Guest: Constance Adams. Topics: Life support systems, space education, investment in space & technology. Please note that you are invited to comment, ask questions, and rate this program on the new Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. We welcomed back to the show Constance Adams to discuss space architecture, closed loop life support systems, space policy and technology, and space investment. As we started our first segment, Ms. Adams said we were getting closer to true closed life support systems. She then provided us with a quick overview and summary of where we are today with developing such systems. Our conversation then changed to the issue of how we sustain and fund great projects. A great project is a project that may take 20-30 years to complete. The question we kept asking during the show as well as on other Space Show programs was how do we fund and sustain these long term projects given the short term focus by Congress, our elected officials as well as the American general public. Constance then told us about a recent Los Angeles Times article about the upcoming reductions faced by the NASA Astronaut Corp. We talked about the economic problems but agreed that space and technology need continued investment, even an increase in investment, not cut backs as are being discussed. Listen to this complete discussion and let us know what you think or suggest as a solution. As we started the second segment, we picked up with the same theme and said it was wrong headed to eliminate or reduce technology and space investment and programs. Ms. Adams wondered about the impact this would have on our youth who still have the dream and want to study but then have no outlet or a greatly reduced outlet for their career paths. Listener Tim called in suggesting that people in power want to reduce the status of America in these fields. We talked about space internationalization as well in this segment. Ms. Adams mentioned that it was the space entrepreneurs that were now carrying the ball for our space program and that they were keeping the dream alive for our future. She thought that space development was a national security issue, something we have talked about many times on this show. In our third segment, we received listener emails about the attitude of government toward space development and talked some more about space investment, economic growth and space for wealth building for the nation and our future. Ms. Adams mentioned the changes in our economy over time that have adversely impacted space industrialization such as the fact that businesses no longer do long term investment and R&D. The X-37B project came up several times and we talked about NASA giving it to the Air Force and the possibility that the Air Force might decide to share it with NASA. We received listener questions about life support systems, specifically the ECLSS. Toward the end of the program, Constance was asked about Mars habitats and how space habitats were being sized for human spaceflight. If you have questions or comments for Constance Adams, please post them on The Space Show blog listed above. You can also email them to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com and I will forward them to Constance.
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