Guest: Dr. Haym Benaroya; Topics: Haym responded to multiple listener space engineering and development questions. Many topics were covered by our callers and those that send us emails.
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We welcomed back Dr. Haym Benaroya to answer listener space development and engineering questions. Our first ever Ask The Engineer A Question got off to a great start with the initial call from Peter in Long Island asking our guests multiple questions. Peter's call was detailed covering many key areas of concern with human spaceflight from Earth to the Moon or Mars. Don't miss it as it was pivotal for the balance of our program. Our guest offered us a more intense lunar focus than for Mars or even a free space O'Neill like colony project given the latter two being much more long term than the Moon.
Highlights of the discussion for me included the commentary about having sufficient power in space or on the Moon for human to live and work in space. Nuclear power, initially fission, was the most plausible plus it is close to being space ready as we have used forms of nuclear power in space missions for decades. Our guest did talk solar and possibly fusion for the longer term future but for the power and energy needed for humans to be safe in space, it would nuclear power.
Habitat structure was also an interesting topic, ranging from prefabrication with parts coming up from Earth, to living in lava tubes, to having 3D printed structures on the lunar surface. Haym talked about the habitat and structure possibilities, the challenges, the use of windows, getting rid of heat and much more. In addition, our guest talked about lunar space suits and the need for the best material to make human activity on the Moon doable. That material, if known, is not yet operational. Space suit development is on a critical timeline given new suits will be required for the upcoming Artemis missions.
Haym fielded multiple questions about AI and robotics. He said the fields were developing and advancing rapidly plus both would play significant parts in getting space ready for humans and humans getting ready for space, including the Moon, Mars, and free space. Toward the end and taking a lead from Batchelor questions on Hotel Mars, I asked Haym for his priorities for humans in space were he and the industry to have an unlimited budget. Don't miss what he said in response to this question. Can you guess what his top few priorities were? Listen, then let us know on the blog what you think of his priority list.
Please post your comments/questions for Dr. Benaroya on the blog for this show. You can reach our guest through me or his Rutgers University faculty page.
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