Guest: Anatoly Zak. Topics: The Soviet & Russian space program, his incredible new book! Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.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 Anatoly Zak as a first time guest to The Space Show and we promise, he will return as a regular guest on the show! Make sure you check out his website, www.russianspaceweb.com. Anatoly was with us to talk about his new book published by Apogee Prime, Russia In space: the Past Explained the Future Explored. I assure you that the praise you will hear from me and others throughout our discussion about this book is an understatement as this is one of the very best space books I have been fortunate to read and have as a permanent reference book. Remember, if you get this book through Amazon using the OGLF portal, Amazon donates a percentage of the sale to The Space Show. Amazon OGLF instructions are on our website, the OGLF website, the archives, and the blog archives but email me if you have questions. In the first segment of our 1 hour 38 minute program, we talked about the production of this book which took our guest 3-4 years to complete. I then asked Mr. Zak for the Russian perspective of the success of Apollo 11. I pointed out some fascinating Soviet/Russian hardware pictures in the book such as the predecessor of Dream Chaser. Todd asked about the durability of the Soyuz and all weather capability of Russian rockets compared to American rockets. Next, I asked Anatoly about the commercial, NewSpace effort to buy the Mir Space Station and send Dennis Tito to it as the first space tourist. You have to listen to what Anatoly told us. This is a very different story from what we have heard from others on The Space Show, including those that I have talked with who were part of the effort to save, buy, and operate Mir. Even when Dr. Lurio called in at the beginning of the second segment, Charles was as surprised at the new information as I was and we joked about talking to our friends who were involved in the effort. As you will hear, I told Charles several time he could run with it, I will sit on the sidelines. But all kidding aside, don't miss this discussion. I then asked Anatoly about the effort to use a Soyuz to fly passengers to the Moon, orbit it, and return home. Again, a totally different story than what many of us have heard. No way he said. All PR fluff and more. Don't miss this exchange. Dwayne wanted to know the actual percentage of operating costs the Americans and tourists pay when they ride the Soyuz to the ISS. Anatoly did not know the exact percentage but said the Russian program was much healthier financially today and could stand on its own without this revenue. Recent Russian rocket failures came up and our guest talked about the need for serious improvement in Russian quality control. Near the end of the first segment, I asked if Putin liked the space program or if the Russian program suffered a similar fate as the American program with the White House and most inside the Beltway. As you will hear, Putin is a fan of the space program, Russia has increased its space budget, and they treat space differently than we do. John called in to ask about nuclear energy and propulsion in the Russian program. Anatoly updated us on nuclear power usage in space but not for propulsion. We started the second segment with the call from Dr. Lurio. He asked about the Angara rocket program which was designed to replace the Proton. He then asked about the entrepreneurial effort in Russia as compared to the States. Another listener emailed in questions about the Buran program and espionage. Dwayne called back to ask about the Russian and Chinese oceanic surveillance satellites. I then asked Mr. Zak to discuss the Russian and Chinese cooperation and relationship with their two space programs, if such a relationship exists. Our next topic focused on Anatoly's perspective of NASA and SLS. He had much to say about designing and building rockets, the eventual payload, and mission. He said we do not have a productive program in place for SLS, then we talked about learning the lessons of history which he said was hard to do for both the Russians and Americans. I also asked Anatoly for his thoughts on NewSpace which he said was important but not able to do enough significant things which for now only government can do. Tim called in just under the wire (as usual) to inquire about a rocket capable of multiple payloads and various missions. Anatoly told him why this does not work. Tim then asked our guest about fuel depots, cryogenic transfer, and storable fuels. Sean from Little Rock wanted to hear what Anatoly thought about Mars One. Anatoly said such missions were unrealistic and not serious regarding engineering or equipment. Near the end, we got questions about Russians and UFOs, the movie Space Cowboys, tracking items in space, and Russian space advocacy. Please post comments/questions on The Space Show blog. You can reach Anatoly through me or his website.
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