From StarTalk.
What will the future of space look like? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the engineering challenges and scientific questions shaping the next era of aerospace with aerospace engineer and CEO of Portal Space Systems, Jeff Thornburg.
From the Mars missions to the development of reliable, reusable rockets, we ask: how do we build spacecraft that are fast, safe, and simple enough to transform space into a true commercial frontier? We discuss the balancing act between government funding and private investment: why do we still need public dollars to seed technologies that don’t yet have a business case?
Why is “failure” embraced by startups but avoided in legacy programs? And what lessons can be learned from disasters like Hubble’s flawed mirrors or the Mars Climate Orbiter’s metric–imperial mix-up?
We explore reusable rockets, the tradeoff between fuel and payload, and the art of designing systems around unknowns. We also discuss the U.S.’s international competition in space and whether we can keep up. Why should citizens care about defending satellites, and what would it mean if GPS orbits were compromised?
What propulsion breakthroughs could quantum physics unlock? Could solar-thermal engines or nuclear concepts make space travel faster and more sustainable? We discuss our dreams for the space industry. Will we ever achieve suborbital flights around Earth in 45 minutes, or treat the Moon as just another backyard destination?
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction: Jeff Thornburg
03:50 – Maneuverability in Space
06:59 – Private Industry v. Government Projects
11:56 – The Challenges with Reusable Rockets
17:50 – Economics of Returning Rockets
20:37 – Engineering & The Value of Failure
28:12 – Acceptable Risk Management
31:50 – Big Space Engineering Blunders
34:14 – The Problem with the Cuts
36:30 – Running a Space Company
42:42 – History of Propulsion
47:21 – The US’s Vulnerability in LEO
53:12 – Fuel Efficiency in LEO
58:32 – What Engineers Dream About
01:02:07 – The Ultimate Goal of Commercial Space
01:03:49 – A Cosmic Perspective
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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