Guest:  Barry Levin;  Topics:  The continuation of the Fourth Industrial Manufacturing Revolution discussion applied to space development.  Please direct all comments and questions regarding specific Space Show programs & guest(s) to the Space Show blog which is part of archived program on our website, www.thespaceshow.com.  Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.

We welcomed back Barry Levin for the continuation of the Back of the Envelope programs focused on Fourth Industrial Revolution manufacturing tools for space development.  In the first segment of the nearly two hour program,  Barry talked about being inspired by the space program as a young kid while lamenting that progress has been very slow re human spaceflight since Apollo.  He zeroed in on the high costs of space access which prevents inviduals and businesses from getting to space.  He talked about the cost for materials and labor for a Falcon 9 to help make his case.  Barry also suggested that the idea that new technology would take us to space was wrong.  What was needed was lowering the cost of space access through the implementation of new manufacturing techniques which are designed to zero out the labor cost.  Listen carefully to what he had to say on this topic as this was a theme throughout both segments of today's program.

Jerry from Nashville sent in a note suggesting that what Barry was proposing was out of touch with national policy, especially since the Trump administration is talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America but not talking about Fourth Industrial Revolution job tools.  Don't miss Barry's response to Jerry's email. 

Marshall called to discuss the high cost of bureaucracy.   Barry concurred with Marshall and the two had quite a discussion this subject.  Near the end of their discussion, I asked Marshall about his farming activities and this opened up another discussion about new industrial tools being used in farming and the farming robot.  Don't miss it.

In the second segment, John from Ft. Worth was our first caller.  John talked about chemical rockets reaching a plateau, inquiring how this fit into the model Barry was talking about.  Barry again said that new industrial mfg. technology will drive down the cost.  This is another discussion you don't want to miss.  Sarah from Seattle sent in a note about tech leaders planning or buying property in New Zealand to avoid the problems they say they have helped to create via tech related job displacement around the world.  Barry had much to say about this, including suggestions on possible fixes for the problem.  Let us know what you think about this.

Another topic was the learning curve involved in learning how to do the new 4th industrial technologies. Barry talked about a significant investment in time, say 100 hours or so.  He also talked about people needing to be willing to invest this type of time in learning the new technologies. Barry talked about optics technology, Raspberry Pie, Arduinos and much more.  In addition, he suggested people attend Maker Faire programs in their area.  

Additional listeners sent in emails about the need to be willing to undertake self-education.  Much time was spent talking about these email comments and education.  BJohn brought up the issue of exponential growth in the technology industries.  Barry also had much to say about the growth rate, especially for the new industrial tools being used in advanced manufacturing today. 

Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog for this program.  You can reach Barry through me.