Private Spaceflight Debate-moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. March 19. 7:30pm ET

[GalacticIntruder]

http://www.amnh.org/explore/amnh.tv/(category)/52915

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Asimov Memorial Debate

Panelists:

Michael Gold of private space station company Bigelow Aerospace; analyst John Logsdon of George Washington University; Elliot Pulham of the non-profit group Space Foundation; Tom Shelly of space tourism company Space Adventures; and Robert Walker of Wexler & Wexler Public Policy Associates.

[Robert Thompson]

I'd like more solid evidence on what NdT actually thinks about human space flight, so as to distinguish him from Bill Nye. There is vast room for popular science promoters to promote human space flight, if they have any inclination, if their bread is not buttered too much by one cause. (Pure science, 7 unforgivable thermodynamic sins, etc.)

[GalacticIntruder]

I'd like more solid evidence on what NdT actually thinks about human space flight, so as to distinguish him from Bill Nye. There is vast room for popular science promoters to promote human space flight, if they have any inclination, if their bread is not buttered too much by one cause. (Pure science, 7 unforgivable thermodynamic sins, etc.)

Just by going by Tyson's book, he has no problem with private space as long as they stay within Earth and Moon orbit. He is pretty adamant that private space will never go to Mars or beyond before a government lead effort does. I disagree, but we will just have to see what goes on during this show.

[Robert Thompson]

no problem with private space as long as they stay within Earth and Moon orbit. He is pretty adamant that private space will never go to Mars or beyond before a government lead effort does.

Can you expand on this? I don't get the "as long as". Is NdT an elite who speaks entrepreneurialism out one side of his EML2 but speaks oversight and planetary protection out the other? Private space is ok as long as it sticks to lifeless and uninteresting cislunar and doesn't go unprofessionally mucking up the planetary science and astrobiology at Mars to be done by ordained ministers of the nationally funded science organizations?

Along similar lines, I hope Moon Treaty comes up. I hope someone drags it out on the carpet and makes an example.

[JBF]

no problem with private space as long as they stay within Earth and Moon orbit. He is pretty adamant that private space will never go to Mars or beyond before a government lead effort does.

Can you expand on this? I don't get the "as long as". Is NdT an elite who speaks entrepreneurialism out one side of his EML2 but speaks oversight and planetary protection out the other? Private space is ok as long as it sticks to lifeless and uninteresting cislunar and doesn't go unprofessionally mucking up the planetary science and astrobiology at Mars to be done by ordained ministers of the nationally funded science organizations?

Along similar lines, I hope Moon Treaty comes up. I hope someone drags it out on the carpet and makes an example.

It's a valid point based on history; all the exploration missions that I can name were either pure government expeditions or government sponsored expeditions. 

[Elmar Moelzer]

It's a valid point based on history; all the exploration missions that I can name were either pure government expeditions or government sponsored expeditions.

And? Does that mean that "nothing can ever be done for the first time"?

[Lar]

I wasn't able to catch this, did anyone watch it that might be able to provide a synopsis of what went down? Is it archived somewhere?  http://www.amnh.org/calendar/isaac-asimov-memorial-debate didn't give indications of archival.

Edit: It has been archived, thanks, GalacticIntruder for letting us know.

[Garrett]

I wasn't able to catch this, did anyone watch it that might be able to provide a synopsis of what went down? Is it archived somewhere?  http://www.amnh.org/calendar/isaac-asimov-memorial-debate didn't give indications of archival.

I think it was mentioned somewhere that Space.com will post it on their YouTube channel "VideoFromSpace", today sometime. So keep an eye on that:

[su27k]

It's a valid point based on history; all the exploration missions that I can name were either pure government expeditions or government sponsored expeditions.

Government sponsorship and private space do not contradict each other, they actually go hand by hand.


As for NdT, my impression is he doesn't know much about human spaceflight or private space.

[GalacticIntruder]

Replay is up.

http://www.amnh.org/explore/amnh.tv/(category)/52915

[llanitedave]

no problem with private space as long as they stay within Earth and Moon orbit. He is pretty adamant that private space will never go to Mars or beyond before a government lead effort does.

Can you expand on this? I don't get the "as long as". Is NdT an elite who speaks entrepreneurialism out one side of his EML2 but speaks oversight and planetary protection out the other? Private space is ok as long as it sticks to lifeless and uninteresting cislunar and doesn't go unprofessionally mucking up the planetary science and astrobiology at Mars to be done by ordained ministers of the nationally funded science organizations?

Along similar lines, I hope Moon Treaty comes up. I hope someone drags it out on the carpet and makes an example.

It's a valid point based on history; all the exploration missions that I can name were either pure government expeditions or government sponsored expeditions.

But is it prediction or advocacy?

[Robert Thompson]

http://www.newspacejournal.com/2014/03/20/six-takeaways-from-the-selling-space-debate/

[yg1968]

I didn't think that Neil deGrasse Tyson did a good job of moderating. He doesn't seem very informed on what commercial space is doing and didn't seem very interested in it either.

I thought that Bob Walker did well. He made a lot of good points in favour of commercial space.

[Overmind]

I didn't think that Neil deGrasse Tyson did a good job of moderating. He doesn't seem very informed on what commercial space is doing and didn't seem very interested in it either.

I thought that Bob Walker did well. He made a lot of good points in favour of commercial space.

NdG is in favour of private spacetaxis to LEO but his knowledge of newspace seems limited (seriously, didn't know about them legs?). Beyond LOE its hard to speculate about what he realy thinks, he seldoms talk about commersial space. When he do it is that Lewis and Clark, Government programs must chart the frontier, forgetting that everything from EO to the asteroidbelt has been mapped and ready to settle.

And Hello btw    I'm Jan from Norway. Long time stalker.

[QuantumG]

Don't worry, historians feel the same way about Tyson's attempts at history telling as we feel about Tyson's attempts at spaceflight telling. I think cosmologists and astronomers feel much the same way though.. but ya know, he was a dance champion.

[Chris Bergin]

Hey Jan - Welcome to the site's forum (as a member, out of lurk mode )