Beyond the Cradle 2019: Envisioning a New Space Age. Today at the MIT media lab.
schedule here: BTC. #BeyondTheCradle #SpaceExploration
notes/thoughts:
Joi started off the morning discussing the historical impact of the media lab. how computer culture and techno-utopian idealism transitioned from fringe to mainstream. also, transition from exploration to exploitation…the first holistic view of earth from space important. now more than ever, important to keep ethics (re: technology) in mind – need to be mindful between balance – exploration and responsibility. (more on this later)
Maria: continues we are still waiting for launch of this ‘space’. 50 years after Apollo we have finally bridged gap w commercial transport to space station. also, 50yrs after Apollo, space is more than astronomy department at MIT & elsewhere..others involved: sloan, media lab, eaps, aero astro, architecture, policy, etc…
Nobel Laureate Sam Ting: Fascinating discussion on Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer & Dark Matter
Next panel: Our Sci-Fi Space Future
my takeaway (confirmed): imagination needed to push science to new heights. keep thinking of Arthur Clarke. the science behind the writers: Very well-informed. Discussion re: solar, climate/geoengineering, space economy. humanitarian benefits. use scifi as a platform. Dystopian scifi serves purpose, not necessarily in developing ‘solutions’ but in recognizing potential problems albeit extreme. climate, resources, etc. Science & SciFi feeding off one another. Ytasha: envisioning a future leads to agency in that future (par)
(morning primary observation, while everyone in the room today has interest(s) in some aspect of space, even if you are not particularly interested in space, this is an interesting series of discussions around potential futures.)
Larry: We are already beyond the cradle, robotically.
Loretta: nice points re: space having the power to bring ppl together & create culture of future. ‘founding fathers’ of space. what does the world of the future look like?
more later…