Guest:  Robert (Bob) Zimmerman;  Topics:  Musk Mars talk, commercial space, Falcon 9, planetary missions & 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 back Robert (Bob) Zimmerman to the program to discuss multiple space news and policy topics.  During the first segment of our 118 minute program, Bob focused on the Elon Musk Mars talk that Mr. Musk gave from Mexico on Sept. 27.  Bob went through key elements of the Musk plan and infrastructure as explained by Musk during his presentation.  If you have not seen the presentation and want to see it, you can easily find it on the net or check it out here:  http://bgr.com/2016/09/27/elon-musk-mars-colonization-live-stream-video.  Note that about the first 40 minutes or so of the video is music as the presentation started late.  You will want to fast forward to the actual talk.  Listeners asked Bob several questions about the Musk Mars plans and he took listener calls as well.

Other topics discussed during the first segment included the Falcon 9 explosion and the ongoing investigation.  Bob commented on the thoughts expressed by many that Musk and SpaceX may be diverting resources to the Mars plans and may be distracted in their other work.  At one point Bob referenced article on Parabolic Arc about this but he also said that Musk stated in his Mars talk that SpaceX first needed to get things right with Dragon, F9 and Falcon Heavy before turning to Mars. 

Joe from El Paso sent in a note suggesting listeners and Bob compare the Musk plan for Mars to the Lockheed Mars Base Camp plan.  Bob talked about this, about SLS which as we know he does not like, plus this discussion brought up comments on planetary protection.  Bob had much to say about planetary protection which he thought would not be able to limit Musk in landing humans on Mars.  Don't miss this discussion.  What do you think? Is Bob spot on in his comments?  Additional topics included methane as the preferred fuel for the Musk rocket program.  Also CO2 in the Martian atmosphere was talked about as was the size of the Musk rocket and possible noise and backpressure issues with such a large rocket. 

In the second segment, we talked about the potential sale of Sea Launch to the Russian aviation magnate & Rocket Lab and the Electron rocket.  We talked about planetary missions such as Insight with its delay, Osiris Rex, Hubble, JWST and more.  We talked about the quality of planetary missions and why the human side was so much more complex and bogged down, at least regarding NASA. 

Bob was asked about commercial space and the presidential candidates.  After discussing each one, eventually he said it would likely be status quo.  That said, don't miss his analysis on this subject.

Near the end of the program, I asked Bob to comment on the NASA Europa announcement.  Bob did not think much of it or the Europa news.  Listen to what he had to say about it. Let us know what you think by posting on the blog.

Please post your comments/thoughts on TSS blog which is the archived show on our website.  Visit Bob's website, www.behindtheblack.com.  Check out his new weekly Rover update section.  You can reach Bob through me or his website.