Chapter 1: What is the future of the International Space Station?
Gary, we just learned that the future in space does not include the ISS. It's going down. Space drama.
Yeah, hopefully they take the astronauts out first, though.
Okay, we'll send Chuck's note along. Coming up, what our future in space will probably look like, because we got the expert on StarTalk. Welcome to StarTalk. Your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. StarTalk begins right now. This is StarTalk Special Edition, which means I got Gary O'Reilly right next to me. Gary. Hey, Neil. And Chuck Nice. What's up, Neil? All right.
Chapter 2: What will replace the ISS in low Earth orbit?
So, Gary, I don't know how you came up with this subject. You and Lane over in LA.
All right, yeah, we had a little help from Lindsay Walker. And Lindsay Walker. Yeah, so. My co-author, Lindsay Walker. Yes, and credit to both Lindsay and Lane. All right, let's get into this. Consider this. The ISS is to be decommissioned.
International Space Station for those who have never listened to this show ever.
At all. And that's due 2030, 2031. So now you start to extend your thought process. So what will replace it?
Chapter 3: How do we envision off-world industries in space?
What will Earth's orbital space look like? What new technologies are going to emerge? Will Earth's orbit become an annex for our off-worlding our industries?
I love that phrase, off-worlding.
It sounds so futuristic and spacey. I have to get off-world. Right now, I'm telling you, I'm a wanted man. I have to get off world. Off world.
Yeah, so, I mean, that's going to be prefixed with a big old dollar sign. Yes. Once you start to get into those areas. There's a lot to unpack, so let's bring on our guest, shall we?
All right. We got a guest here.
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Chapter 4: What are the challenges of building habitats in space?
You know, it'll take me half the show to read the credentials here. Then don't read them all. No, I'm going to read them all.
Okay.
We have Ariel Ekblau, did I pronounce your name correctly?
You did, sir.
Ariel, welcome back to StarTalk.
Thank you, it's a delight.
You were last on during COVID. Yes. And I have no memory of anything that happened during COVID. And I didn't even have COVID. Don't we all. That's not my excuse. So you are founder and CEO.
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Chapter 5: How do self-assembling structures work in space?
I love anybody who's that of anything. Founder and CEO. Founder and CEO of the Aurelia Institute, whose mission is to bring humanity space exploration future to life. Nice. I'm working on it. Making the future now. Now. Yes, okay. Founder and director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative. Look at that. Man, that's serious. That's some serious stuff.
Just hashtag nerd would also suffice.
Yeah, that's it. Hashtag nerd.
Chapter 6: What is the significance of AI data centers in space?
Right. Geek nerd squared. NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium on the executive committee of that.
Okay.
and you've actually worked on space hardware that's on the surface of Mars right now. Oh, wow. So your parents are really disappointed in you. Just like, I don't know what happened.
I never did learn to fly. They are the underachiever.
Parents are Air Force pilots, both of them.
Yes, my parents are both pilots.
You're such a disappointment.
What's left, though? Double pilot parents, you got to go to space.
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Chapter 7: How can solar power be harnessed from space?
That's the only thing left. That's so true. Okay.
Mom, Dad, stay in the atmosphere.
I don't care. So what piece of hardware is on Mars that you touched?
Yeah, I got to work on Sherlock on the Perseverance rover, Mars 2020, which is looking for, in NASA's classic terminology, can't say looking for life, looking for signs of past habitability on the Martian surface.
Looking for life. Looking for life. That's the current rover, it's still an active rover.
It is, it is an active rover. Don't tell me it's got a deerstalker hat and a magnifying glass, just running around on the Martian surface.
Very Sherlock Holmes-y. Yeah. No, I'm delighted to learn all of this.
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Chapter 8: What are the implications of space debris on future missions?
Thank you. Now, the bit that you worked on, that was at JPL, I guess, when they assembled it. So you didn't, like, sneeze on it before they launched it?
Not to my knowledge, but they did.
And now there is life on Mars. Well, what do you know?
There's aerial snot on Mars that come to life.
Snuck past that planetary protection protocol.
Right, right. Forget the Andromeda strain, it's the aerial strain.
It's the aerial strain. Oh, God, the horror. They bake those things out, though. They've got to really heat them up before they send them. So I'm pretty sure that my little fingerprint gets baked off of that aluminum.
Nice. Or the booger that you put on it.
Or that, too.
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