Cold Star Project

Cold Star Project

By Jason KaniganBusiness
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Cold Star Project episodes

  • Hub Urlings - What Is The Promise of IoT In Space? - Cold Star Project S02E69

    What developments have there been in the Internet of Things with regards to the space industry? As smallsat and launch costs continue to fall, what promise does the IoT bring to space? Hub Urlings of the M2sat IoT Lab and Ceryx Projects is with host Jason Kanigan on the Cold Star Project to explain. We cover:

    what "Satellite IoT is" for the layperson, and what capabilities it brings for what user bases

    what the best use case is for Satellite IoT and its impact 

    Hub's vision for the Satellite IoT Lab

    Hub's biggest takeaway from working on the Inmarsat-C project in the 90s as a product manager   


    M2sat website: http://2015.m2sat.com/ 


    Wikipedia article on Inmarsat-C: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmarsat-C  


    Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb 


    Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

    34 min
  • Nicholas Moran - Tank Research with The Chieftain - Cold Star Project S02E68

    Nicholas Moran aka The Chieftain is World of Tanks' Director, Military Relations and technical advisor, and has been so for the past nine years. In an industry where advisors are typically discarded immediately after the game releases, this is astonishing longevity--and farsightedness on the part of the developer. Nicholas is also a military historian. Following his release of a video looking at the development of Soviet tank doctrine during the interwar period, host Jason Kanigan of the Cold Star Project invited Nicholas to be on the show. Major Moran is an active officer in the Texas Army National Guard, and has been deployed to field postings.  


    Questions for Nicholas Moran:  

    * World of Tanks

    • let’s begin with a quick summary of your role with WoT: what do you do and how do you go about doing it?
    • what represents “good evidence” in tank research to you? Do you “know it when you see it” or is there a more objective standard? Are there layers of verifiability or reliability?


      • * Soviet armor doctrine video

      • in what places did you find the info, and how did you go about organizing it?  


        • * National Archives at College Park

        • where is it, what’s the process of accessing it, how do you know when you’ve got something good out of a box?
        • if you could go back to say 1930 and alter one thing (practice, numbering system?) of the Dept. of the Army / Ordnance Branch to be followed throughout the next two decades, what would it be?  


          • * Crawling around on tanks

          • when you’re taping off squares of outer surfaces and then taking pictures of it, how does that help the game model designers? How do they translate that graphed image into a 3D model?
          • what’s the worst case of divergence from a manual to reality (in armor thickness, or some other change) you’ve encountered? -what have been the easiest and the most difficult AFV hatch exits for you?
          • have you considered keeping a running “banged shin” count from getting in and out of armored fighting vehicles?   



            • Presentations discussed in this interview:  


            The Unknown Impact of Albert Kahn On Industrial Architecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iwzXpaSiOc 


            Dr. Andy Aldrin's interview on how the Soviets beat the Americans into space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krbe1JtqdPA 


            Major Moran's discussion of Soviet armor doctrine development in the interwar period: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7nr83CYQ9Q  



            The Chieftain YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4j9Y9L6jie44iZroCb99A 


            The Chieftain Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheChieftainWargaming 


            Archives article: https://worldoftanks.com/en/news/chieftain/us-national-archives/  


            Can Openers book (NOT an affiliate link): https://www.amazon.com/Can-Openers-Development-Anti-Tank-Carriages/dp/1635618592/



            Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb 


            Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

            54 min
          • Bryne Hadnott - PostGrad And Working In The Space Industry (at BlackSky) - Cold Star Project S02E67

            Bryne Hadnott has quite the resume...currently Image Processing Engineer for BlackSky; Past graduate student researcher at NASA JPL; Masters degree in Planetary Science at Johns Hopkins; Worked on doctorate at Cornell then Johns Hopkins; Research Assistant at the Gund Institute of Ecological Economics; and Undergraduate degree in Planetary Science at Washington University in St. Louis.  On the Cold Star Project with host Jason Kanigan, Bryne discusses what it's like postgrad and working in the space industry. Jason asks:

            • As far as I know there isn’t a career path laid out for scientists who want to work in the space field...from what I’ve seen you have to make it up as you go. What have you experienced and learned in the process of figuring this out for your own career?
            • What were you doing in the summer of 2012 at Caltech as a research fellow, looking at Mars-analogue rocks? What did you learn from that experience?
            • You’ve been at BlackSky for awhile now...without getting into anything covered by security or compliance issues, what has that been like? What has your role been focused on?
            • Thinking around data science, which I think is a tool you use, have you evolved your process or checklist on deciding on your investigative approach?
            • We have a lot of graduate students following this show...do you have any advice or ideas for them concerning the question of whether to go forward towards achieving a doctorate or not?
            • What focus do you have for your future work in the space field?


              • Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

              31 min
            • Moriba Jah - What To Improve In Space Situational Awareness - CSP S02E66

              Dr. Moriba Jah, professor at the University of Texas at Austin, past navigator for many missions to Mars, and space situational awareness expert returns to the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan, Dr. Jah digs deeper into the challenges of space object identification, tracking and orbital prediction, including:

              • Why is it a problem that satellite orbit pathing predictions assume a spheroid shape? What issues does this create?
              • What can we do to improve the predictive ability of satellite pathing calculations? Why do we need to improve this accuracy--what’s the rush, what’s driving this need?
              • What is the technology behind space traffic management: what era is it from, and how does it work? Who operates it?
              • What would a better system look like, and who should operate it?
              • Why was the Two Line Element format chosen? What’s wrong with TLEs?
              • It’s my understanding from speaking with our colleagues, primarily the British, that more information is available or even broadcast, but some is truncated to fit in the TLE format. Why is this done?
              • In my own research, I found a Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems blue book from 2009, updated in 2012. From there I went on to the CCSDS website. Thinking is clearly done on the topic: why, then, is (from the outsider’s perspective, at any rate) the pace of change glacial?
              • What would a modern satellite data communication system look like? How many lines would you recommend? What would this additional data transmission enable us to do or know?
              • In the past year space situational awareness and space domain awareness have finally been getting more of the attention it deserves. What else needs to happen to gain the energy to make change and the funding required to do so?   


                • Previous interview on the Cold Star Project with Dr. Jah: https://coldstarproject.com/auS02E11MoribaJah   


                Wikipedia page on Dr. Jah: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moriba_Jah  


                Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  


                Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

                50 min
              • Istvan Lorincz - The Reality of Creating a Space Startup (From Europe to USA) - CSP S03E12

                Starting in Europe and ending in the USA, Istvan Lorincz and the other co-founders of Morpheus Space have been on a long startup journey. We discuss:

                • their fundraising efforts
                • what has stood out as a key but little-mentioned factor in developing a startup
                • the realistic expectations founders should have when deciding to form a startup.   

                  • Morpheus Space website: https://www.morpheus-space.com/


                  Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  


                  Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

                  48 min
                • Bruce Gordon - Electronic Warfare In The Cold War - Cold Star Project S02E65

                  Major Bruce Gordon (ret), 130+ combat mission pilot and electronic warfare instructor, returns to the Cold Star Project. This time, we're looking at how EW developed through the Cold War. What does the electromagnetic spectrum look like as a diagram? How are the various frequency bands used? Join us and find out.  


                  First lecture on the history of EW: https://coldstarproject.com/yts02e64brucegordon   


                  Spirit of Attack Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SpiritofAttack/  (order the book on Amazon, or send $20 to Bruce Gordon, 105 Broadbill Ct, Georgetown KY 40324)   


                  Bruce Gordon YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofattack  


                  Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

                  59 min
                • Bruce Gordon - History of Electronic Warfare and the Battle of the Beams - CSP S02E64

                  Electronic Warfare instructor and combat fighter pilot Bruce Gordon, author of Spirit of Attack, is on the Cold Star Project. With host Jason Kanigan, Major Gordon shares his personal experience meeting RV Jones, a history of EW, and some detail of the Battle of the Beams.  


                  Spirit of Attack Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SpiritofAttack/  

                  (order the book on Amazon, or send $20 to Bruce Gordon, 105 Broadbill Ct, Georgetown KY 40324)  


                  Bruce Gordon YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofattack  


                  Battle of the Beams article on Wikipedia (entertaining!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Beams



                  YouTube video version of this interview (with slides): https://coldstarproject.com/yts02e64brucegordon

                  48 min
                • Charity Weeden - Orbital Environmental Management And In-Space logistics With Astroscale - CSP S02E63

                  VP Global Space Policy of Astroscale US, Charity Weeden is on the Cold Star Project to share her background and the organization's vision for space. Orbital environmental management and in-space logistics are two key areas Astroscale is developing capabilities and influence in. With host Jason Kanigan, Charity discusses:


                  • the vision, mission and organization of Astroscale
                  • how the technical, business and policy areas interlink through the organization's efforts
                  • why space debris is a problem, and what we can do about it
                  • her background and how she arrived at the VP Global Space Policy role
                  • what her typical day looks like
                  • what COMSTAC is, and her role as chair
                  • looking forward to working in cislunar space and its implications
                  • the costs of decommissioning and the ways these costs are currently hidden.


                    • Astroscale website: https://astroscale.com/



                    Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb


                    Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

                    37 min
                  • Bill Kemp - Creating Space Structures On The Moon - Cold Star Project S02E62

                    United Space Structures CEO and founder Bill Kemp is on the Cold Star Project to share his plans to create real estate via structures for living and working in on the Moon. Safe inside lava tubes, USS will engineer space structures so that people can survive there. Host Jason Kanigan asks Bill:

                    • What kind of business model does United Space Structures have?
                    • What kind of tenants do you want to have at your facilities?
                    • Tell us about the lunar infrastructure service you intend to provide
                    • What is the “marketplace need” for this offer?
                    • What level of budget is required to move ahead? Is it needed in stages or as a lump sum?
                    • What is the potential Return On Investment (ROI) for your lunar facilities?
                    • How many facilities do you want to build and where?
                    • What technical requirements are needed to implement this solution? Why not an inflatable approach?
                    • What kind of partners are you seeking to support the project?
                    • Tell us about the preparation & learning required to get to this point.   



                      • United Space Structures website: https://united-space-structures.com/


                      Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb  


                      Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall

                      37 min
                    • Ran Qedar - Taking Startup 'Space Products and Innovation' Through An Accelerator - CSP S03E11

                      Space Products and Innovation (SPiN) co-founder Ran Qedar is on the Cold Star Project to share his experience taking his space startup through the Techstars accelerator. Host Jason Kanigan asks Ran:

                      • What problem did potential customers in the space industry tell you they were experiencing that lead to a prototype product?
                      • SPiN's tagline is “Build a satellite like Lego”. This seems to match up pretty well with Cold Star's “Make Space Boring” mantra. Tell us what your intention with that phrasing is, and where it could lead to
                      • What has your work with Techstars taught you? What stood out as a key factor that prior to working with them you would probably not have given as much importance to?
                      • Techstars has strong messaging about “ecosystem development”. What has that translated in for SPiN?
                      • What quality do co-founders need and what help to balance the team? 
                      • Who would you point to as having been integral to deepening your understanding of business and startups?
                      • How is the European hardware space startups scene? How are startups supported?   


                        • SPiN website: https://www.spinintech.com/  


                        Get new episodes directly in your inbox: https://www.coldstartech.com/msb 


                        Talk to Cold Star: https://www.coldstartech.com/bookcall



                        32 min

                      About Cold Star Project

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                      The Cold Star Project digs into the challenges of scaling fast that tech and Space manufacturing founders encounter. Money does not solve all problems--so what now? Listen in to discover what scaling…