Killian Lecture: The Early History of the Moon

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:06:39 GMT

In the 41st annual Killian Lecture, Maria Zuber describes looking deep into the moon’s interior to chart its early history.

Transit Time Lapse

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:05:45 GMT

The rare coincidence in the orbit of the moon and sun was captured by Mike Krawczynski PhD '11.

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:47:28 GMT

Jeff Hoffman and Larry Young, of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, reflect on the life and legacy of Neil Armstrong

Mapping the Moon's Shackleton Crater

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:30:10 GMT

Scientists from MIT, Brown University, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and other institutions have mapped the moon's Shackleton crater with unprecedented detail, and found possible evidence for small amounts of ice on the crater's floor.

Michael Sori - EAPS graduate student

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:56:14 GMT

Graduate student Mike Sori studies planetary science. His particular research interest is understanding the nature and variations in cratering of Earth's moon. Using high-resolution altimeter data from the Lunar Reconaisance Orbiter to explore geographical differences in crater characterisics, Sori is seeking to better understand the structure and evolution of the moon in its own right and as a proxy for other rocky bodies in the inner Solar System and beyond. Mike joined EAPS in 2009 after completing his undergraduate studies in Physics and Math at Duke University. His advisor is Maria Zuber.

Introducing: Planetary Scientist - Prof. Kerri Cahoy

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:32:05 GMT

Cahoy joined EAPS in July 2011 as an Assistant Professor in the Planetary Sciences Program. She received her BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 2000, and MS (2002) and PhD (2008) in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University working with the Mars Global Surveyor radio science team. She uses spacecraft radio systems to study the atmospheres and ionospheres of solar system planets. She is also interested in using space-based instrumentation, including cameras, telescopes, and coronagraphs, to search for and characterize planets outside our solar system. Cahoy spent 2006-2008 designing and building geostationary radio-frequency communication satellite payloads at Space Systems Loral, and from 2008-2010 as a NASA postdoctoral research fellow working on exoplanet mission design and simulations at the Ames Research Center. Most recently, Cahoy has been working with the MIT and Goddard Space Flight Center team on the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) dual-spacecraft mission to the Moon, scheduled to launch in September 2011. Professor Cahoy, holds a joint appointment in Aero-Astro.

"Landing on the Moon" (1966) - Science Reporter TV Series

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:09:37 GMT

This 1966 "Science Reporter" television program details the development and construction of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), the only vehicle of the three Apollo spacecraft modules that actually lands on the moon. Project engineer Thomas Kelly gives a tour of the LEM at Grumman Aircraft in Long Island, NY, and demonstrates the LEM Automatic Checkout System, while test pilot Robert Smyth demonstrates the lunar landing simulator via an electronic computer-controlled model of the Moon. The program is presented by MIT in association with WGBH-TV Boston, and hosted by MIT reporter John Fitch; it was produced for NASA. MIT Museum Collections [T5956]

Logarhythms Sing at Class Dinner 2010

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:41:09 GMT

The MIT Logarhythms Alums serenade the Class of 1960 with joyful a capella singing - MIT songs, popular songs, and novelty tunes, Marriot Hotel, during MIT's Reunion Weekend, June, 2010.

neurographica

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:30:10 GMT

Speaker: Maria Moon, Art Center College of Design. Moderator: Madeleine Clare Elish. Abstract: neurographica investigates the ways in which design can be used to explore and analyze neurological data. Traditionally, the predominant role of design in the scientific process has been to visually encapsulate, model, or evidence a particular argument or conclusion. However, as developments in technology provide scientists with unprecedented amounts of data, there has been a growing need for design to be inserted earlier in the process. Working in tandem with the science, design becomes an ideal means for exploration, analysis, and discovery. While current modalities of visualizing data remain limited to traditional forms of statistical analysis, accessible programming languages, such as Processing, enable designers to structure new ways data can be dynamically expressed. By applying the visual approaches that are their core competencies, designers can innovate and create unexpected ways to encounter data for analysis and assessment. neurographica is the culmination of a series of studies that expand upon this premise and asserts that in collaboration with scientists, the meaningful, interesting, and unforeseen await to be discovered and revealed.

Looking Ahead to the Future of NASA

Mon, 10 May 2010 04:00:00 GMT

05/10/2010 3:00 PM 32"123Gen. Charles Bolden, NASA AdministratorDescription: From the MIT News Office: NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. defended President Barack Obama's controversial plans for the U.S. space agency's future and touted the president's plan to invest billions of dollars in basic science research. Some in Congress have criticized Obama's proposal to cancel the Constellation program, which would have sent humans to the moon by 2020, saying such a move will effectively cede U.S. space leadership to other nations. But Bolden noted that the White House's plan would also invest an additional $6 billion in NASA over the next five years, including a 60"percent increase in earth sciences research funding, as well as a 20"percent increase in planetary sciences research. Such an expansion could revitalize NASA's ties with institutions like MIT, which has played an instrumental role in the agency since NASA was founded in 1958. Bolden said NASA was going through what he called a "difficult, but very interesting" period. As a former astronaut who completed four space flights, Bolden expressed sadness about the prospect of ending NASA's space"shuttle fleet, admitting he is "emotionally attached" to the shuttle program. But he insisted that NASA is "committed" to Obama's new era of space exploration, which calls for a flexible path approach for NASA to gain progressively more experience, such as a lunar fly"by or exploration of asteroids, before making a trip to Mars. The plan also calls for developing a "heavy"lift" system to launch spacecraft into deep space, as well as technologies to protect humans from long"term radiation. In the future, NASA would lease vehicles from private companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. "The president, with my full agreement, made a change - a big change," Bolden said of Obama's decision to undertake a new direction for NASA, adding that the agency's fundamental goal "to boldly advance the human presence beyond the cradle of Earth," has not changed, and that Mars remains an "especially compelling target." Bolden outlined several tracks that NASA has proposed to achieve its goals, such as developing robotic technologies to scout new targets and test precision landings. He said the agency remains focused on using the International Space Station to learn more about human health issues, referring to ongoing work by ISS researchers to develop a salmonella vaccine. He pledged NASA's commitment to develop a commercial launch industry for carrying humans into low Earth orbit, but said that the agency was still fine"tuning specific operations details, such as whether a crew would be trained at NASA facilities. He also said the agency was honoring Obama's request to collaborate with other countries like Saudi Arabia to foster science research. When pressed to name a timetable for a manned mission to Mars, Bolden said it was "pretty vague," but that if NASA started to develop the architecture for a heavy"lift launch vehicle right now, it could be as soon as the early 2020s that a spacecraft orbits the moon, and maybe 2025 for a spacecraft or robot to land on an asteroid. Those advances could make travel to Mars a reality by 2030, he said. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium

Humans in Space

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

12/08/2009 6:00 PM MuseumDava Newman, Sm '89, PhD '92, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering SystemsDescription: The future of space exploration is "the Moon, Mars, and beyond." For the human scientist"astronaut, "the issue is one of location and locale," according to Dava Newman. The argument is no longer whether it's man vs. robot; rather it's how humans and robots will work together in missions throughout the solar system. Where exploration-getting out of a spacecraft and moving around-is the primary reason, humans will be sent. Otherwise, they may be tele operating a robot on a distant planet, carrying out experiments on an international space station, or working at Mission Control as experimenters and investigators. But humans will always be involved. Nothing on Earth can truly mimic the environmental vagaries the astronauts will face on that distant planet or the challenges in getting there. Much of Newman's work in astronaut performance focuses on creating the BioSuit that will provide the necessary mobility, protection, and life support. The space travel itself creates further physiological deconditioning effects such as bone loss and other ravages of extended weightlessness. Newman cites four significant show stoppers to future space travel: radiation/exposure, bone loss, psychological effects ("playing well together") and immunology "because so little is known about what's out there." Of additional interest to her audience were the issues of expense and time needed to get to a distant planet such as Mars and commercial applications here on Earth. Newman refers to NASA's $400 billion price tag and points to a lower $20 billion cost if supported by both government and private monies but run by non"governmental organizations. Commercial space flight offers similar exciting opportunities as well as risks and dangers. Medical/pharmaceutical applications such as growing crystals in the weightlessness of space or studying locomotion that would assist people with cerebral palsy are currently being considered. Collaboration with other nations will ultimately provide on"going program funding since the future of space travel is more about human space travel and less about an individual nation's ability to build an entire program. About the Speaker(s): Professor Dava Newman is currently the director of the Technology and Policy Program and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. She is professor of Aeronautics and the Astronautics and Engineering Systems Division as well as an affiliate faculty in the Harvard"MIT Health, Sciences and Technology Division. Professor Newman's research contributes to the fundamental knowledge of human performance in extreme environments by interweaving biomechanics, human factors engineering, modeling, and design. In the space environment, she quantifies astronaut motion and studies the subtle mechanisms underlying neuron"musculoskeletal adaptation, which are not easily studied on earth. She is currently developing her fourth space flight experiment, the MICRO"G experiment, which will fly on the International Space Station in a few years. Newman is concurrently designing a revolutionary, advanced spacesuit for future exploration missions, the BioSuit System, which she targets for 2020. She has been honored with a NASA Manned Flight Awareness Team Award and a NASA Group Achievement Award. She is a recognized AIAA Distinguished Lecturer and recently received the National Aerospace Educator Award. In addition to teaching classes in leadership and engineering at MIT, she has published and presented more than 200 papers in refereed journals and at conferences and other professional groups. She is a regular speaker and participant at engineering conferences given by groups such as the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and International Design for Extreme Environments Assembly (IDEEA) among many others. In 2001, she published her first book entitled Interactive Aerospace Engineering and Design. Host(s): Office of the Provost, MIT Museum

Giant Leaps: The Legacy of the Apollo Program

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:15:57 GMT

What is the legacy of the Apollo program, and what can we learn from it to help us confront the scientific and engineering challenges of our own time?

Apollo: Reflections and Lessons

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

06/11/2009 9:30 AM KresgeDr. Jeffrey A. Hoffman, former Space Shuttle astronaut, Professor of the Practice, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT ; Dr. Richard Battin, '45, PhD '51, Director of Apollo guidance, navigation and control system, Senior Lecturer, MIT ; Dr. Aaron Cohen, Manager of Apollo Command and Service Module, former Director of NASA/JSC, Professor Emeritus Texas A&M University ; Joseph G. Gavin, Jr., '41, SM'42, Director of the Lunar Module Program, retired President, Grumman Corporation ; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Director of Flight operations for Apollo, former Director, NASA/JSC; The Honorable Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo astronaut, scientist, former U.S. Senator; ; Theodore Sorensen, Esq., President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter; James Shields, '71, SM 72, President and CEO, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.Description: In this first of three symposium events to mark the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, an extraordinary cast of luminaries recount the parts they played in the Apollo program, and celebrate MIT's unique role in getting humans to the moon. Theodore Sorensen believes President Kennedy chose him to oversee the U.S. response to the Soviet's first space flight because he was "a skeptic a Unitarian raised asking questions." The U.S. space program had been lagging, "a joke with late night TV comics," so the Kennedy administration figured only the "the drama of a moon landing" would spur an improved space effort. When Kennedy announced the plan to Congress, the reaction was "stunned disbelief," so he deviated from the official text, reminding congressmen that "all of us will be on that trip to the moon." Today, Kennedy would be disturbed by the militarization of space, Sorensen believes. The next great scientific breakthrough Sorensen would like to see involves "the abolition of weapons of mass destruction." Richard Battin describes the work of MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory, headed by Charles "Doc" Draper, to develop a Mars probe in 1957 following the Sputnik launch. The device had solar panels, a thruster, an attitude control system with gyros, and an onboard digital computer designed to survive a three"year roundtrip to Mars. NASA declined to support the entire project, but liked the computer. In 1961, NASA chief Jim Webb asked his good friend "Doc" Draper to develop guidance navigation and control for Apollo. Battin believes this relationship, and the need for a functioning onboard navigation system (in case the Soviets jammed communication links from Earth) landed MIT the contract. Aaron Cohen remembers how rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun was puzzled by Cohen's Apollo assignment, which was "to define and resolve interfaces between all elements of the Apollo program." He also describes the tragic fire on the launch pad in January 1967, which killed three crewmembers. This episode triggered months of self"examination, leading to a safer command service module, and a series of reliable flights leading to the moon landing. "When I look back on Apollo 11, I go through each subsystem and marvel at how we managed to form the mission." Joseph Gavin, Jr. started as a graduate student in "Doc" Draper's lab, but ended up leading the development of the lunar module, which "worked every time. I'll say that again. It worked every time." His long association with the program left him with some insights: there's no such thing as random failure; one should take absolutely nothing for granted; and do not change anything that works. He recalls NASA bugging him about overtime, but the young men working for him were under great pressure, so Gavin pushed back, allowing "group leaders to take care of their people." Harrison "Jack" Schmitt takes the audience through the history of the Apollo program, including his own historic trip to the moon. "That's not bad, leaving footprints in the sands of time for a million, might be two million years." He believes the keys to the mission's success included having a sufficient base of technology and a reservoir of young engineers and skilled workers; the "pervasive environment of national unease" due to the Cold War, Sputnik and the missile gap; a persuasive president who unleashed adequate funding; and "tough, competent and disciplined management to let people do their jobs." In flight control, says Christopher Kraft, Jr., "you have to fly what you've got. There's not time to stop and fix something." This legend of the early days of space flight recalls chimpanzee testing and concerns about human adaptation to zero gravity. When Kennedy announced the moon mission, "I thought he'd lost his mind." As flight director, Kraft suddenly "had to come up with the orbital mechanics of going back and forth to the moon. That to me was a hell of a challenge." Kraft witnessed the entire nation get behind the Apollo effort, which convinced him "we could do anything we set our mind to in this country, if we know what we want to do, where we want to go and have the commitment to get it done." About the Speaker(s): Jeffrey Hoffman is an astrophysicist and a veteran of five space missions. He was the first astronaut to log 1000 hours aboard the Space Shuttle. During his fourth flight, he was one of four crew members who captured the Hubble Space Telescope, serviced it, and restored it to full capacity. He is engaged in several research projects using the International Space Station and teaches courses on space operations and design. Prior to joining NASA, Hoffman was a scientist with the MIT Center for Space Research in charge of the orbiting HEAO"1 A4 hard x"ray and gamma ray experiment. He is currently the Director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium. Hoffman earned his B.A. at Amherst College, an M.S. from Rice University and his Ph.D. from Harvard University.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

The Next Giant Leaps in Space Exploration

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

06/11/2009 3:00 PM KresgeDr. Maria T. Zuber, E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT ; ; Dr. Edward F. Crawley, Ford Professor of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, MIT; James H. Crocker, Vice President and General Manager, Sensing & Exploration Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.; Richard Garriott, private astronaut, Vice Chairman of Space Adventures ; Dr. James Garvin, Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA ; Dr. David W. Thompson, Chairman & CEO of Orbital Sciences Corporation ; Dr. Erika Wagner, Lecturer, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MITDescription: From satellite"enabled radio and TV to climate tracking, space has become a "ubiquitous capability in our lifetime," as Edward Crawley puts it. But he also notes there is uncertainty about the future of U.S. spaceflight, which closely follows the "cadence" of political elections. Symposium panelists both predict and suggest directions the nation's public and private space programs might take. As a child, keynote speaker Maria Zuber "wrote long letters to the Apollo astronauts," and her early enthusiasm never waned. A geophysicist involved in missions investigating distant worlds, Zuber's take on space exploration is both pragmatic and adventurous. She seeks "an achievable future in space," with an exploration program that is "reality based." She advocates a "bold, diverse agenda" that includes extended use of the International Space Station for conducting science on human physiology and behavior; exploring the impact of the sun on Earth climate and space weather; gathering data on the constitution of the universe; detailed characterization of terrestrial planets; a renewed commitment to Earth observation (we have better data on Mars' ice caps than on our own); and seeking extra"terrestrial life. This ambitious portfolio means we may send humans to space for "objectives that are worth the risk." NASA should mix big and small missions, remembering that it's "crucial to inspire and train the next generation." Ultimately, says Zuber, "It's great to be a dreamer, but the only good space mission is one that really works, and is practical and implementable." NASA scientist James Garvin describes his agency's plans to pursue the legacy of Apollo, by developing new capabilities to carry people into space, and supporting significant research, such as tracking carbon in Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Says Garvin, "Somewhere there is a sweet spot between robotic spaceflight that does grand science ... and human spaceflight that enables those" missions. The private space industry will play an increasing role in fulfilling the spaceflight dreams of ordinary people, believes Richard Garriott, one of the few lucky citizens to take the ride (via a Soyuz craft). He cites the surge in space plane companies, which may ultimately make spaceflight routine. While there's "a reasonable probability there will be fatalities," Garriott accepts the risks. "Ultimately only by democratizing access to space, by having multiple vendors competing to keep the price down, and safety up, will we ultimately find the best access to space." To engage American youth in space exploration, Erika Wagner says we "need to take back the storyline and discuss challenging things." 18"24 year olds are not captivated by the Apollo mission to the moon, and to inspire them about the future, they need to understand we "go to space because it's a difficult thing." To get this point across means using social media such as Flickr and YouTube, as well as flying students into space. "It's time for space exploration to become interactive again." Commercial space ventures, built on a series of incremental improvements, have become a phenomenally successful industry in the last 40 years, says David Thompson. Customers spend between $15"25 per month on such products and services as direct broadcast TV and handheld satellite navigators. This dwarfs the per capita expenditure on government space exploration or defense activities. Thompson looks for more of an intersection between the well"financed commercial, and needier public, sectors of space enterprise, with anticipated benefits for both. The problem is not how we build space vehicles, "but how we procure them," states James Crocker. Purchasing and launching such expensive devices one at a time continues to inhibit capability. Crocker's company, Lockheed, is trying to economize through smarter software, weight" and volume"reduction of space"bound technology, and reuse of expensive parts (including some avionics in NASA's new Ares rocket). He hopes that innovative ways to bring down costs "while not as cheap as flying from here to Europe on an airliner," might get to the point where "we can do more with the dollars the public is willing to spend." About the Speaker(s): Edward Crawley is also the director of the Bernard M. Gordon _ MIT Engineering Leadership Program. His research focuses on the domain of architecture, design, and decision support in complex technical systems. He is currently engaged with NASA on the design of its lunar and Earth observing systems, and with BP on oil exploration system designs. Crawley is a former head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was a finalist in the NASA astronaut selection in 1980. He received an S.B. (1976) and an S.M. (1978) in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and an Sc.D. (1981) in Aerospace Structures from MIT. Crawley is a Fellow of the AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society (UK), and is a member of three national academies of engineering: the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science, the (UK) Royal Academy of Engineering, and the US National Academy of Engineering. He was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by Chalmers University, Sweden in 2006.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Ronald McNair Space Video

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:50:33 GMT

Ronald McNair video from Don Warren

Widnall on Apollo's guidance, navigation, and control

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:52:18 GMT

(Dec 10, 2008) Dr. William Widnall speaks to Aero-Astro students about heading the MIT/Draper team in the '60s that developed Apollo's guidance, navigation, and control system.

Brandon Johnson

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:05:36 GMT

"It's not just about the books. It's not just about the research. You've got to try to do what you can to give back." --Brandon Johnson, Senior, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Robert Seamans and Neil Armstrong on the Apollo Program

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:27:37 GMT

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Robert Seamans Jr. deliver the 1994 AeroAstro Gardener Lecture.

Interplanetary Space Logistics: Enabling New Frontiers

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:52:29 GMT

NASA is returning to the Moon by 2020 as a stepping stone for the human exploration of Mars. Human space exploration will no longer be viewed as a set of isolated missions, but rather as an integrated supply chain in space. As part of a NASA-funded project, MIT, together with its partners at JPL and Payload Systems Inc., is developing a framework for interplanetary logistics.

Developing the Hardware for Future Human Space Exploration

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 05:00:00 GMT

03/08/2006 3:00 PM E51-115 WongMichael Griffin, NASA AdministratorDescription: While Michael Griffin sees a wealth of reasons for space exploration in general and returning to the moon in particular, NASA must still manage on a tiny portion of "the national treasure." This 7/10th of a percent of the national budget _ the equivalent of each American paying 15 cents every day _ "is not an expenditure we should do without," Griffin asserts. We are driven to investigate beyond earth because curiosity and the desire to master new territory are "wired into our DNA." But Griffin finds great value in the "opportunity for benign cooperative American leadership." Space exploration strengthens the nation, society and the human species, he says. Developing a foothold on the moon will afford humans experience in operating away from earth's environment, helping to develop the technology needed for opening the space frontier -- practice for Mars and beyond. Griffin provides details on emerging models for a new crew exploration vehicle and booster rockets. NASA is attempting to take advantage of earlier designs for the sake of economy and speed _ "architecture with as little fuss and bother as possible, maximizing the use of things we already own." There will be plenty of commercial opportunities in these public missions, with NASA seeking to purchase launch and communication services as soon as available. And he envisions promoting international cooperation by offering seats in the lunar lander in exchange, in one example, for help in setting up a lunar habitat. "We don't want to return to the days where NASA does everything," says Griffin. About the Speaker(s): Prior to being nominated as NASA Administrator, Griffin served as Space Department Head at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. He was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of In-Q-Tel, Inc., and also served in several positions within Orbital Sciences Corporation. Earlier in his career, Griffin served as Chief Engineer and as Associate Administrator for Exploration at NASA, and as Deputy for Technology at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. Griffin received a bachelor's degree in Physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in Aerospace Science from Catholic University of America; a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland; a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California; a master's degree in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in Business Administration from Loyola College; and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant ConsortiumTape #: T21025

Robotics in Space Exploration

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 05:00:00 GMT

01/10/2006 6:00 PM MuseumRodney A. Brooks, Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Heartland RoboticsDescription: As eager as he is to invent robots that can travel to a moon of Saturn or Jupiter, and function autonomously in these hostile environments, Rodney Brooks would love a shot to explore space himself. "I made an offer to Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergei Brin that if they would fund a one-way mission to Mars, I'd go on it," says Brooks. But he knows that robots are cheaper to send than us, "big bags of skin with biological processes requiring replenishment of all sorts." Under the Bush Administration, NASA first laid out an ambitious program in robotic technology, involving sending machines to reconnoiter the moon and Mars and prepare habitation sites for humans. "Robots would dig channels, then lower habitation modules into them, and when people come, they'd live like moles underground," says Brooks. But why send people at all if these robots can accomplish so much? It turns out that there's a dangerously long lag time between sending a command to a robot and having the machine perform a function. Ultimately, human senses and timing will be needed on site. But now NASA's grand robotic research plans are on hold, says Brooks, blocked by the difficulties and enormous expense of designing a new launch vehicle. The future of sophisticated robotic work seems earthbound, says Brooks. First, there are military innovations -- Congress has mandated that by 2015, 1/3rd of all US military missions should be unmanned. Also, the oil industry is pushing for machine-based solutions to such gritty problems as deep-ocean drilling and oil-well maintenance. And don't forget the new billionaire space cowboys, who dream of mining platinum fields on asteroids (for fuel cells on earth), or building space tourism businesses. But, Brooks reminds us, we have a way to go: After 40 years of research, "the generic object recognition that a two-year-old child could do, we can't do with our robots." Download this video at Apple's iTunesU siteAbout the Speaker(s): In addition to his multiple roles at MIT, Rodney Brooks is Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of iRobot Corporation. He received degrees in pure mathematics from the Flinders University of South Australia and the Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University in 1981. Brooks is a Founding Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Host(s): Office of the Provost, MIT MuseumTape #: 20818

Mission Control Operations

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

11/08/2005 9:00 AM 37-252Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Director of Flight operations for Apollo, former Director, NASA/JSCDescription: Chris Kraft manages to present in a single event the ultimate in engineering case studies, as well as an insider's history of 20th century space missions and a pep talk for Aero-Astro students. This blunt raconteur describes the challenges of the earliest space pioneers. His story begins with Project Mercury in the 1950s, whose space task group of 35 included eight secretaries. "We were capable people but didn't know a damn thing about how to fly in space," recalls Kraft. How would they communicate with a man in orbit, or assess his health? Most doctors thought when an astronaut left earth's atmosphere, "he'd be a blithering idiot." Air to ground communication in those days consisted of 20 words of teletype. "How do you make real time decisions in those circumstances?" muses Kraft. He proudly describes assembling the Mission Rules book, "probably the smartest thing we ever did," which attempted to address all conceivable malfunctions on a space mission. This was an early example of systems engineering, says Kraft. When President Kennedy challenged NASA to get a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, "Chris Kraft did not know how to determine orbital mechanics from 30 seconds of radar at Cape Canaveral. I thought the president was a little daft." Suddenly, there were a whole new set of problems, such as how to make sure a craft aimed at the moon did not just hit it. In the Gemini and then Apollo programs, Kraft's team solved innumerable and breathtakingly difficult issues. "We did a lot of things by the seat of our pants because we didn't know any other way. We did it by feel, by having seen the past and doing things the right way." Kraft has some harsh words for the current state of space exploration. He can't countenance NASA's abandoning the space shuttle. "We seem to have a great propensity in this country for building something wonderful, great and high performance and throwing it away '.Golly, my mother would have gone bananas!" He believes that NASA could have made the shuttle much more efficient to fly, and used it as a key element in the new race back to the Moon and to Mars. Kraft doesn't believe this program will get off the ground mainly because NASA hasn't built anything new in 25 years, "and they've forgotten what it takes to do it." The next space mission, whatever it turns out to be, will depend on the current crop of young aerospace engineers. "Go do it, don't be frightened to fail," exhorts Kraft. "You learn more from your failures than from your successes." About the Speaker(s): Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic University in 1944 and joined the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) the next year. In 1958, still at Langley, he became a member of the Space Task Group developing Project Mercury and moved with the Group to Houston in 1962. He was flight director for all of the Mercury and many of the Gemini missions and directed the design of Mission Control at what became the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1973. He was director of the JSC from 1975 until his retirement in 1982. Since then he has remained active as an aerospace consultant. Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsTape #: T20571

Astronaut Lt. Colonel Michael Fincke Attends Reunion Via Space Link

Sat, 05 Jun 2004 04:00:00 GMT

Nothing could stop Mike Fincke (MIT '89) from joining his 15th reunion ... not even a 200-mile-high earth orbit.

Trip to the Moon and the Legacy of Apollo

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 04:00:00 GMT

09/30/2003 4:00 PM BartosThe Honorable Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo astronaut, scientist, former U.S. Senator; Description: Thirty years after he served on the final Apollo mission, Harrison Schmitt has turned once more to the moon _ as a critical resource for scientists and as a potential source of unlimited clean energy. He shows NASA footage of his moon walks, as he and Eugene Cernan contend with low gravity to collect soil and rocks. These samples have enriched three decades of research on the origins of our solar system and even life on earth. Schmitt, a geologist by training, collected orange glass-like material from the Grand Canyon-sized Valley of Taurus-Littrow, one of the many enormous impact craters pocking the moon a similar cratering period on earth billions of years ago left deposits of clay minerals that may have catalyzed the synthesis of the first organic molecules the beginning of life. Some moon rocks have registered abundant amounts of helium 3. Recent experiments on this form of helium suggest it might prove to be a source of radiation-free, fusion-generated energy. Schmitt believes that private investors, tantalized by the possibility of mining the moon, will usher in a new era of lunar exploration.About the Speaker(s): Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt possesses a remarkably diverse biography. He studied at Caltech, as a Fulbright Scholar at Oslo, and at Harvard, receiving his Ph.D. in geology in 1964. Schmitt trained as an Air Force jet pilot in 1965 and received Navy helicopter wings in 1967. Selected for the Scientist-Astronaut program in 1965, Schmitt organized the lunar science training for the Apollo Astronauts and served as lunar module pilot for Apollo 17. In 1972, he was the only scientist and the last of the 12 men to walk on the Moon. In 1975, Schmitt became a U.S. Senator for his home state of New Mexico, a position he held through 1982. He later served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Committee and the President's Commission on Ethics Law Reform. Today, Harrison Schmitt consults, speaks, and writes on business, public, and governmental initiatives, particularly in the fields of space, risk, geology, energy, technology, and policy issues of the future. He also contributes nonfiction articles on space and the American Southwest to numerous books and magazines. He is a member of the Independent Strategic Assessment Group for the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory. Schmitt's corporate board memberships include Orbital Sciences Corporation and the Draper Laboratory.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsTape #: T17519.

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