[X] My Assistant

[elakdawalla]

On Friday I'll be giving a presentation to the Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, which is being convened for the following purpose:

A new generation of space vehicles capable of economically delivering payloads and researchers is coming on line beginning in 2010. These vehicles will revolutionize space access by providing frequent, low-cost access to space and the capability to carry research and education crew members. They will also carry experiments for technology demonstrations, for scientist in-the-loop research, and for educational/public outreach demonstrations.

Fields including atmospheric science, solar physics, microgravity science, planetary science, space life science, space physics, and education and public outreach (EPO) stand to benefit from these vehicles.

NSRC2010 will provide a forum to learn about the research and EPO capabilities of these new systems, their experiments, and EPO integration processes. NSRC2010 will also provide input on vehicle design requirements for science and education.

The conveners include people like Alan Stern and David Grinspoon, who are really interested in public engagement. I was invited to give a talk on how to engage the public, and I plan to focus my talk on engaging the "interested public" -- that is to say, you guys. I've just outlined my talk and wanted to invite anybody interested to review and suggest any additions or changes. In particular, I would really like to know if you all have any suggestions that are more specific to the focus of the conference, suborbital flight experiments that are going to be enabled by the new private launch capabilities coming online soon?

My talk outline is attached.

Attached File(s)

 Social_Networking_Planetary_Science_Outline.doc ( 41K ) Number of downloads: 441

 

[elakdawalla]

I really liked your presentation. Will the actual presentation be videoed?

They actually haven't yet figured out exactly how I'll be presenting -- if I'm pushing the pres via WebEx I'll definitely record it. I'll certainly post the final presentation in PPT format in my blog tomorrow.

For those of you who have interest in the capabilities of suborbital flights, jeff_foust is Tweeting the conference today, it seems.

[djellison]

I remain to be convinced that this initiative is anything more than a solution in search of a problem.

What are sounding rockets and vomit comets?

I can't imagine anyone who puts payloads on zero-g parabolic flights who wouldn't like to get one 5 minute shot rather than a dozen 20 second shots.

I can't imagine anyone who puts payloads on sounding rockets who wouldn't like to have more volume, more mass, and/or be able to tend to their payload in real time.

[hendric]

Pardon the skepticism, but I fail to see what suborbital research has to do with planetary science in anything but the most general way.

Testing of new instruments in a near-space environment? There's a whole slew of opportunities there.

Training future planetary scientists? Giving them a chance to PI and launch an instrument.

Studies above the atmosphere, in bands normally absorbed?

[mcaplinger]

Testing of new instruments in a near-space environment? There's a whole slew of opportunities there.

Pardon me, but that doesn't stand up to any scrutiny IMHO. Far more cost-effective to use a thermal/vac chamber. Testing in zero-gee is rarely anything more than an excuse to get a free plane ride, not an engineering need.

Sorry, still not seeing the connection.

[mcaplinger]

I can't imagine anyone who puts payloads on zero-g parabolic flights who wouldn't like to get one 5 minute shot rather than a dozen 20 second shots.

Now give me one example where that's planetary science. (Or even science at all, but that's another question.)

I can't imagine anyone who puts payloads on sounding rockets who wouldn't like to have more volume, more mass, and/or be able to tend to their payload in real time.

More volume and more mass, maybe. Way lower altitude than many sounding rockets, almost certainly. (A Black Brant XII can lift 500 lbs to nearly 1500 km.) Being able to tend the payload in real time -- seems very marginal to me. t's not like you'd be able to fix any anomaly during one suborbital flight.

[djellison]

You don't see the connection - great. Plenty of people do, however.

Who said it's anything to do with planetary science?

[mcaplinger]

Who said it's anything to do with planetary science?

From the first post in this thread: "Fields including atmospheric science, solar physics, microgravity science, planetary science, space life science, space physics, and education and public outreach (EPO) stand to benefit from these vehicles."

And isn't this whole topic manned spaceflight, and hence banned by your own rules?

[centsworth_II]

Maybe they're counting Earth as a planet.

[Juramike]

Training future planetary scientists? Giving them a chance to PI and launch an instrument.

That's the key audience. Get them used to dealing with the "amateur enthusiast" community on smaller missions and when they drive the big rigs they'll be more comfortable taking us along.

[djellison]

In terms of Planetary Science:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/nsrc2010/pdf/sess201.pdf
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/nsrc2010/pdf/sess204.pdf

Plenty of ideas, projects and proposals to discuss here at UMSF, and of course, the point of this thread, to discuss outreach, is very very much within the remit of UMSF.

[Astro0]

I really can't see any reason to continue this thread as it has strayed waaaayyyy off-topic.
Emily asks for some straightforward advice on a paper she's working on and we get into a discussion about the value of doing one type of science over another.

Thread Closed.