move downward but in weightlessness they are likely to be more evenly distributed. Researchers will analyse the concrete mixed by Matthias in space for strength, bubble and pore distribution as well as crystal structures, comparing this to ground samples. Their findings will facilitate the development of new, improved concrete mixes that could be used to construct habitats on the Moon or Mars and build more sustainable housing on Earth. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss
Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!
