Episode 310: Wanted --- Shuttle Orbiter to a Good Home

Elizabeth Howell from the Ottawa Business Journal and the award winning Pars3c Spaceflight blog joins Mark Ratterman and Gene Mikulka in this weeks Talking Space Installment. Don't worry, Sawyer Rosenstein and Gina Herlihy will be returning! Grist for this week's mill includes Coverage of STS 134 preparations at the Kennedy space Center along with two unfortunate events; the first fatal accident at Launch Complex 39A and the discovery of an illegal controlled substance just shy of the KSC secure area. The MESSENGER spacecraft became the first robotic emissary from Earth to go into orbit around Mercury. We discuss MESSGNGER's mission and the implications for planetary science going forward. An agreement was forged last week that commits the European Space Agency to supporting International Space Station operations through 2020. The panel discusses the implications for that agreement, what it means for the Station going forward and possible future international agreements between nations. A report by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) indicated that if Canada is not too careful, it could loose its edge in robotics. The Shuttle and Station Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator or DEXTRE robots have made significant contributions to the success of the Shuttle and Space Station programs. The team discusses the implications of this as well as the Canadian Space Budget going forward. In the "Who Get's a Retired Space Shuttle Orbiter" sweepstakes, another entrant has come on to the field. This past week Senators Richard Durban (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) wrote a letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to consider Chicago's Adler Planetarium as a possible site for one of the Orbiters. With the April 12 announcement pending Gene, Mark, and Liz talk the battle being waged for one of the Orbiters and how political the process has become. To visit Elizabeth's blog, please go to http://pars3c.com and also The Ottawa Business Journal at http://www.obj.ca/ be sure to follow her on Twitter @howellspace Host: Gene Mikulka Panel Members: Mark Ratterman and Elizabeth Howell. Show Recorded 23 March, 2011