In the News…
• Shuttle Program Decommissioned
• cost per mission at $1.3 billion
Image: NASA
Is NASA worth the money?
U.S Poll:
Yes: 56%
No:
40%
Data: Gallup
The pursuit of
human space travel
1. What do we gain?
2. What does it cost?
3. Should we use robots?
What do we gain from
pursuing space travel?
Technological Trickle-down
The National Aeronautics and Space Exploration Act
1958
Image: NASA
Computer Chips
Built by TI, funded by Apollo Program
Image: NASA
Infant Formula
From study for long-duration space flights
Image: Wikicommons
NASA’s Spinoff
Basic Science
Repairing the
Hubble Telescope
Image: NASA
Eagle Nebula
Sombrero Galaxy
Image: NASA
CON: Questionable Research
Image: NASA
Political Unity?
Image: NASA
What do we stand to gain from
space exploration?
Natural resources
$20 Trillion!
Image: Emily Lakdawalla
Helium-3
Images: Wikicommons, NASA
Asteroid Deflection
Apophsis
2029
Images: Wikimedia Commons/NASA
1 in 600
chance!
Torino Scale
Source: NASA
Satellite Crash is More Likely
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
1-in-3,200 chance to hit someone
Image: NASA
Another Earth
Planet-G?
• Planets with proper temperature, gas
composition, water & land for humans
Image: WIkicommons
Possibility of Life?
Drake Equation
Image: Flickr/Waifer_X
Dubious Results
Meteorite Bacteria?
Perhaps
Arsenic-based life form?
NO!
Images: NASA
Too Dangerous?
Stephen Hawking
Images: flickr/tableatny, wikimedia commons
What about the costs?
2011: $18 B
Image: NASA
Small fraction of national budget
Total: $ 4 Trillion
Labor
Homeland Security
$720 B
Defense
NASA
Image: NASA
How much is $18b?
$154 Billion
Image: flickr/thegiantvermin
NASA Budget over Time
Image: Wikipedia/Benjamin.Heasly
Human Costs
Image: NASA
Should we use robots?
Robots don’t need
all that human stuff
Artificial Intelligence
The Mars Rover Making Up Its Mind
Image: MIT Opencourseware
Robot – Human Collaboration
Octavia, the US Navy’s Social Robot
Image: US Navy
Robonaut
Image: NASA
So is that the answer?
Science Education
Image: NASA
Carl Sagan
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image: NASA
The Pale Blue Dot
Toward the Final Frontier of Manned
Space Flight
Part I: How we got here: Background and
challenges (Ryann)
Part II: Why boldly go? Why not? (Luke)
Part III: Where are we going? (Emily)