Guest: Dr. Armin Ellis. Topics: The Exploration Institute and the upcoming Summit, exploration expeditions & more. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience. We welcomed Dr. Armin Ellis to the program to discuss the brand new Exploration Institute (http://exploration.institute) and the upcoming Exploration Institute Summit (see http://exploration.institute/summit-2015) from April 14-15, 2015 at the Keck Institute at Cal Tech located in Pasadena, CA. Check out the Summit flyer at http://exploration.institute/summitflyer. During the first segment of our 86 minute discussion, Dr. Ellis provided us with the background on why he felt it necessary to start the Exploration Institute. He described the first rate team he assembled to move the Institute forward toward its goals and he talked about the importance and need for more exploration in our society. The Summit, which he described in detail, will be limited to 35 people. As we heard, there are still opening for the Summit so Dr. Ellis encouraged interested people to complete and send in the application form on the website so that an interview can be scheduled. He explained how the Summit was really an unconference which is why participants needed to apply and be accepted. By the end of the Summit, those in attendance will have approved three different expeditions which will then go into the Exploration Institute pipeline for financing, management, and eventual deployment. Armin also defined exploration in this segment so that we would have the proper context for it for this discussion. He also talked about some of the planned short talks at the Summit including one on the topic of how to brand an expedition and another on safety issues. When listeners asked our guest what type of expeditions he had in mind, he said the group would decide that issue and they would vote on it. One listener asked Armin how JPL had impacted his decision to create the Exploration Institute and his appreciation of exploration and expeditions. Another topic that came up in both segments was the need for effective communication, especially through story telling. Listeners asked him to differentiate the Exploration Institute from other exploration organizations such as the Explorer's Club. Several times during the discussion we talked about the human need to explore for without it there is an increased risk of simply disappearing or perishing over time. In the second segment, Armin asked for ideas on cubesats and other concepts for expeditions. You can send them to him via the contact page on the website. He spoke to story telling, not just in books but on blogs, YouTube, and other forms of modern media. Several educational outreach suggestions were offered by listeners including school programs, local student expeditions, and taking the idea to the scouting community. Later, I asked Dr. Ellis for his 5 year business plan for the Exploration Institute, we talked about the Institute's newsletter, subscribing to it and making available past editions on the website. Toward the end, Armin gave a shout out to his team of advisors and participants with him in the Institute. Armin, in response to one of my questions, offered some suggestions on how to communicate with people who seem unable to connect the dots on big vision concepts. Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can reach Dr. Ellis through his website or me.