Spexcast

SPEXcast sits down to discuss the first launch of Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful operational orbital rocket. The test launch was almost completely successful, with two of the three booster cores returning to Earth intact, and Elon's Tesla Roadster with Starman on its way to the asteroid belt. We delve into the sequence of events on launch day, as well as break down all of the exciting announcements from the post-launch press conference.

SPEXcast returns from its winter hiatus with all new episodes on the science and technology of space exploration. We sit down to discuss the recent Rocket Labs Electron launch, commercial crew challenges, as well as two NASA exploration missions that have advanced to the next stage of development.

Today's episode is a new format; SPEXcast Book Club! We will be choosing a space-related book, and reading through it a few chapters at a time and giving our feedback, questions, and discussion. Our first book is called Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants by John D. Clark. We dive through the first two chapters, covering the historical basis of rocket propulsion pre World War II and then diving into the exciting advances made in WWII by Nazi Germany and the U.S.

At this year's International Astronautical Congress, Elon Musk unveiled a new design for SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket. We sit down with Brendan Byrne, from Are We There Yet, and Matt, from The Interplanetary Podcast, to discuss the radical and not so radical changes to a rocket that could take humans to Mars by 2025.

Last year, Elon Musk took to the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara Mexico to unveil the Interplanetary Transport System. A year later, he is set to deliver an update on the plan, and SPEXcast sits down to discuss what potential changes we might see in the architecture.

SPEXcast sits down with Anthony Hennig, a Graduate Research Assistant at George Washington University, to record his thoughts from SmallSat 2017. We delve into how the CubeSat space has evolved over time, as well as take a look at what exciting missions and advancements we will be seeing in the near future.

SPEXcast discusses Ball Aerospace's Green Propellant Infusion Mission. This satellite will test new monopropellants that are more efficient, and less toxic, than existing fuels. We dive into this new, exciting technology and discuss its advantages and disadvantages in length. We also delve into its potential impact on the satellite industry in the future.

SPEXcast returns with an episode delving into the stunning announcements from ISSRDC by Elon Musk. We cover the Red Dragon cancellation, Falcon Heavy Demo flight risks, and the cancellation of SpaceX's full-size Interplanetary Transport System vehicle.

SPEXcast sits down with SPEX alumn, Anthony Hennig, a Ph.D student studying Systems Engineering at George Washington University. We discuss the recently passed NASA Authorization Act that provides the direction for all of NASA's activities. We also discuss New Glenn, which had been recently announced when this episode was recorded.

SPEXcast returns after a short hiatus to discuss the biggest trend in the space industry: reusing rockets. Our first episode was on this topic just over a year ago, and things have advanced dramatically during that time. We dicuss SpaceX's SES-10 mission and post-press conference news, as well as the effects rapid reuse will have on the industry in the next few years.

This is a short update on the current state of the show. We apologize for missing an episode last week but we have some exciting things in the pipeline for all of you. Phil is currently in Wallops, Virginia, preparing for his very own rocket launch. We will have a full episode on CSTARS in the coming weeks. Also SPEXcast will have its second annual SPEXcast Live! on May 6th, as part of ImagineRIT. If you are in the upstate New York area, please consider joining the festivities! Regularly scheduled episodes will resume Wednesday, April 5th, with the an episode on the recent NASA Authorization Bill for 2017.

On February 27th, SpaceX announced that it will launch two private citizens on a flight around the moon by the end of 2018. SPEXcast sits down to discuss the technical and political challenges of such a mission. We also discuss the Blue Moon whitepaper by Blue Origin for an unmanned cargo lander on the moon. We wrap all this up by comparing these private space efforts with the current progress of NASA's own missions into cislunar space.

On February 22nd, NASA announced that 7 Earth-like planets orbit the star known as Trappist-1, within its habitable zone. SPEXcast sits down with RIT's Dr. Jennifer Connelly, a Doctor in Extragalactic Astronomy, to interpret this discovery

SPEXcast sits down to discuss the happenings in space for the week. We talk about SpaceX\'s CRS-10 mission, crew on SLS EM-1 and Citizen scientists.

In this special bonus episode, SPEXcast discusses the concept of generation ships. Barring extreme advances in space travel technology and our understanding of physics, it could take hundreds or thousands of years to send humans to other worlds. This would necessite self sustaining societies to exist on these vessels, acting as caretakers for the human race until they arrive at their new home. We discuss the moral implications of sending our successors off into space with no chance of seeing their final destination.

Science fiction is dominated by gigantic spaceships exploring the stars, however real life spacecraft appear to be made of smaller, discrete pieces. On the other hand, games like Kerbal Space Program present building rockets as simple as snapping together lego pieces. How much is science and how much is fiction?

SPEXcast looks back on some of the successes and failures of 2016 and share their thoughts on what's to come in 2017

No discussion this week, just a heads up on what's on the horizon for the podcast. Next week we'll be back for a full hour discussing 2016: Year in Review. What was your favorite space mission from 2016? Join the conversation on Twitter (@RITSPEX), Facebook.com/RITSPEX, or email spexcast@gmail.com

SPEXcast speaks with Matt Greenhouse, Project Scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope, about the observatory's objectives and the tech that makes it all possible. Many thanks to Sarah Schlieder and NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center for setting up this interview and others, and to Brendan Byrne (of WMFE Orlando and Are We There Yet?) for putting us in touch.

SPEXcast sits down with Pam Millar, Chief of the Laser Remote Sensing Lab at NASA GSFC to discuss cubesat applications and NASA programs involving nanosatellites.