Star Trekhas influenced many of us to fall in love with the infinite possibilities of space exploration. The various television series and films have also made an indelible impact on NASA. NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts often cite Star Trek as inspiring them to pursue careers in their fields. (Nichelle Nichols even helped NASA recruit astronauts in the 1980s.) Today, NASA is turning science fiction into reality. Humans now live and work in space full time on the International Space Station. SNASA continues its goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s. How does NASA's vision of the future mimic the world of Star Trek and where does it differ? What technologies in the Star Trek world have paved the way for real technologies being developed by NASA? This moderated discussion in collaboration with CBS will be accompanied by the latest visual and graphics of some of NASA's newest and most exciting missions. Robert Picardo, who portrayed The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, moderates a panel that includes Astronaut Kjell Lindgren (NASA Johnson Space Center), Amber Straughn (astrophysicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Bobak Ferdowsi (flight systems engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and Jay Falker (early stage portfolio executive, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters).
Saturday July 23, 2016 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 5AB