Hardware Podcasts

Ep. 44 | Blue Origin's SVP Brent Sherwood on Engineering to Live and Work in Space

Moore's Lobby · 26 Apr 2022 · 51m · Episode 4

What this episode covers

Brent Sherwood, Blue Origin's Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs, discusses the engineering challenges and vision for building a foundation for human civilization in space. He details the design of Orbital Reef, a commercial space station scheduled for the late 2020s, focusing on space architecture, microgravity living, and reusable rocket engines like the BE4. Sherwood also covers the strategic importance of accessing space resources, including energy and materials from the Moon, and the transition from government aerospace to private industry.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Blue Origin, Boeing, JPL, NASA
Products
Orbital Reef, New Shepard, BE4, International Space Station, Cassini
Also
Enceladus

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Over the Air · 19m

    Space IoT: The Final Frontier

    Dennis Muilenburg, former CEO of Boeing and current CEO of New Vista Acquisition Corp., discusses the transformation of the aerospace industry and the rise of Space IoT. He explains how New Vista, a SPAC focused on emerging aerospace technologies, aims to support startups in satellite networks, low Earth orbit ecosystems, and asteroid mining. Muilenburg highlights the shift from traditional defense systems to commercial connectivity, citing his past work on Boeing's Future Combat Systems as a precursor to modern connected hardware.

    Connected products & IoTFundraising & investors
    8 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 46m

    Psst...Hey buddy, wanna buy an Octopus?

    Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, highlighting the booming private space industry, the availability of 'space lube', and the surprising demand for payloads on Firefly's Moon Lander. They then shift to maker culture, exploring the Gridfinity modular storage system, 3D printing workflows with the Creality K1, and the resurgence of the Commodore 64. The episode concludes with Dave Jones detailing his DIY installation of a 75 kWh home battery system, including the construction of a reinforced concrete slab to support the heavy racks.

    Maker community & eventsEnergy & climate tech
    6 chapters

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 16m

    Designing Space Robots

    Chris Finger, a sales engineer for Harmonic Drive, discusses the technical challenges of designing space robots, focusing on the specific requirements for strain wave gearing in vacuum and extreme temperature environments. He details the shift from traditional high-reliability aerospace standards to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for LEO satellite constellations like SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. The conversation covers critical material science decisions, including the use of stainless steel for thermal stability, the supply chain pain points for certified bearings, and the trade-offs between weight optimization and mechanical precision.

    Mechanical engineeringMaterials & manufacturing processes
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 00m

    Inspirations and Aspirations - Recanting Rocket Rationale

    Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and FindChips shares insights from tours of SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, reflecting on the high-pressure, mission-critical engineering culture in aerospace compared to consumer electronics. Dave Jones of EEVblog discusses his challenges in getting a side project manufactured by a large name-brand manufacturer, highlighting the difficulty of cost control and the necessity of setting artificial constraints to avoid scope creep. The hosts also debate the role of reality TV and YouTube in inspiring the next generation of engineers and the strategic decision to vertically integrate manufacturing versus outsourcing.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    8 chapters

  • Hard Tech Podcast · 37m

    Living In Space And On Water Will Soon Change Our Lives Forever | Hard Tech #8

    The host analyzes four emerging concepts for living off-land: luxury 'ship homes' like World Residences at Sea, bamboo floating homes by HP Architects, the Dogin City floating smart healthcare city in Japan, and Varda Space Industries' orbital manufacturing. He critiques the social isolation of these models and the technical challenges of self-replication and re-entry. The discussion highlights specific companies and their unique value propositions, from bamboo buoyancy to microgravity pharmaceutical production.

    Industrial & consumer product designMaterials & manufacturing processes
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Moore's Lobby. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.