15. Bill Bruner: Our Hypersonic Future

In this episode, Senior Fellow in Defense Studies Peter Garretson interviews Bill Bruner, CEO and co-founder of New Frontier Frontier Aerospace.  They discuss New Frontier Aerospace's vision of a reusable rocket-based mach-8 hypersonic suborbital cargo system. The discussion covers the Space Force doctrine, X-15, DC-X, seams in air and space power projection, Space Tourism's recent successes with Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, equity concerns with billionaire rocket programs and their answer, Space Force's Rocket Cargo program, China's hypersonic program, the movement and settlement of space, commercial roles, the drive of commercial space to make humanity multiplanetary, advanced space propulsion, and next steps for U.S. space policy.
Bill Bruner:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-bruner-490b098
https://dbb.defense.gov/Members/Bill-Bruner/
New Frontier Aerospace
https://www.nfaero.com/
National Security Implications of Inexpensive Space Access
https://fas.org/spp/eprint/bruner.htm
FAST Space Study
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3193/1
https://www.maxwell.af.mil/News/Display/Article/2384716/acsc-schriever-space-scholars-expands-to-meet-demand-for-space-studies/
Rocket Cargo:
https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article/2646782/department-of-the-air-force-announces-fourth-vanguard-program/
https://www.airforcemag.com/rocket-cargo-air-force-fourth-vanguard/
https://www.defensedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/post_attachment/157919.pdf
Chinese Hypersonics (airbreathing):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzNhrUQ_Qls
Al Globus' High Frontier: An Easier Way
https://www.amazon.com/High-Frontier-Easier-Way-ebook/dp/B07FYWM41W
NASA Nuclear Thermal:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-nuclear-thermal-propulsion-reactor-concept-awards
DARPA Nuclear Thermal:
https://www.darpa.mil/program/demonstration-rocket-for-agile-cislunar-operations
Dusty Plasma Fission Fragment Rocket Engine:
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/718391main_Werka_2011_PhI_FFRE.pdf
X-15
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/60th/x-15/
DC-X
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/dc-x-the-nasa-rocket-that-inspired-spacex-and-blue-origin
AFWERX
https://afwerx.com/