TTC Video - The Future of Space Exploration
TTC Video - The Future of Space Exploration
.MP4, AVC, 1280x720, 30 fps | English, AAC, 2 Ch | 5h 37m | 4.66 GB
Lecturer: Ariel Ekblaw, PhD Aurelia Institute; MIT Media Lab; Yale Center for Collaborative Arts and Media | Course No. 10590
.MP4, AVC, 1280x720, 30 fps | English, AAC, 2 Ch | 5h 37m | 4.66 GB
Lecturer: Ariel Ekblaw, PhD Aurelia Institute; MIT Media Lab; Yale Center for Collaborative Arts and Media | Course No. 10590
More than half a century after humans first walked on the Moon, exciting new space adventures are in the works. Thanks to major advances in rocketry, robotics, and other space technologies, humanity is on the verge of returning to the Moon, exploring Mars, building permanent orbiting space stations, expanding space tourism, and pushing the boundaries of exploration throughout the solar system and beyond. After decades of incremental progress, we now stand on the brink of a transformative expansion in space projects, ushering in possibilities once dreamed of only in science fiction. Consider these developments:
- Reusable rockets: Once deemed technically impractical due to extreme launch and reentry stresses, reusable rocket stages are now a reality thanks to firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin, significantly reducing the cost of delivering payloads to space.
- Lunar base: While Apollo missions were limited to just three days on the Moon, the Artemis program plans to extend lunar stays by up to a month, with astronauts living inside a pressurized habitat. The ultimate goal is a sustainable human lunar presence.
- Mars missions: Improvements in rocketry, life support systems, radiation protection, and habitat design are bringing human trips to Mars within reach, despite the challenges. With current technology, a roundtrip mission will take approximately two years.
This is only a sample of the visionary initiatives now underway at NASA, aerospace companies, research labs, think tanks, and space start-ups. The Future of Space Exploration is your guide to this pioneering endeavor, reported by space architect and aerospace engineer Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, cofounder and CEO of Aurelia Institute and the founder and past director of the Space Exploration Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Throughout these 12 informative half-hour episodes, Dr. Ekblaw is joined by colleagues in different fields of space research and technology who contribute their own unique perspectives on this greatest of all adventures. After watching The Future of Space Exploration, you will have a deeper understanding of the challenges, innovations, and possibilities of space exploration—and may want to get involved yourself!
New Technology for New Missions
The Apollo expeditions to the Moon between 1968 and 1972 were an astonishing achievement, but ultimately transient. Astronauts planted flags, collected samples, and left. Scientists learned a great deal about the formation of the Moon and planets, but the infrastructure that made the landings possible was abandoned, largely because it was so expensive and specialized. By contrast, the Artemis program is designed for flexibility and permanence. Astronauts will not only explore but also build the foundation for future missions—turning the Moon from a destination into a stepping stone for Mars and beyond. Two dozen astronauts participated in the Apollo lunar missions, while the Artemis program will likely involve many times that number, including non-astronauts.
The Future of Space Exploration investigates the rockets, orbital stations, landing systems, and living quarters required for Artemis and other space ventures. You also learn about lesser-known hardware, such as:
The Next Giant Leap
Past spaceflights have been notoriously short on creature comforts, with cramped quarters, recycled air and water, limited hygiene, and highly processed food, not to mention lack of privacy and the mixed blessing of microgravity, which can induce vertigo in many astronauts. Although space travel will never be luxurious, upcoming missions will be far more livable than Apollo or even the International Space Station, which is the premier space project to date. Improvements in the works include:
If that sounds like a resort advertisement, it’s no coincidence—some space planners are already thinking about the future of space tourism. One of the early participants in commercial space travel, space industry executive Dylan Taylor, shares his experience in this course. In 2021, he flew on a Blue Origin mission, replicating Alan Shepard’s historic 1961 flight—the first American journey into space.
During his 10-minute suborbital trip, Taylor experienced four and a half minutes of weightlessness, which he spent glued to the window: “I was essentially hovering over the Earth in zero gravity with nothing to see but the Earth beneath me,” he reports. “And that was an incredibly powerful moment!”
For Taylor and all prospective space tourists, this is just a taste of what’s in store. His company is helping build one of NASA’s next-generation space stations—a project developed in partnership with Hilton Hotels to radically redefine the space experience.
The Future of Space Exploration hears from a wide range of other hands-on experts who are shaping our future in space—engineers, architects, designers, and entrepreneurs. As Dr. Ekblaw notes, “Humanity is at its best when we are striving to reach distant but attainable goals. Space exploration is just that. We’re striving to bring to life a visionary, aspirational future that can be accessed by all of us.”
Throughout these 12 informative half-hour episodes, Dr. Ekblaw is joined by colleagues in different fields of space research and technology who contribute their own unique perspectives on this greatest of all adventures. After watching The Future of Space Exploration, you will have a deeper understanding of the challenges, innovations, and possibilities of space exploration—and may want to get involved yourself!
New Technology for New Missions
The Apollo expeditions to the Moon between 1968 and 1972 were an astonishing achievement, but ultimately transient. Astronauts planted flags, collected samples, and left. Scientists learned a great deal about the formation of the Moon and planets, but the infrastructure that made the landings possible was abandoned, largely because it was so expensive and specialized. By contrast, the Artemis program is designed for flexibility and permanence. Astronauts will not only explore but also build the foundation for future missions—turning the Moon from a destination into a stepping stone for Mars and beyond. Two dozen astronauts participated in the Apollo lunar missions, while the Artemis program will likely involve many times that number, including non-astronauts.
The Future of Space Exploration investigates the rockets, orbital stations, landing systems, and living quarters required for Artemis and other space ventures. You also learn about lesser-known hardware, such as:
- BioSuit: Future lunar and Martian explorers will be outfitted with a formfitting spacesuit that is lighter and more mobile than the puffy, heavily padded, traditional spacesuit, which is like wearing a personal airbag. In comparison, the BioSuit resembles a scuba wetsuit.
- TESSERAE: Developed at Dr. Ekblaw’s Aurelia Institute, this modular habitat autonomously self-assembles in space, much like crystals or molecules forming in nature. This hands-off approach will be invaluable for building space stations and interplanetary outposts.
- AstroAnt: Another of Dr. Ekblaw’s research projects is a miniature robot for inspecting and diagnosing the outside surfaces of satellites, rovers, and landers. Like the swarms of autonomous robots in science fiction, AstroAnt is designed to work in teams.
The Next Giant Leap
Past spaceflights have been notoriously short on creature comforts, with cramped quarters, recycled air and water, limited hygiene, and highly processed food, not to mention lack of privacy and the mixed blessing of microgravity, which can induce vertigo in many astronauts. Although space travel will never be luxurious, upcoming missions will be far more livable than Apollo or even the International Space Station, which is the premier space project to date. Improvements in the works include:
- More spacious habitats
- Visually appealing interiors
- Artificial gravity and exercise upgrades
- Better food and fresh produce
- Enhanced mental well-being and entertainment
- More comfortable sleep stations
If that sounds like a resort advertisement, it’s no coincidence—some space planners are already thinking about the future of space tourism. One of the early participants in commercial space travel, space industry executive Dylan Taylor, shares his experience in this course. In 2021, he flew on a Blue Origin mission, replicating Alan Shepard’s historic 1961 flight—the first American journey into space.
During his 10-minute suborbital trip, Taylor experienced four and a half minutes of weightlessness, which he spent glued to the window: “I was essentially hovering over the Earth in zero gravity with nothing to see but the Earth beneath me,” he reports. “And that was an incredibly powerful moment!”
For Taylor and all prospective space tourists, this is just a taste of what’s in store. His company is helping build one of NASA’s next-generation space stations—a project developed in partnership with Hilton Hotels to radically redefine the space experience.
The Future of Space Exploration hears from a wide range of other hands-on experts who are shaping our future in space—engineers, architects, designers, and entrepreneurs. As Dr. Ekblaw notes, “Humanity is at its best when we are striving to reach distant but attainable goals. Space exploration is just that. We’re striving to bring to life a visionary, aspirational future that can be accessed by all of us.”
TTC Video - The Future of Space Exploration
