Why yes, I am the dork wearing a 15yo NASA “meatball” sweatshirt to a space lecture.
The lecture tonight by Dr. Randii Wessen of JPL was *fantastic*. He was such a great speaker, and clearly so smart and so enthusiastic about what he does. He showed us pictures of planets in our solar system, amazing images of things we’ve learned through the work NASA and other space agencies have done. He explained why space elevators haven’t worked yet; how Elon Musk plans to ferry cargo to and from Mars within 20 years; and the challenges of landing and driving a rover on Mars. He talked about why we do this – to explore, to learn about our own planet, and (as a byproduct) to make technological advances that make our lives better. I absolutely loved it.
If any of you are in Canberra on Monday night, he’s giving the talk there. I highly, highly recommend it!