planetary protection

Guest: Dr Thomas (Tom) Jones. Topics: Space Shuttle, space policy, planetary protection. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. We welcomed Dr. Tom Jones back to the program to discuss the retirement of the shuttle, planetary protection, space policy, and the possibilities for human spaceflight and why.

Guest: Michael Heartsong. Topics: Mining asteroids for commercial purposes. Michael Heartsong of Promethean Enterprises, Inc. was our guest to talk about the Promethean Project, "Mining The Sky." Promethean has an extensive White Paper on this subject which you can download at http://www.miningthesky.com/brochure.html. In our first segment, Mr. Heartsong outlined their mining concept to address both NEO's as well as comets. You will want to pay careful attention to his plan and how "targets of opportunity" will be selected.

Guest: Dr. John Brandenburg. Topics: Planetary protection, NEO's, science fiction, government policy, short warning period. Dr. John Brandenburg was our returning guest for this program to discuss his latest science fiction novel written under his pen name, Victor Norgarde, "Asteroid 20-2012 Sepulveda: The Cosmos Plays Hardball.

Guest: Dr. Chris McKay. Topics: Mars, life in the solar system, moons of Saturn, South Pole Station, Antarctica. Dr. Chris McKay was the guest for this show which started out by discussing the NASA Mars program today. As Dr. McKay said, the program is in trouble and you will want to hear why he said this. Also, pay attention to the competition Mars now receives for searching for life from the moons of Saturn. What this means for Mars programs in a competitive funding environment is up in the air.

Guests: Rand Simberg and William (Bill) Simon returned for this Space Show program to discuss Evoloterra, the ceremony honoring when we first set foot on another world. Please visit www.evoloterra.com to learn more about this ceremony and to download it. During our discussion, Rand and Bill explained the origins of Evoloterra and its purpose. We discussed many related aspects of it, including the exploration spirit.

Mark Williamson was the guest for this Space Show program. Mr. Williamson began the interview by talking about his new book published by AIAA, "Space: The Fragile Frontier," why he wrote it and why he had an interest in the subject of Earth orbital debris in conjunction with planetary protection, space law, ethics and a workable balance with space development and space environmental protection.