September 16, 2006: Space Solar Energy & Launch Systems - John C. Mankins
Podcast: The Art Bell ArchivePublished On: Mon Jan 19 2026
Description: Art Bell speaks with John C. Mankins, a 25-year NASA veteran who spent a decade at JPL and 15 years at headquarters overseeing advanced technology programs. Mankins explains how breakthroughs in lightweight thin-film reflectors now make solar power viable even in the outer solar system, challenging NASA's long reliance on plutonium-powered systems for deep space missions.The conversation expands to space solar power, the concept of collecting energy in orbit where sunlight is constant, then beaming it to Earth via microwave or laser. Mankins describes fail-safe phased arrays that prevent the beam from targeting anything without a ground-based pilot signal. He estimates the technology could become cost-competitive within 10 to 20 years, potentially delivering hundreds of gigawatts to multiple locations from a single satellite.Art and Mankins discuss the risks of nuclear materials in space, launch economics, and the stalled civilian space program. Mankins advocates for international cooperation modeled on commercial ventures rather than government projects. The program opens with Art sharing observations from a recent Hong Kong trip, a Pravda report about Russian journalists allegedly cooking an egg between two cell phones, and updates on the Lake Superior F-89 Scorpion mystery.
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