Beyond Earth
NASA scientists share glimpses of new space frontiers
By TFK Kid Reporter Jamie Paterno Ostmann
A mechanical dragonfly whirs through the skies of Mars. A swarm of tiny rock-eating robots munch on a runaway asteroid to keep it from harming Earth. Crab-like probes swim through alien seas in search of life. Science fiction? Not for long. These are all ideas that Jay Falker, who runs the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, is working on right now. "We take a look at what's on the edge of science fiction today, and how we might make it reality in the future," he said.
Falker was one of about a dozen scientists and astronauts who spoke at a recent conference called "What Every Filmmaker Should Know About NASA," a gathering designed to bring Hollywood producers and directors up to date on the latest developments in space exploration.
The daylong conference at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena , California
Are We Alone?
Dr. Christopher McKay, who studies the evolution of the solar system and the origins of life at NASA's Ames Research Center, in Northern California, told the gathering that he believes there is life beyond Earth, just waiting to be found on Mars or on one of Jupiter's or Saturn's moons. He is searching for what he calls the "Second Genesis." "If we find another example of life, that would tell us that right here in our own solar system life started twice," McKay told TFK. "That would tell us life is common, that it's popping up everywhere. The universe is full of life."
The View from Space
Veteran shuttle astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Michael J. Massimino told stories about their experiences living in space, ranging from describing the beauty of the stars to the difficulty of using a toilet without gravity. Dyson spoke about how she was astonished by the view in space and how everything appeared to be in 3D. "You could tell which stars were farther away than others. It just moved me to tears," she said.
Massimino gave advice to children who want to be astronauts. "Work hard. Never give up," he said. Dyson added, "Study, dream big, believe, and most importantly, follow your heart."
Mixed Feelings
Bill Nye, host of the Emmy-winning Bill Nye, the Science Guy television series, moderated a discussion on the long-range study of space. He told TFK that he had many emotions listening to stories of the astronauts' adventures. "I applied to be an astronaut, and I can't help but think what I could have done if I had the chance," he said. Nye is the executive director of The Planetary Society, an organization that advocates exploration of other planets, especially Mars.
In addition to the exciting talk about new worlds and new life forms, there was a touch of sadness to the conference. With the final space shuttle set to launch in early 2011, the astronauts told the audience, it could be a long time before the United States
Max-Space is very cool. However, only a few people could go to space and feel that realistic place. I think living in a zero-gravity place may be harder than in living in Earth. If we do all the things the same way as it would be made in Earth, it will be too hard. But, we can explore the space and let us know. I think the space is so cool because of those robots that explore some planets, and robots that travel and explore the alien seas. And space technology is getting better, and about many centuries later, we could live in Mars! And maybe explore the black hole and even outer space in the next few years! But, outer space is really dangerous; there maybe are big asteroids, and some other dangerous stuff. Really, space stuff is really expensive. Like those cool rockets, one of them maybe cost hundreds of millions of dollars; don’t even say other even expensive things. And, some space missions failed because of the rocket busted or collapsed, and many astronauts died because of that. So astronauts really need to do the best to execute the missions, and hope they would come back to Earth safely. |
