Broadcast 244 (Special Edition)

Hu Davis was the guest for this Space Show program. Having worked with NASA and the Apollo program, and now with Starcraft Boosters, Mr. Davis talked to Space Show listeners about the importance of returning to the Moon to stay and why we should be developing lunar resources. Mr. Davis also addressed issues relating to the space vision proposed by President Bush, why we should be more focused on going back to the Moon to stay and develop it rather than on using the Moon as a stopping off or training point for going on to Mars and beyond. We also talked to Mr. Davis about the International Space Station, the politics of space, the election, and uniting the space advocate community and general population behind a productive and successful space policy. Hu fielded many questions from listeners relating to our need to pay attention to long term planning rather than on short-term profits and immediate goals and benefits, the use of lower cost ELVs from Russia or even China rather than our continued use of only the higher cost American ELVs and the Space Shuttle, the relevance and impact of the X-Prize and Space Ship One possibly winning it, and how best to effectively work toward influencing Congress to make positive and productive space policy. Hu Davis advocates our uniting behind a common cause for our becoming space-faring and makes a very good case for this approach. He also introduced us to Starcraft Boosters and what this company is doing and working toward (see http://www.starbooster.com/). You will not want to miss this program as Hu Davis presents a very clear case for our need for affordable space access and why, as well as the importance of going to the Moon to stay and developing lunar resources, in addition to getting back to return to flight for the Shuttle and effectively using the ISS as an important resource. About our guest.. Hubert P. Davis is the Vice President for Engineering for Starcraft Boosters, Inc. Mr. Davis has been active in the space field for almost forty years. He entered NASA in early 1962 to aid in execution of the Apollo programs as one of the first “new hires” to report directly to Houston. In the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, he held a series of critical positions, first, in charge of selecting and developing the propulsion and power systems for the Apollo spacecraft. Next, he planned the ground test program for all of the Apollo spacecraft, creating the “Certification Test” protocols. He then supervised testing of the “Integrated Systems” test articles, including LTA-8, the first “all-systems” Lunar Module. (LTA- 8 is still available to view at Space Center Houston.) This vehicle, with Hu’s leadership, created the rigorous test procedures used to qualify all of the Lunar Modules. He was named “Vehicle Manager” for Lunar Module 5 (LM-5), later known as Eagle, the first to land on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at the controls. He then managed the construction and checkout of LM-10, the first with the ability to stay on the Moon for three days and to carry the Lunar Rover. After Apollo, he entered into management positions in the NASA-Johnson Space Center Future Programs area, managing the Payloads Engineering Branch, which determined the interfaces to be provided by the Orbiter to support its’ payloads. He created many original concepts including the Interim Upper Stage (IUS) and the Payload Assist Module (PAM), both of which entered service with the Space Shuttle for orbit-raising of payloads. Some of his most challenging assignments were to define space transportation systems of the future, including those needed to support a full-scale Solar Power Satellite program. He has continued to work in the field of space transportation ever since, most recently as chief engineer of Starcraft Boosters, aiding Buzz Aldrin in communicating his visions of the future, beginning in 1995 and continuing through today. Hu brings us today his insights on the challenges that face us as we prepare for what we all hope is to be an imminent renaissance of our activities in space.