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Index to our previous shows
Shows from April, 2002
Shows from March, 2002
Shows from February, 2002
January 25, 2002 - John Lewis
January 19, 2002 - Scott Alexander - Part 2
January 11, 2002 - Scott Alexander - Part 1
Shows from December, 2001
Shows from November, 2001
Shows from October, 2001
Shows from September, 2001
Shows from August, 2001
Shows from July, 2001
Shows from June, 2001
Shows from May, 2001
Shows from April, 2001
Shows from March, 2001
Shows from February, 2001
Shows from January, 2001
Shows from November - December, 2000
Shows from September - October, 2000
Shows from July - August, 2000
Dr. John S. Lewis
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On Friday - January 25th, 2002 - we brought you an interview with Planetary Scientist Dr. John Lewis. We chated with him about the dangers posed to our civilization by comet and asteroid impacts and about the opportunities that these objects offer to our future.
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As you will hear, asteroids could end our civilization, as well as most life on Earth, or they could provide the resources needed to raise global standards of living to heights that would otherwise be unimaginable. We have the power to make either alternative come true through inaction or action. The choice is ours.
When the subject of asteroids comes up, the name John Lewis is seldom far away. He has been studying asteroids for several decades and has been a major contributor to our growing understanding of the threat and promise offered by these objects. His studies of the impact record during human history is enlightening and shows that modest impacts are more frequent than most of us would imagine. His statistical studies concerning future impact probabilities are frightening because they show that impacts which could devastate cities or whole countries are not unexpected over the time scale of human civilization.
But John's researches have not just dealt with the dangers posed by asteroids. He has also studied the possibilities offered to our civilization by asteroid resources. He has shown that
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Asteroid Ida and its satellite Dactyl as seen by the Galileo spacecraft.
Asteroid Eros as seen by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous {NEAR} spacecraft. |
these resources are within our reach with space technologies that we either have or could easily develop. He has demonstrated just what a treasure chest asteroids can be and that they are a treasure we can afford to get.
I am very pleased to bring you tonight's interview with Dr. John S. Lewis. I think you'll find his observations on the threat and promise of asteroids to be very enlightening.
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Dr. Lewis has written several excellent books about the threat and promise of asteroids. These books, shown above, are exceedingly good and are most highly recommended. And if you are a science fiction writer, you will find his books filled with enough scientific speculation to fill a bookcase with hard SF novels. These books aren't just highly recommended, they are required reading for anyone with an interest in asteroids or the future of our civilization.
The Space Frontier Foundation sponsors The Watch, a privately funded project that supports various observational, research, and public outreach activities aimed at dealing with the problem of asteroid impacts. There are many ways that you can get involved with this activity.
Click on the image above to learn more about The Watch.
Listen to this show
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- Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:20:05}
or
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {9:17}
- Click here for the John Lewis Interview. {1:08:14}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:53}
or
- Click here to listen to our interview with Dave Tholen and Bill Bottke for another conversation about asteroids.
- Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.
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The Hour 25 "Give Karen Willson a Five Word Challenge" Event
Karen Willson has offered to write an original song for Hour 25, but you folks will have to help out. Send in any five words and Karen will use them in a song. {"Naked Polynesian Island Slave Girls" has already been used, so think of something else.} The field is open so use your imagination. Send your five words to me at wwjames@earthlink.net. {If you think of more than one set of five words, that's OK. Send all of them to me.} Karen and I will pick the winning entry and it will be up to her to craft a song using those words. You can hear more about this event by listening to our interview with Karen. {Don't ask me how we'll pick the winner, cause I can't answer that question. But I'm sure we'll recognize the winning entry when we see it.} BTW, I will declare that for purposes of this event "Hour 25" is one word. And for the person who comes up with the entry that Karen uses for the song, I'll find something special and send it along to you as my way of thanking you for your part in this escapade. The timing for this event is rather open - you know how I am about time and deadlines - so this event will go on until the right five words come in. That might happen in a day or it might take a few weeks. So get busy, if you snooze, you lose. How hard can it be to think up five words?
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Asteroids - Science, Risks and Opportunities
Science
You can learn more about Dr. John S. Lewis by visiting his web site at the University of Arizona.
The place to start any of your explorations into asteroid science is The Minor Planet Center. This is where astronomers report new asteroid discoveries and it serves as a focal point for disseminating information about asteroids.
Click here to view a web site with a great introduction to asteroids including many images and animations. Another good introduction to what is known about asteroids can be found at this Sky & Telescope web site or at this NASA site.
Click here to visit a web page with information about the double asteroid 90 Antiope. This page includes pictures and movies of this fascinating object.
Click here to go to the home page for the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission. It is filled with background information about the project and contains reports of the mission's most recent discoveries along with many pictures and movies of 433 Eros.
For more images of asteroids, you should check out this web site from The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). Additional data about asteroids can be found at the Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node.
The NEODyS web site contains information about all Near Earth Objects in a searchable database along with web pages for each individual object.
You can obtain orbital elements for any asteroid at this searchable on-line database.
You can find many links leading to many resources concerning asteroids and comets at this NASA GSFC web site and at this site.
You can learn about the asteroid research being done by previous Hour 25 guests Dr. Dave Tholen and Bill Bottke at their web sites. Dave's Site Bill's Site.
You can find information to help you in observing asteroids at this web site sponsored by the British Astronomical Association.
Spacecraft missions bring us pictures of asteroids that show details that have never before been seen. And somebody's got to name all of those new details. Go to this web site sponsored by the USGS to find out about the nomenclature being developed for the features seen on asteroids.
Risks
Click here to go to the web site for the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking project at JPL.
Information about asteroids that may be dangerous is collected at the JPL Potentially Hazardous Asteroids web site.
Click here to go to a NASA web page discussing asteroid impact hazards. Information about the Torino scale for asteroid impact dangers can be found here.
The Space Frontier Foundation sponsors The Watch, which is a program dedicated to doing something about the hazards presented by asteroid impacts. Click here to find out more about this project.
Opportunities
Additional information about the use of asteroid resources can be found at the web site for the Space Studies Institute, at the web site for Projects to Employ Resources of the Moon and Asteroids Near Earth in the Near Term (PERMANENT) or at this site.
This interview was done while we were at a Conference last fall organized by the Space Frontier Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Space Frontier Foundation.
And if you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 web site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.
Space News
Click here to take the NASA/Planetary Society survey about the future of planetary exploration and express your views about what NASA should do in that arena over the next decade. Please note; this survey ends on January 31, 2002, so don't delay in responding to this request for your inputs concerning planetary exploration. For more information about the Planetary Society and their work, click here
ISS News
The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note web pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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Return to the Index for this month's shows
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Scott Alexander {aka "Captain Cardboard"} - Part 2
On Saturday - January 19th, 2002 - we brought you the second part of our interview with Scott Alexander. We continued our conversation about his model work and also learned about his project to recreate the filming miniatures used in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Along the way we chatted with him about the movie Spaced Invaders and learned about the adventures he had in turning his screenplay into a movie.
Scott's kits based on 2001: A Space Odyssey set new standards for the quality of models offered by small manufacturers. And the good news is that he has more on the way. I highly recommend his kits to anyone who has an interest in space or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Join us for the second part of this interview as we learn how a master craftsman works his magic.
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Click on the picture of the Discovery to see more images of Scott's 11 foot Discovery model. Note; this link goes to a page with lots of graphics, so it might take a bit of time for the images to load.
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The Hour 25 "Give Karen Willson a Five Word Challenge" Event
Karen Willson has offered to write an original song for Hour 25, but you folks will have to help out. Send in any five words and Karen will use them in a song. {"Naked Polynesian Island Slave Girls" has already been used, so think of something else.} The field is open so use your imagination. Send your five words to me at wwjames@earthlink.net. {If you think of more than one set of five words, that's OK. Send all of them to me.} Karen and I will pick the winning entry and it will be up to her to craft a song using those words. You can hear more about this event by listening to our interview with Karen. {Don't ask me how we'll pick the winner, cause I can't answer that question. But I'm sure we'll recognize the winning entry when we see it.} BTW, I will declare that for purposes of this event "Hour 25" is one word. And for the person who comes up with the entry that Karen uses for the song, I'll find something special and send it along to you as my way of thanking you for your part in this escapade. The timing for this event is rather open - you know how I am about time and deadlines - so this event will go on until the right five words come in. That might happen in a day or it might take a few weeks. So get busy, if you snooze, you lose. How hard can it be to think up five words?
Listen to this show
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- Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:21:06}
or
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {15:18}
- Click here for the Scott Alexander Interview. {1:03:20}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:47}
or
- Click here to listen to both parts of the Scott Alexander interview as an uninterrupted conversation.
- Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.
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Links for more information relating to this show
Scott Alexander
Click here to go to Scott Alexander's web site to find out more about his kits.
Scott's Aries 1-B has made it into the big time. Now you can get add-on parts to enhance it. Checkout the interior made by Planet V and sold by Federation Models.
You can see a wonderful example of a completed Space Pod at John Payne's web site. And yes, those pictures of the Pod's interior are of the model, not stills pulled from the film. (Click here to see some of John's other model work,}
The people who are into building Scott's kits are always interested in adding as much detail as possible. Several of these people have created web sites dedicated to presenting detailed information about the space pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can find a lot of this information at the One Man Space Pod Working Group and get additional information, especially screen captures, at the Pod Details web site.
The Starship Modeler's Web Site has a lot of information about building models from 2001: A Space Odyssey and also has a great web page filled with the reference information you'll need for building models based on the ships from this film. You might also be interested in listening to the interview that we did with John Lester from the Starship Modeler Web Site back in May of 2001.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for information about 2001:A Space Odyssey. You can start your exploration at the 2001: A Space Odyssey Internet Resource Archive or at Underman's 2001 Odyssey.
You can get some fascinating insights into the the creation of the ships and hardware of 2001: A Space Odyssey by going to the web site created by Harry Lange, the man who created many of the interiors and exteriors used in that film.
Most everyone I know agrees that 2001: Filming the Future by Piers Bizony is one of the best books ever written about 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the features that makes this book so wonderful are the paintings of the ships of 2001 done by Simon Atkinson. You can read about the creation of these images and see some examples at the Drawing the Future web site. You can see additional examples of Simon's work at this page from Underman's 2001 Odyssey.
Physical models are not the only ones that people create. Some people build digital models that can be used to make for Computer Generated Images. The 2001: A Space Odyssey 3D Modeling Archive has a collection of 3D models that you can download and use for your CGI projects. These models can be downloaded for free, but be sure to check the 'conditions of use' and make sure that you give proper attribution to the creators of these models when you use them in your projects.
Many more links about Science Fiction modeling can be found on our Science Fiction Modeling Links page.
This interview was done while we were at the Space Frontier Foundation's Conference last Fall. Click here to learn more about the Space Frontier Foundation.
Space News
You can learn more about the mission of the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission by going to this NASA web site.
Additional information about the Galileo mission can be found at the Project's web site.
ISS News
The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note web pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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Return to the Index for this month's shows
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Scott Alexander {aka "Captain Cardboard"} - Part 1
On Friday - January 11th, 2002 - we welcomed in the New Year by bringing you an interview with Scott Alexander, the maker of some way cool model kits based on the spaceships from 2001: A Space Odyssey. And as I found out while chatting with him, he also wrote the screenplay for a fun little movie that I enjoyed a great deal, Spaced Invaders.
Scott Alexander has worked for a number of years building miniatures used in movies. Here he learned to make believable small scale reproductions of real world objects. And because of the time pressure of the film industry he learned how to do this quickly while maintaining a high quality standard. A few years ago he decided to apply his skills to making models that 'the rest of us' could build.
Scott's kits based on 2001: A Space Odyssey set new standards for the quality of models offered by small manufacturers. And the good news is that he has more on the way. I highly recommend his kits to anyone who has an interest in space or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Join us for the first part of our interview with Scott Alexander as we learn how this master craftsman works his magic.
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Click on the picture of the Discovery to see more images of Scott's 11 foot Discovery model. Note; this link goes to a page with lots of graphics, so it might take a bit of time for the images to load.
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The Hour 25 "Give Karen Willson a Five Word Challenge" Event
Karen Willson has offered to write an original song for Hour 25, but you folks will have to help out. Send in any five words and Karen will use them in a song. {"Naked Polynesian Island Slave Girls" has already been used, so think of something else.} The field is open so use your imagination. Send your five words to me at wwjames@earthlink.net. {If you think of more than one set of five words, that's OK. Send all of them to me.} Karen and I will pick the winning entry and it will be up to her to craft a song using those words. You can hear more about this event by listening to our interview with Karen. {Don't ask me how we'll pick the winner, cause I can't answer that question. But I'm sure we'll recognize the winning entry when we see it.} BTW, I will declare that for purposes of this event "Hour 25" is one word. And for the person who comes up with the entry that Karen uses for the song, I'll find something special and send it along to you as my way of thanking you for your part in this escapade. The timing for this event is rather open - you know how I am about time and deadlines - so this event will go on until the right five words come in. That might happen in a day or it might take a few weeks. So get busy, if you snooze, you lose. How hard can it be to think up five words?
Listen to this show
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- Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:15:38}
or
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {12:20}
- Click here for the Scott Alexander Interview. {1:00:51}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:46}
or
- Click here for an index of all Shows on our site.
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Links for more information relating to this week's show
Scott Alexander
Click here to go to Scott Alexander's web site to find out more about his kits.
Scott's Aries 1-B has made it into the big time. Now you can get add-on parts to enhance it. Checkout the interior made by Planet V and sold by Federation Models.
You can see a wonderful example of a completed Space Pod at John Payne's web site. And yes, those pictures of the Pod's interior are of the model, not stills pulled from the film. (Click here to see some of John's other model work,}
The people who are into building Scott's kits are always interested in adding as much detail as possible. Several of these people have created web sites dedicated to presenting detailed information about the space pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can find a lot of this information at the One Man Space Pod Working Group and get additional information, especially screen captures, at the Pod Details web site.
The Starship Modeler's Web Site has a lot of information about building models from 2001: A Space Odyssey and also has a great web page filled with the reference information you'll need for building models based on the ships from this film. You might also be interested in listening to the interview that we did with John Lester from the Starship Modeler Web Site back in May of 2001.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for information about 2001:A Space Odyssey. You can start your exploration at the 2001: A Space Odyssey Internet Resource Archive or at Underman's 2001 Odyssey.
You can get some fascinating insights into the the creation of the ships and hardware of 2001: A Space Odyssey by going to the web site created by Harry Lange, the man who created many of the interiors and exteriors used in that film.
Most everyone I know agrees that 2001: Filming the Future by Piers Bizony is one of the best books ever written about 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of the features that makes this book so wonderful are the paintings of the ships of 2001 done by Simon Atkinson. You can read about the creation of these images and see some examples at the Drawing the Future web site. You can see additional examples of Simon's work at this page from Underman's 2001 Odyssey.
Physical models are not the only ones that people create. Some people build digital models that can be used to make for Computer Generated Images. The 2001: A Space Odyssey 3D Modeling Archive has a collection of 3D models that you can download and use for your CGI projects. These models can be downloaded for free, but be sure to check the 'conditions of use' and make sure that you give proper attribution to the creators of these models when you use them in your projects.
Many more links about Science Fiction modeling can be found on our Science Fiction Modeling Links page.
Space News
You can learn more about the DS-1 mission by checking out the Project's web site. And you can find out how Ion Propulsion works by viewing this NASA web page.
Information about NASA's Discovery Program can be found here and information about the newest Discovery Missions Dawn and Kepler can be found at their web sites.
ISS News
The Florida Today web site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station web page or the Boeing web page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link web site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA web page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
The Space Today web site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now web site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch web site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
Concerning Ways of Responding to the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
First, be careful. Vultures have already established scams to bilk people of their money under the guise of helping those harmed by this terrorist attack. Make sure you are giving money to real causes and not scams. That said...
Govenor George Pataki of New York has announced the launch of an official state fund to help the victims of this attack. The New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund was accepting donations three ways: at P.O. Box 5028, Albany, N.Y., 12205; through the state web site or via phone at 1-800-801-8092.
Amazon.com has set up a web page for making donations to the American Red Cross.
Check with your local Red Cross for information about when and where you can donate blood or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543). It is needed. For more information call 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-4357-669). You can also go to the Red Cross web site to find more information. {If that Red Cross site is busy you can find much of its information at this site.
Check with the web sites for America's Second Harvest and the Salvation Army to find more ways you can help.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an online list of organizations to contact to help the victims and their families.
The FBI has established a toll-free telephone number for anyone with information regarding the incidents on September 11 in New York City and the Washington, D.C.. Please call (866) 483-5137 if you have any information. Click here for an FBI form to use when providing information about these crimes.
MP3Pro Links
To learn more about the new MP3Pro format you can check out this press release from Thomson multimedia and can download an MP3Pro encoder/decoder from their main web site.
You can download an encoder/decoder for MP3Pro audio files at the RCA web site.
You can learn more about the technology behind MP3 files by going to the web site for the Fraunhofer Institute where much of the work behind the MP3 file format originated.
Note: I have not had the chance to try the new MP3Pro encoder/decoder and so I can offer no opinions about how well the software works. But I will be paying close attention to it. Anything that will let us cut the storage requirements for the Hour 25 audio files in half sounds like a good thing to me. I'll let you know more as things get sorted out with this new audio format.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note web pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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Unless otherwise noted the entire content of this web site is Copyright © Warren W. James, 2000-2002.
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