So indulging some. My family growing up enjoyed following some Space news, starting with my dad, and now into his grand kids. It has become a family tradition to go to the Space Access conference in Phoenix http://space-access.org/. This year we’ve got my dad (Henry Cate Jr), my brother (Henry Cate III), two of his daughters Ellen and Madelyn, and a nephew Alex McCown and his fiancee Lucy, and then me.
It is interesting looking at some of this with the eye of comparing to software development.
Henry Vanderbilt:
Mention of Blue Origin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShPhWbrwFmk publishing some of what they’ve been working on. Looks like they are in more of a position to compete against SpaceX.
Cost per pound is going down and we’re able to do more with fewer pounds than before.
Henry Spencer:
Safety – “Good safety that you can implement is better than outstanding safety that you can’t.” – Randall Clague
Safety has to be designed in, not added on
“If failure is not an option, success can get expensive.” – Peter Stibrany, MOST project manager
Don’t blame the operator – don’t punish mistakes, learn from them, have people report them
Don’t work alone
Checklists – EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN CHECKLIST – closing things down quickly orderly
(this all in the context of rocketry, but seems to really apply in software development as well)
Dr Peter Swan of International Space Elevator Consortium
He’s talking about there needing to be capacity for 60k metric tons of lift per year by 2040(?), in part 40k metric tons for space solar power, and 10k metric tons for disposal of nuclear waste. Interesting.
But all of this relies on there being a way to build it, in particular a material.
Will Pomeranz / Virgin Galactic
Reaction after the accident has been good, pressing forward. People knew there would be a “first accident”, but a shock, glad it hasn’t killed the market. Building a small launcher to be airlaunched, hope to fly end 2016.
Dennis Stone – NASA JSC Commercial Space Capabilities Office
Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities, working with commercial companies, including companies like SpaceX. Doing some free consultations to share knowledge NASA has gained, not hoarding it.
Ken Biba AEROPAC, 2 stage 100k feet recoverable CANSAT launcher
Open design, open source fly for about cost of propellant, $2000, are able to keep using same rocket.
Pam Underwood – FAA AST
Transition to more civilian (commercial) launches, in 2010 there were 4 launches, in 2014 there were 18.
Outer Space Treaty – each government responsible for the launches of its citizens
Roert Watzlavick
Building and testing a 250lb thrust rocket motor in back yard, ecavator dug a pit for the testing.
www.watzlavick.com/robert/rocket