Guest:  David (Hop) Hollister; Topics:  Hop's Blog, space settlement, space destinations, tethers, telerobotics & more.  Please direct all comments and questions regarding specific Space Show programs & guest(s) to the Space Show blog which is part of archived program on our website, www.thespaceshow.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.   

We welcomed David (Hop) Hollister to this 1 hour 40 minute program.  In the first segment, we talked about his well known & respected space blog, Hop's Blog.  Check it out at http://hopsblog-hop.blogspot.com.  Hop started out discussing his interest in space and why he decided to create Hop's Blog which had something to do with determining for himself if space settlement was plausible.  As you will hear him say, the book is still open on the subject despite his wanting to see space settlement take place.  His reasons for suggesting the book still being open have to do with the complexities, costs, and technological advancements needed for space settlement.  All of this is further complicated if the settlement strives to be Earth independent in a short period of time.  He elaborated on these issues during this segment.

Hop also suggested alternative destinations for settlement other than Mars.  For starters, he talked about the Moon, orbital destinations, and nearby asteroids as possibilities.  He does not think Mars should be the only settlement destination considered by NASA and mission planners.  In this discussion, he noted resource depletion as a problem on Earth.  Hop was also asked about life being found on Mars in which case he said he was not supportive of disturbing or contaminating that life so he would put a hold on Mars settlement. 

Kim called in from Mexico to ask Hop about tethers.  Hop has tether information on his blog which you should check out.  Kim and Hop had quite the discussion about tethers, including lunar tethers, Phobos and Deimos tethers, tethers coupled with rocket reusability, and much more.  He explained the tether mass to payload mass ratio and talked about them in EM-1 and elsewhere. He mentioned the tether work of Chris Wolfe which is on his blog under the section titled Deimos tether.  Josh from Denver sent in an email that said if tethers were so great like people talk about, why are they not showing up in mission plans, demos, or reality.  Don't miss what Hop said in response to this question.  Other listeners asked additional tether questions.

In the second segment, I asked Hop if he focused on or was concerned about the human factors issues for long duration human spaceflight.  Here our guest talked about spin habs to mitigate the effects of microgravity.  Shielding was discussed as it would be needed to mitigate radiation problems.  He thought the mental issues might be overrated so I told him about my earlier interviews with Dr. Rygalov and what he did as part of the Soviet Union space program to keep cosmonauts mentally stable during long Mir space station visits.  I also told our guest about issues relating to separating from Earth over time. 

Another area of discussion was student outreach.  Hop does engage in student outreach plus he uses coloring books to visually display information and concepts to students.  Google Hop David Coloring Books for more information about his coloring books. 

Bob emailed in asking Hop how he got his name "Hop."  Ben from Little Rock wanted to talk space advocacy issues with Hop.  John emailed in a question asking Hop what he saw for the U.S. space industry 5 years and 10 years out into the future.  He said he was not optimistic on the near term but more so further out, especially if the commercial industry can point to real commercial space successes. 

Near the end of the program, Judy sent in a note asking Hop for his thoughts on the planetary missions as compared to the human spaceflight missions.  Hop had much to say for both types of missions but for sure listen carefully to his analysis of the commercial side of the industry along with private sector involvement.  In addition, he offered that we will likely see a large increase in telerobotics prior to seeing a big jump in human spaceflight.  Given his interest in telerobotics, I then asked about artificial intelligence on which he had much to say.  As the program was ending, Hop offered us his concluding remarks about LaGrange points, the Frontier & its settlement, and of course the essential human curiosity. 

Please post your comments/questions in the comments section for this archived program.  You can reach Hop through me or his blog.