Guest:  Bob Zimmerman; Topics: Multiple topics and space news issues discussed with Bob, current events, FAA, SpaceX, Starship, SLS, white nose bat update and much more. 

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We welcomed Bob Zimmerman back to the show for space news and policy updates, current trends and more.  As I have done before, by referring you to the above Tags (repeated below), you will have a good summary of our discussion topics and in the order in which they were discussed on this show.  Here are the tags for your easy reference:

Tags:  Robert (Bob) Zimmerman, Behindtheblack.com, FAA Boca Chica SpaceX delay, SLS 2nd attempt, Falcon 9, SpaceX small sats, Musk Twittergate, SpaceX launch rate. AXIOM breaks new ground for Houston offices, AXIOM MOU with Italy, four private space station companies, Bigelow Aerospace status, government or private space stations for the future, telescopes and cube sats, commercial space industry regulatory concerns, RocketLab news, Virgin Galactic update, Mars rover report, Perseverance, Ingenuity, white nose bat update, small nuclear reactors for the site of use, Boeing Starliner demo flight & plans, ILC Dover spacesuits.

Standout issues talked about included the continued FAA delays on approving Starship launch at Boca.  Bob had much to say about the delays, was hoping the decision on Boca was released by the middle of June but talked about the fallback position of SpaceX being able to launch from the Cape.  He talked about the Fish, Game & Wildlife concerns which he discounted using as a comparison a similar environment at the Cape where launches have been going on for decades.  Bob shared additional observations with us about the FAA and SpaceX so don't miss what Bob had to say.   Post your questions and comments on our blog for this show.

Another standout included Bob's comments on the SLS second attempt.  He also talked about the importance of redundancy.  A listener asked Bob if the Musk Twitter acquisition was having an impact on SpaceX.  Bob said yes, talked extensively about the Twitter deal causing collateral damage for Musk regarding SpaceX and Tesla.  He used the term "Muskgate."  Another standout was when Bob was asked to give a status report on Bigelow Aerospace and their plans for a private space station.  Bob said Bigelow closed the doors but he went into some detail as to why.  Listen to what he said. Space telescopes and smallsats were discussed as a possibly and then in response to another question, Bob did say he was concerned about the possibility of excessive commercial space regulations.  Bob did another of his Mars rover updates, talked about Perseverance and Ingenuity.  Jerry from Merritt Island asked Bob for a white nose bat problem update. 

Quite a few other topics came up during this nearly two hour program.  Please post your comments/questions for Bob on our blog for this show.  You can reach Bob through me or his own website which you should be following, www.behindtheblack.com.  His website is broader than just the space topic and he does a great job in keeping it current and updated.