Guest: Dr. Jeff Bell returned for this Space Show program to tell us about a new series of articles that he is writing for SpaceDaily.com regarding cult spacecraft. His first article, which will soon appear, deals with the Dyna-Soar and we had a terrific discussion about this proposed vehicle and project. We also discussed the DC-X during most of the first segment. Dr. Bell drew important conclusions about the DC-X project versus the mythology of the DC-X project, so you will certainly want to listen to this discussion. When asked why people would work on a project knowing it would not work, he told us about the book, "From Runway to Orbit." Listeners should check out this book on the web and read about its author as he worked on just such a project and wrote a tell-all book about it. Jeff brought up Star Wars and you will want to hear what he had to say about this as a disinformation project designed to bankrupt the old Soviet Union. Later in the show, he was asked by a caller about the path to orbit through suborbital vehicles. Again, you will want to hear what he had to say about this. At one point during the discussion regarding the Space Shuttle, the gap, should it be retired or not, Jeff stated that he thought we were seeing the end of the manned space program. Don't miss his reasoning and explanation for this perspective. Near the end of the program, I told Dr. Bell about an experience I had at a movie theater last night regarding the comment that if we went to the Moon, we can do anything. You will want to hear this story in context, but I extrapolated from it the kind of thinking in that because we can X or Y, we can do $100 lb/LEO, easily return to the Moon, go to Mars right away, or a host of other things. Do not miss how Jeff responded to this story. If you want to send Dr. Bell or question or comment, please do so through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Please be patient for a reply.
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