Episode 235: Stop, Drop, and Suborbital Flight

On this episode, the team discusses the successful launch and docking of the new digital Soyuz TMA-01M carrying the Expedition 25 crew to the International Space Station for a 5-1/2 month stay aboard the orbiting complex. We then discuss the successful drop test of the VSS Enterprise, or Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and its implications for the future of commercial flight. We then indulge on a lengthy discussion regarding the belief that NASA should design its own spacecraft, not congress, as well as going into a brief history of the shuttle as we get into budgetary discussions. Lastly, after talking about the new Obama-approved future of NASA, we finally go out of left field and discuss the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) grants being issued for research into private space flight and space ports. Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gina Herlihy, Gene Mikulka, and Mark Ratterman Show Recorded - 10/10/2010