Guest: Dr. Erik Seedhouse. Topics: Mars, radiation, return to the Moon, Virgin Galactic, ISDC, suborbital industry & 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. Erik Seedhouse back to the show for a variety of timely discussion topics. During the first segment of our 1 hour 37 minute program, Erik started out making comparisons with past polar exploration and going to Mars. He also said that going to Mars anytime in the foreseeable future would be a survival trip. We talked about Erik's books on Virgin Galactic, Polar Exploration and Mars which will soon be released, and additional books on Dragon, Mars One, Mars via the Moon, and XCOR, all to be released over the coming months. Erik then spoke about his ISDC talk re comparing polar exploration to going to Mars and commented on the speaker following him, Dr. Logan (he was not sure of the first name but we think it was our friend, Dr. Jim Logan). He talked about radiation shielding and water per what Dr. Logan had to say including the need for 10 meters of water shielding to equal the protection here on Earth. Erik had much to say about radiation and shielding which prompted multiple emails from Dr. Doug in S. California seeking clarification and adding to Erik's comments. I read all of Doug's radiation themed emails throughout the first and second segment of today's program. Don't miss Erik's conclusions regarding the radiation risks and shielding needs for a Mars mission, how astronauts would live and work on Mars as well as the Moon. Erik next talked about Virgin Galactic and XCOR saying he thought XCOR would be the first to fly commercially. When asked about the biggest passenger risk on a suborbital flight, Erik said it would be the cardio-vascular risks. Erik got questions regarding SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Mars Colonial Transporter. He again stressed the way to go to Mars was via the Moon and that would be his preferred space policy. He also put forth his Mars simulation study plan. Don't miss it, I think it’s a good one. In the second segment, John from Florida called to comment on delays and how long commercial suborbital flight was taking since the success of Spaceship 1. John seemed to compare the lack of progress with suborbital flight to how much progress was made with aviation and in particular jet travel. I took the first pass at responding to him, then Erik offered his comments. What do you think? Let us know on the blog. Erik was then asked about other human factor issues than radiation. Dr. Seedhouse went through a laundry list of health risks and concerns for astronauts in deep space and on long duration spaceflight. He was then asked about the regulatory regime for suborbital space, then he wanted to define space given Virgin Galactic may not flight beyond 50km which is not space. Don't miss what he had to say about this and the overall health risks for astronauts in deep space. Near the end of the show, Erik addressed space settlement. He said it would be a natural expansion and would happen automatically with returning to the Moon and going to Mars via the Moon. In his concluding comments, he suggested that advocates and space enthusiasts need to adjust expectations and understand the technology involved because its harder and more costly to do things in space, including suborbital space, than originally thought and expected. Please post your comments on TSS blog above. You can reach Dr. Seedhouse through me @ drspace@thespaceshow.com.