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About the Podcast
SPEXcast is a weekly podcast diving into a variety of space topics. We are a group of Rochester Institute of Technology students that are excited about space and space exploration. Come with us as we discuss the cutting edge of spacecraft engineering, potential future missions to outer space, and exciting scientific discoveries in the field of astrophysics.
Meet the Team | |||
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| Producer, Editor, Host | Augie Allen | TJ Tarazevits | Drew Walters |
Participate in the discussion! Email us at spexcast@gmail.com | |||
| Format | Discussion | ![[Valid RSS]](http://www.csh.rit.edu/~tj/validrss.png "Validate my RSS feed") 
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|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Higher Education, Natural Sciences, Technology, Engineering | ||
| Schedule | Weekly, New episodes every Wednesday | ||
| Avg. Length | 30-60 minutes | ||
| Debut | February 16, 2016 | ||
| RSS |
Episodes
Season 1
| # | Topic | Duration | Air Date | Hosts | URL | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocket Reusability | 34:50 | 2/16/16 | Phil, Augie, TJ | MP3 | SPEXcast delves into the field of reusable rocket technology. Listen as we discuss SpaceX's historic rocket landing, Blue Origin's New Shepard, SMART reuse and Project Adeline. |
| 2a | Gravitational Waves | 29:43 | 2/23/16 | Phil, TJ, James | MP3 | SPEXcast discusses the recent discovery of gravitational waves. We delve into RIT's key role in the discovery, as well as the history of the theory of gravitational waves. Watch a visualization of gravitational waves here: https://youtu.be/nFwSO4YMdNU |
| 2b | Brave New World | 18:02 | 2/24/16 | Phil, TJ, James | MP3 | SPEXcast goes a bit off-topic and discusses the dystopia of Brave New World. We discuss the role of production on the culture of society and whether the achievement of universal happiness is the satisfying conclusion of the pursuit of happiness. |
| 3 | Moon vs. Mars | 37:46 | 3/8/16 | Phil, Augie, TJ, James | MP3 | SPEXcast dicusses whether humanity should focus on the Moon or Mars first as it steps out beyond the Earth's gravity well. Should we use the Moon to practice eventual techniques for visiting Mars? What benefit would a lunar colony have for humanity? Would a Phobos base speed up Martian colonization? We delve into all of those questions in this episode of SPEXcast. |
| 4 | Asteroid Mining | 55:28 | 3/16/16 | Phil, Augie, TJ Guest: Anthony Hennig | MP3 | SPEXcast discusses the future of asteroid mining. Our special guest, Anthony Hennig is a 5th year student at RIT who's thesis is on Asteroid Mining Public Policy. Who owns asteroids? Is it moral to mine asteroids but not Mars? How do we utilize the resources we harvest in space? |
| 5 | QnA with the CCRG | 55:13 | 3/23/16 | Phil, James Guests: Brennan Ireland, Monica Rizzo | MP3 | SPEXcast hosts a Q&A session with Brennan Ireland and Monica Rizzo, two researchers from the RIT Center for Computational Relativity & Gravitation (CCRG) who simulate spacetime with supercomputers. How are gravitational waves modeled? Are there practical applications for gravitational waves? Can we simulate wormholes? What does a black hole merger sound like? |
| 6 | Interplanetary Travel | 50:55 | 3/30/16 | Phil, TJ, Anthony | MP3 | Phil, TJ, and Anthony discuss all the different methods of travelling within our solar system. What types of propulsion is out there? How can we survive long journeys? Do astronauts eat enough? |
| 7 | Rocket Propulsion | 32:39 | 4/6/16 | Phil, TJ, Augie Guests: Ben McFadden | MP3 | Phil, TJ, and August sit down with our special guest, Ben McFadden, to talk about rocket engines. Why do we use rockets in space? What physical principles govern rocket engines? What are the basic designs of chemical rocket engines and how can they be improved? |
| 8 | Telescopes | 56:29 | 4/13/16 | Phil, TJ Guests: Jennifer Connelly, Michael Zemcov | MP3 | It's Astronomy Week here at RIT, so Phil and TJ sit down with two astronomers and physicists, Jennifer Connelly and Michael Zemcov, to talk about the technology that allows us to see beyond our home planet -- telescopes. How do modern telescopes work? Is empty space really empty? Can we use wormholes as windows across the universe? |
| 9 | Cryonics | 56:24 | 4/21/16 | Phil, TJ, Augie Guests: Cole Miller | MP3 | Biomedical Engineers Augie and Cole lead a discussion on cryonics, torpor, and the science of human preservation in the name of space travel. |
| 10 | Cubesats | 45:45 | 4/28/16 | Phil, TJ, Augie, Drew | MP3 | Phil, Tj, and Augie are joined by Drew Walters to discuss cubesats and their subsystems. The cubesat standard has exploded in popularity in recent years, lowering the cost of building complete orbital experiemental platforms. Join us as we break cubesats down by subsystem, and discuss the unique advantages of the cubesat platform. |
| 11 | Spaceplanes | 39:27 | 5/4/16 | Phil, Augie, Cole, Alex | MP3 | Phil, Augie, Cole, and newcomer Alex talk about SpaceX and spaceplanes. At the start of the show, the guys discuss SpaceX's recently announced plans to send a capsule to Mars. Skip to 11:34 to hear all about crafts that behave like airplanes in the atmosphere and rockets when in space. |
| 12 | SPEXcast Live! | 30:51 | 5/11/16 | Phil, TJ, Augie Guest: Kevin Cooke | MP3 | SPEXcast is live! Phil, T.J., and Augie sit down with our special guest Kevin Cooke for SPEXcast's first live episode from ImagineRIT. Listen in as we discuss the mysterious ice world of Europa, Jupiter's 6th moon. We delve into the unique geological and scientific insights Europa might hold as well as dicuss future plans to explore this strange place. Join us as we investigate Europa Clipper, potential lander missions, and even a nuclear hydrothermal drill! |
| 13 | Asteroid Mining and Public Policy | 1:17:38 | 5/20/16 | Phil, TJ, Augie Guest: Anthony Hennig | MP3 | SPEXcast revists Asteroid Mining with Anthony Henning, as he releases his thesis on asteroid mining and public policy. We discuss the policy implications on the growth of asteroid mining in the near future. |
| 14 | News Roundup June 2016 | 0:32:43 | 7/8/2016 | Phil, TJ, Augie, Drew | MP3 | SPEXcast is back! Phil, TJ, Augie, and Drew discuss this summer's recent events in the space industry. |
| 15 | VIOLET | 1:22:56 | 7/13/2016 | Phil, T.J. Guests: Padraig Lysandrou, David Levine | MP3 | Part 1 of the SPEX Summer Series: Phil and TJ interview engineers Padraig Lysandrou and David Levine about their experiences building the Violet satellite at the Cornell Space Systems Design Studio in Ithaca, NY. |
| 16 | News Roundup July 2016 | 0:28:40 | 8/4/2016 | TJ, Augie, Drew | MP3 | SPEXcast is back! TJ, Augie, and Drew discuss this summer's recent events in the space industry. |
| 17 | Brendan Byrne Interview | 0:43:45 | 0:43:45 | Phil, Drew, TJ, Augie Guest: Brendan Byrne | MP3 | Part 2 of the SPEX Summer Series: Phil, Drew, TJ, and Augie sit down with space reporter Brendan Byrne. a producer for public radio station WMFE 90.7 in Orlando, a space reporter for Florida’s Space Coast, and hosts the space exploration podcast Are We There Yet. We dive into the changing political landscape of the Florida Space Coast. What has changed since the shuttle stopped flying in 2011? How are SpaceX and Blue Origin reshaping the space coast to support commercial activities in space? |
| 18a | Gywnne Shotwell Small Satellite Conference Reactions | 0:40:01 | 0:40:01 | Phil, TJ, Augie | MP3 | Phil and TJ debrief Augie who was live from Small Satellite Conference 2016. Augie attended Gwynne Shotwell's keynote speech. We break her speech down point by point and connect it to recent SpaceX news. |
| 18b | Small Satellite Conference 2016 | 0:47:09 | 0:47:09 | Phil, TJ, Augie | MP3 | Phil and TJ debrief Augie who was live from Small Satellite Conference 2016. Augie was on the show floor for three days, attending sessions on the state of the small sat industry. We talk about the highlights from each day and the coolest things from the confernece. |
| 19 | Commander Chris Hadfield | 0:26:26 | 0:26:26 | Phil, TJ, Augie, Drew, Chris Guest: Chris Hadfield | MP3 | Phil, TJ, Augie, Drew, and Chris had the opportunity to speak with Canadian astronaut, pilot and engineer Commander Chris Hadfield about his experiences in space, and asked him a few questions about the past, present, and future of space exploration. A transcript of this episode is available here \\n http://www.csh.rit.edu/~tj/chrisHadfieldInterviewTranscript.txt |
| 20 | Tory Bruno | 0:57:11 | 0:57:11 | Phil, Drew, TJ Guest: Tory Bruno | MP3 | SPEXcast sits down the the CEO of United Launch Alliance, Tory Bruno, to talk about the future of ULA, its next generation launch vehicle Vulcan, with its ACES upper stage, and the future of humans in space. |