Thomas A. Olson

For over three decades, Mr. Olson has been a business systems engineer and analyst in the Communications, Aerospace, and Publishing sectors. In addition, he has worked in analysis and operations roles in the Financial Services sector (cash and fund management). A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded Exodus Consulting Group as a "catalyst" helping tech startups and investors find each other. He served on the original organizing committee for the ’Space Investment Summits’, an event that brought together interested investors and space entrepreneurs for knowledge sharing and professional networking. From 2006-2010, he was a regular contributor to the "Space Cynics" blog, fighting against the ignorance, obfuscation, and boosterism that often pervades the NewSpace sector. Today he serves as Director of Business Development for Avealto, Ltd., based in the UK, an early-stage firm that will soon provide High Altitude Platforms for internet and mobile services to under served areas around the world. He is also Chair and Founder of the not-for-profit Center for Space Commerce and Finance, based in TX, and the new "owner" of the NewSpace Business Plan Competition.

Broadcast 1758 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson. Topic: NewSpace Business Plan Competition, space business opportunities. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright.

Broadcast 1679 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: The year 2011 in review regarding all space issues. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright.

Broadcast 1561 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson: Topics: Tom provided us with a review of the Space Investment Summit 9 (SIS) and of ISDC 2011 as he attended both in Huntsville. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show & are a violation of the Space Show copyright.

Broadcast 1556 (Special Edition)

Guests: The Space Cynics with Dr. David Livingston, Dr. John Jurist, Tom Olson. Topics: A general space policy, economic and technology driven discussion. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. The Space Cynics got together to celebrate with The Space Show on its tenth anniversary with a 2.5 hour marathon space discussion without a break.

Broadcast 1486 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: Space 2010 Review and Space 2011 looking ahead. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We welcomed Tom Olson for his annual review of space activities during the year and his forecast for what's to come for the New Year.

Broadcast 1356 (Special Edition)

Guests: Tom Olson, Robert Jacobson. Topics: Space Investment Summit #8, commercial space investments. Our guests joined us for this program to talk about the upcoming 8th Space Investment Summit Conference to be held on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 from 8:30AM-6:30PM at the InterContiental Chicago Hotel O'Hare Airport in Chicago. For more information, please visit http://spaceinvestmentsummit.com.

Broadcast 1282 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: Summary of 2009 and a look forward to 2010 for space development. Tom Olson returned for our annual summary of space 2009 and our anticipation for what might be ahead for us all for space development in 2010. In our first segment of this two hour program, Tom highlighted Virgin Galactic and Space Ship 2. He also talked about the upcoming launch for Falcon 9 and the fact that Falcon 1 had a successful commercial launch earlier this year. He highlighted Augustine, the business plan competition at NewSpace 2009 and the Space Investment Summits.

Broadcast 1173 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson. Topics: ISDC 2009, Space Investment Summit 6 (SIS 6), Space Solar Power, problem solving, NewSpace economics. Tom Olson was the guest today to summarize both the ISDC 2009 Conference and the SIS 6. We started our discussion by focusing on the last day of ISDC with the space solar panel discussions. Despite some poking fun and jabbing at what we called the Church of Space Solar Power, Tom summarized the sessions on both Saturday and Sunday with a focus on the need to close the business case for SSP.

Broadcast 1079 (Special Edition)

Guest: Tom Olson was our guest for this special Space Show program which took a look at space in 2008 to get an idea of what space in 2009 will look like. We started the discussion with an update from Tom on his effort to win clemency for Walt Anderson as President Bush decides these issues before leaving office. Tom explained the process and said it was now just a wait and see what happens. We then shifted to a post on the RocketsandSuch blog (See http://www.rocketsandsuch.blogspot.com/ for more information).

Broadcast 1042 (Special Edition)

Guests: The Space Cynics, Shubber Ali, Tom Olson, Dr. John Jurist, and Dr. David Livingston, came together for this conference call round table discussion on the topic of the day, Space Solar Power (SSP). In keeping with the true Space Cynics fashion, this was a hard-hitting program addressing some of the fundamental challenges facing SSP and why the Cynics do not share the joy of seeing a future SSP world as do those promoting it.