Greetings from the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference in sunny La Jolla, Calif. I’m coming to you somewhat live from the upscale Hyatt Regency La Jolla.

Yes, I have made it out of the Mojave Desert for a few days — far away from the big bad winds that threaten to blow my house down, the dust storms that clog up my sinuses, and the suicidal rabbits that jump in front of my car. (I’m serious; it’s the most disturbing thing about that place. That…and all the meth labs.)

But, I digress.

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The ubiquitous Buzz Aldrin drops by The Space Show for a chat with David Livingston this evening. Three other shows follow later in the week. 1. Monday, May 13, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome back BUZZ ALDRIN to discuss his new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.”. 2. Tuesday, May 14, 2013 2013, 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 […]

Robert Bigelow was the keynote speaker at the NSS Governors’ Dinner and Gala in Huntsville last night. Standing beneath a Saturn V in a city that forms the heart of opposition to NASA’s commercial approach to human spaceflight, the founder of Bigelow Aerospace laid out his ambitious plans to launch private space stations into orbit by the middle of the decade. The details are laid out in the photos below.

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Hi folks.

ISDC has formally begun. I’m doing updates here on PA and @spacecom on Twitter.

The morning started out with a Plenary session titled, “How Space Gets Done,” in which various experts described the process by which space policy in Washington is formulated. Apparently, it’s a complex, messy and ever changing endeavor done by a small group of folks who all go to the same receptions.

Many of them had the pleasure to study, as I did, under Dr. John Logsdon, professor emeritus from the George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute. Logsdon was a panelist today and had a few choice observations about the state of America’s space programs.

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Robert Bigelow

NSS PR — Robert Bigelow, Founder and President of Bigelow Aerospace, <https://www.bigelowaerospace.com>  will be the Honored Keynote Speaker at the ISDC Governors’ Dinner and Gala to be held in the Davidson Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama on May 20.  Mr. Bigelow founded Bigelow Aerospace, which is noted for developing and launching the first inflatable space habitats.  At the Gala, Mr. Bigelow will also receive the National Space Society’s Space Pioneer Award for Space Development for his efforts to advance the technology of space habitats and for the significance they may play in the development of space tourism, industry and exploration.

Bigelow Aerospace took over the Transhab space habitat development program after NASA scrapped it, and effectively reinvented it – developing and successfully launching its prototypes, Genesis I and II, in 2006 and 2007. Limitations on payload volume during launch are one of the major constraints of the NewSpace industry, and the Company’s inflatable concept solves that problem for most in-space habitat applications. The lower launch volume and mass per volume of the inflatables, combined with now imminent launch cost reductions, should soon allow delivery of paying passengers to safe and functional orbiting destinations, such as the Bigelow station planned for operation by 2015.

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This week on The Space Show… 1. Monday, March 21, 2011 , 2-3:30 PM PDT. We welcome back Bob Werb, co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation, to discuss the “Keep The Promise Program”. 2. Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7-8:30 PM PDT: We turn our attention to the upcoming ISDC Conference with Cliff McMurray and Bart Leahy. 3. Friday, March 25, 2011 , 9:30-11 AM PDT: We welcome back Dr. Clay […]

At ISDC today, Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson and Armadillo Aerospace’s John Carmack outlined the two companies’ collaboration on developing a suborbital vehicle to take humans and experiments into space. Jeff Foust and Donnie Lowther covered the talk via Twitter: @DKLowther Space Adventures has paid Armadillo to start developing suborbital vehicle–ducks in a row–going to ramp things up. @jefffoust Anderson is showing an animation now: features a cone-shaped vehicle atop […]

The Space Show’s guests include Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto, Gary Moir, Don Harvey, Phillip Harris and Mark Whittington.

Buzz Aldrin’s lunchtime address during last week’s International Space Development Conference, courtesy of our friends over at Spacevidcast.

PRESS RELEASE

SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Virgin Galactic’s Will Whitehorn and Orion Propulsion’s Tim Pickens among private sector entrepreneurs on hand to discuss the next frontier of the space industry.

The National Space Society (NSS) announced today that Day One of the 28th annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC) will dedicate itself to an in-depth look into the emerging privately funded sector of the space industry.

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