Podcast appearances and mentions of John M Logsdon

We sit down with author John M. Logsdon and discuss his books regarding space history and policy. Tune in! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jim-murphy4/support

At 4:33 this afternoon, if the weather and all systems are go, a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket, carrying two NASA astronauts in a crew capsule called “Dragon," will lift off from Launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and soar toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station. The mission, dubbed "Demo 2," will be the first time a privately-built rocket will carry humans into space from US soil, and the first US-built manned spacecraft in a decade. NASA Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, both veterans of multiple missions aboard the now-retired Shuttle Orbiters, will dock the CrewDragon with the International Space Station and remain aboard the ISS for at least several weeks. What will this launch mean for NASA’s bid to send humans back to the Moon by 2024 and to Mars in the coming years, and for the future of commercial space exploration? Tom's first guest is reporter Mike Wall. He has covered the space program for Space.com since 2010, and he's is the author of Out There, a 2018 book about the search for alien life. He joins us via Skype from his home in San Francisco. Then, we get some historical perspectives on the SpaceX launch from esteemed space policy analyst, John M. Logsdon. He’s a Professor Emeritus of political science at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. In 1987, he founded the Elliott School's Space Policy Institute. Professor Logsdon is also a former member of the NASA Advisory Council and its Exploration Committee. He is the award-winning author of three books about politics and the space program: John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon (2010); After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program (2015); and Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier (2019). He has also edited the recently published The Penguin Book of Outer Space Exploration (2018), a collection of original documents tracing the evolution of the U.S. space effort. John Logsdon joins Tom via Skype from his home in Washington, D.C.

The space shuttle was a marvel of American ingenuity that ushered in a new era for the American space program. But the world would soon learn that reusable spacecraft were far from being perfect machines. Is the story of the U.S. shuttle program a tale of triumph for human space exploration? Or is the tale of a modern day Icarus? If you would like to make a contribution to the program, click this link: https://www.patreon.com/universeuniversity?fbclid=IwAR0GJjAwa3C1f8KKxDi7aeGVEO-Ou3dL10vmf1kQHjssQu5eEgmCkyNFMgw For listener questions and comments, email us here: show@universeuniversity.space PHOTO CAPTION: Computer generated simulation depicting the American space shuttle's thermal tiles displacing heat upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. REFERENCES: 'After Apollo?: Richard Nixon and the American Space Program' by John M. Logsdon 'Accountability in the Public Sector: Lessons from the Challenger', Public Administration Review by Barbara S. Romzek and Melvin J. Dubnick 'Remembering Roger Boisjoly: He Tried to Stop Shuttle Challenger Launch', NPR.org by Howard Berkes 'For Parts, NASA Boldly Goes... on Ebay', The New York Times by William J. Broad 'Pentagon Chief Assails Article on Shuttle Trip', The New York Times by Alex S. Jones 'Prepared Statement of Dr. Michael D. Griffin: "The Future of Human Space Flight" House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology MUSIC: "Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 6: Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Pepper's Theme" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, limits on NASA funding and the lack of direction under the Nixon and Carter administrations had left the U.S. space program at a crossroads. In contrast to his predecessors, Reagan saw outer space as humanity’s final frontier and as an opportunity for global leadership. His optimism and belief in American exceptionalism guided a decade of U.S. activities in space, including bringing the space shuttle into operation, dealing with the 1986 Challenger accident and its aftermath, committing to a permanently crewed space station, encouraging private sector space efforts, and fostering international space partnerships with both U.S. allies and with the Soviet Union.Drawing from a trove of declassified primary source materials and oral history interviews, John M. Logsdon provides the first comprehensive account of Reagan’s civilian and commercial space policies during his eight years in the White House. Even as a fiscal conservative who was hesitant to increase NASA’s budget, Reagan’s enthusiasm for the space program made him perhaps the most pro-space president in American history.John Logsdon is a world-renowned historian and analyst of space issues. He is the author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon and After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program, both award-winning, definitive accounts of presidential space policy, and his most recent book is Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier. Professor Logsdon is Professor Emeritus at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and founder of its Space Policy Institute. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Watch Professor Logsdon’s talk based on his new book "After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program." John M. Logsdon is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. The talk was presented at the Keck Institute for Space Studies on May 6, 2015.