Visiting the Spacecraft Technology Expo

A happy Mat Kaplan in the XCOR Lynx cockpit's left seat at the Spacecraft Technology Expo, May 9, 2012.

Air Date: 05/14/2012
Run Time: 28:50

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Topics: podcasts and videos, Planetary Radio, commercial spaceflight, future technology, Future Mission Concepts

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Spaceplanes, spacesuits and rockets, oh my! Mat Kaplan talks to exhibitors and others at the first ever Spacecraft Technology Expo in Los Angeles. And the Scarecrow has no brain! That’s according to Emily Lakdawalla, who saw the stripped down Mars rover in action. Bill Nye says we should have commercial space AND planetary science. Bruce Betts joins Mat to explain the imminent annular solar eclipse and give away a Planetary Radio t-shirt in the new space trivia contest.

Trivia Contest

This week's prize is a Planetary Radio T-shirt.

This week's question:
What is the current understanding of the value of the Hubble Constant?

To submit your answer:
Send an email no later than Monday, May 21, at 2 pm Pacific time to planetaryradio@planetary.org containing:

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Last week's question:
Who sat in the middle seat of the Apollo 11 Command Module at launch?

Answer:
Coming soon in next week's show!

Question from the week before:
How many independent flights did shuttle Enterprise make? That is, tests for which it was separated from the carrier aircraft.

Answer:
Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise made five Approach and Landing Tests in 1977, gliding back to Edwards Air Force Base free of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.