Episode 710: Orion in Waiting

We kick off  the show with congratulations, anupcoming celestial event, and follow ups to two previous stories. First anupdate to  rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne's attemptto purchase launch provider United Launch Alliance.We report on the preliminary results from the Ardbegdistillery experiment that flew to theInternational Space Station.  We send congratulations to NASA's five new flight directorsincluding a name that the audience may recognize. So is the world going to end this week?Umm, no but we do have a an upcoming Lunar Eclipse  on September27 for the Western Hemisphere, Europe,  most of Africa, and parts of Asia to enjoy, local weatherpermitting! NASA TV will provide coverage starting8:00 PM EDT on Sunday 27 September,Midnight GMT September 28.

NASA last week gave a status report on the progress of the Orion spacecraft, alinchpin in NASA's human space exploration effort,  with a probable delaywith  the first piloted flight. The team examines  the implications.The NASA Inspector General's Office released a report which casts some doubt on OrbitalATK'srecover plan to resume cargo flights to the International Space Station. Weshed some light of our own on the implied difficulties.  Launch provider Blue Origin has decided to call Launch Complex 36 atCape Canaveral Air Force station home, not just to launch rockets  but tobuild and test it's vehicles. We consider what this means for commercial spaceand the economy of Florida.

Show recorded 9/21/2015

Hostthis week: Sawyer Rosenstein, Panel members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, andKassy Tamanini (CraftLass)