IDA Ideas

IDA Ideas host Rhett A. Moeller spoke to Addison D. Adams and Olivia Gozdz, researchers in the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, about their experiences as attendees on the first day of the Defense and Aerospace Test and Analysis Workshop (DATAWorks) 2023, held at IDA in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 25-27. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to IDA Senior Fellow Peter Levine about his role as director of the Defense Management Institute (DMI), a DOD organization launched at a kickoff symposium at IDA on January 31, 2023. Peter explains how DMI will bring together a broad range of experts from outside the DOD to inform what goes on inside DOD. He also describes the scope of the challenge, which covers how best to conduct day-to-day business operations from sustenance, housing, and health care to training, sustainment, and logistics through efficient management, governance, and organizational alignment of these businesses. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to Breeana G. Anderson and Kelso W. “Kelly” Horst Jr., researchers in the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, about their experiences as attendees on the first day of the Defense and Aerospace Test and Analysis Workshop (DATAWorks) 2022, held at IDA in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 26-28. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to Ricky D. Lindsey Jr. and Steven A. Rabinowitz, researchers in the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, about their experiences as attendees on the second day of the Defense and Aerospace Test and Analysis Workshop (DATAWorks) 2022, held at IDA in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 26-28. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to Nicole L. DeGregorio and Allison L. Goodman, researchers in the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, about their experiences as attendees on the first day of the Defense and Aerospace Test and Analysis Workshop (DATAWorks) 2022, held at IDA in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 26-28. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller speaks to Daniel Pechkis, Jason Sheldon, and  Stephen Ouellette about how they and others at IDA recommended an approach to improve predictions about the orbital debris environment using satellite movement data. Many of the discussion topics arose during the IDA Forum on Orbital Debris Risks and Challenges, held on October 8–9, 2020, which was attended by IDA researchers and decision makers from the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, Department of Commerce, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission. Transcript and Notes

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to IDA President Norton Schwartz, Joel Williamsen of the IDA Systems and Analyses Center’s Operational Evaluation Division, and James Heagy of the IDA Systems and Analyses Center’s Science and Technology Division about the threat of orbital debris and kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons to the economic and military value of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), especially satellite constellations. Many of the comments in this podcast arose during the IDA Forum on Orbital Debris Risks and Challenges, held on October 8–9, 2020, and attended by IDA researchers and decision makers from the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Air Force, Department of Commerce, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, and Federal Communications Commission. IDA has supported nearly 20 years of sponsored and independent research into the effects of orbital debris and ASAT weapons on satellite systems. This research has intensified in recent years due to the phenomenal growth in satellite constellations in LEO, and the DoD’s expected use of such constellations for national defense. Much of IDA’s work has centered on predicting the effect of orbital debris on spacecraft mission loss, both in the short term from collateral damage due to satellite collisions or ASAT tests and in the long term as the background orbital debris population continues to grow. This growth has led to what many researchers believe to be the beginning stages of a Kessler Syndrome, named after the original NASA researcher who predicted the onset of a self-sustaining debris growth environment as existing debris hits operating and nonoperating satellites, creating more debris. Such a debris environment increases the risk of losing reliable and safe access to affected regions of space. Transcript and Notes

In this episode of IDA Ideas, host Rhett Moeller interviews researchers from IDA’s Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) about their research into China’s commercial space sector. STPI researchers Bhavya Lal, Irina Liu, Shirley Han, and Tom Colvin provide an overview of their work, their discussions with Chinese space experts, their thoughts on technological advancements in China, and their assessment of China’s strengths and weaknesses in the sector. Transcript