Broadcast 370 (Special Edition)

Ben Shelef was the guest for this Sunday, April 7, 2005 Space Show program. We began our interview with Mr. Shelef by discussing the Spaceward Organization and its current activities. At the top of the list for Spaceward's programming is the Oct. 30, 2005 space elevator climber contest and also the educational outreach programs using the MSTL opportunities. There are also sponsorship opportunities for this 501C3 nonprofit as well as volunteer opportunities, especially for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Shelef describes and explains these programs in some detail during the program. He also describes the options for making donations to the organization in return for specific Spaceward and space elevator merchandise. Find out more about the programs and sponsorship opportunities at www.spaceward.org and also www.elevator2010.org. In addition to introducing us to the Spaceward.org and its projects, Mr. Shelef spent considerable time answering questions and explaining the space elevator concept and project. Listeners asked Mr. Shelef very technical questions about the ribbon, orbital mechanics issues regarding the elevator, and financial questions for both space elevator as well as Spaceward.org. Ben received several questions dealing with chemical rockets and their future in light of the plausibility of the space elevator project. You will not want to miss Mr. Shelef's insights on the issue of chemical rockets, low cost space access, and more. We also discussed the cargo capacity of the elevator, the type of projects it would be able to support, space tourism and the elevator, and the geo orbit versus the LEO orbit for the space elevator. An additional topic discussed was the need to be realistic in our expectations regarding space development and our much wanted space businesses. This summary is only a brief review of this program as we covered many more topics and issues. This is another Space Show must program for not only the space elevator fans and proponents, but for anyone interested in establishing a real space-faring presence of Earth with an economic infrastructure. Listeners can get in touch with Ben Shelef at elevator2010@spaceward.org, atinfo@spaceward.org, and as always, through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.