Artist’s concept of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) when attached to the International Space Station and fully inflated (NASA)
Is it truly possible to travel to Mars? How about to our closest star Alpha Centauri? For generations, when we looked out at the distant stars, we could only wonder whether there were planets and the conditions for life-as-we-know-it around them. But in the past 25 years, we have detected thousands of confirmed planets, including many that are potentially habitable for humans. But will we be able to get to these distant destinations in space? What motivations would justify such journeys? And what are the questions that must be answered before undertaking them? Sten Odenwald, a NASA astronomer, looks into the feasibility of space travel and what is needed to be ready for such an undertaking.
In the final session, Odenwald is joined by Robert M. Robinson, a NASA colleague and science fiction writer on space travel. They look at how and where science fiction clashes with scientific fact.
Sept. 7 The Astronomical Challenges to Space Travel
An introduction to the astronomical scale of the universe where distances to likely destinations are beyond the human scale of comprehension. What assumptions are no longer adequate to guide us?
Sept. 14 Interplanetary Travel
Exploration within our solar system is not a consolation prize if we can never reach the stars. But even in this “backyard,” we have to have a clear-eyed view for why we want to do it.
Sept. 21 Interstellar Travel
Where should we go? What will we do there? How will it benefit the 7 billion people left behind? Interstellar travel is not an issue of technology, but an issue of social and scientific needs that can only be met by actually visiting the nearest stars and planetary systems.
Sept. 28 Science Fact versus Science Fiction?
A discussion about space travel as a future endeavor of humanity, and how it will be achieved, given the astronomical challenges.
Odenwald is an astronomer, author, and NASA scientist-educator.
4 sessions
