NASA shows up to San Diego Comic-Con 2014
It may not have been the most anticipated panel at San Diego Comic-Con, but I think it was probably the most awe inspiring. The panel I am taking about was NASA's Next Giant Leap. This panel was from 3 to 4 on Thursday in room 6A and it should have been in a larger room because the line was way too long for the 1000 capacity room. Actually, I lined up early to the previous panel and did not get in – not many people left the earlier panel.
This was the first time NASA had been to Comic-Con and I hope they make it a regular occurrence. I think the concept of having real life heroes on a panel is a great idea, and certainly a welcome change from the actors and show runners that typically take turns at the mic.
The panel was moderated by Seth Green and had Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), Jim Green (NASA Planetary Science Division Director), Mike Fincke (NASA Astronaut) and Bobak Ferdowsi (NASA-JPL Engineer) on it. Like many panels, I wish it had lasted longer – there were plenty of questions that could have been asked.
While I was unable to attend the panel in person, the wonders of the internet have come to my rescue and the replay is available on YouTube. It's a good watch if you have any interest in space exploration, SciFi, history, or heroes.
A couple of highlights are when Bobak talks about how exploring space helps make us better citizens of our planet, when Buzz Aldrin talks about how in 45 years, robots have advanced significantly further than human intelligence, and when he mentions that what the rovers on Mars have done in 5 years, we could have done in a week with human intelligence orbiting Mars.
It was inspiring just to watch on YouTube, I would have been a bit overwhelmed to have seen it in person.
At the end, Nancy Conrad, wife of late astronaut Pete Conrad talked about the Conrad Challenge which provides awards for innovative solutions in Aerospace & Aviation, Cyber Technology & Security, Energy & Environment, and Health & Nutrition. This is a wonderful community for any child 13-25 interested in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines.
I will say, that if NASA shows up at the con again next year, I will be sure to get in line a few hours early.
One interesting tweet I saw while this panel was occurring was that Mars is the only known planet to be inhabited solely by robots. Perhaps it is a blueprint world for our future robot overlords.
Along with the wonderful panel, I wanted to mention that the Perseid meteor shower is happening right now so if you head outside at night, you might be able to see some 'shooting stars'. The video talks about all the neat things going on in the sky for August, so you might want to step away from your computer and look up a little this month.
This is post 5 in my Blaugust Challenge.
#Comic-Con #SDCC #YouTube #Blaugust #NASA