Guest: Dr. Geoffrey Landis; Topics: We covered a wide variety of topics with Dr. Landis ranging from Phase II NIAC awards to Venus cloud settlements to interstellar flight and 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 Dr. Geoffrey Landis back to the show for this one segment 93 minute discussion covering a wide variety of topics. We started our discussion with Dr. Landis talking about his recent Phase II NIAC awards regarding the Triton Hopper and the Titan submarine. Our guest was discussing these projects, answer a question from Dr. Doug about the Triton lander, addressed SEP and solar power issues and the possible use of the new and upcoming Kilopower systems. When he mentioned the Kilopower system, we talked briefly about nuclear propulsion, the challenge of getting past the fear factor over nuclear propulsion and how the reactors were not turned on until after the launch or in space. This prompted a few listener questions.
Doug sent in a question about a Triton lander that might be used elsewhere other than just Triton. He wanted to know if it could be used on other bodies besides Triton. Pluto was mentioned as were other Kuiper Belt objects. Don't miss what Dr. Landis said in reply to Doug's question. Next, we took a note from George regarding Venus and started talking about the planet, cloud cities, radiation, new missions for Venus, surface volcanos and much more. We spent a significant time on Venus addressing many aspects of the plant and the atmosphere. Don't miss our lengthy Venus discussion which was detailed in many areas.
Space settlement, including settlement in a Venus cloud city came up. I mentioned the pessimistic view of a particular Space Show listener who has recently been posting on the blog that humans were not suited for living in space. I asked Dr. Landis about this and told him what the listener was saying. Don't miss what Dr. Landis said about it. He did not agree with the pessimistic view but listen to why. This discussion led to my asking about genetic modification of humans for long range living in space. You might be surprised by what our guest had to say about human genetic modification so don't miss his remarks.
Adrian sent in a note about the radiation environment of Venus. Dr. Landis said it was not as bad as one thought but said the GCRs were a problem. Don't miss all of what our guest said on this topic. In addition, we talked about ultra violet radiation in the atmosphere.
Kim called to inquire about earth based materials and if they would work well in space. Kevlar was mentioned as were the materials used in tethers, skyhooks and more. Our guest had much to say about materials, possible coatings to avoid deterioration on some materials and more. Kim also talked with him about advanced propulsion. Kim's call was followed by Esther in St. Louis asking about the strange flying aircraft recently reported on the news which we have also talked about on the show. Don't miss what Geoff said about it.
Bob asked Geoff about the Deep Space Gateway. Don't miss what Dr. Landis said about this project and the Moon. He then talked about his earlier work on lunar settlements and ISRU. In the remaining time we talked about Mars, possible life on Mars, SETI, searching for life, Exoplanets, the icy moons and Calisto, Jupiter radiation belts, Europa, Enceladus, LCROSS, and lunar polar ice.
Denver Bill asked about finding creative ways to fund more missions given how many cool missions were mentioned in our show today realizing that most of the missions suggested will never happen. Toward the end of the program, Jack asked about interstellar flights, Breakthrough, and laser propulsion for micro payloads. Geoff had much to say on this topic, lasers, Breakthrough, interstellar and even SETI. Before we ended, BJohn got in a quick question about sample return missions. Don't miss what our guest said about such missions and our experience with sample return missions.
Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog. You can reach our guest through his own blog, www.geoffreylandis.com, his NASA website page, or me.
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