novel astonommy event? the power of the forum!!

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jobe2080

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<p>Hello&nbsp;space.com users..</p><p>Im looking to tap into the knowledge of the good users of space.com...<br />I have an upcoming interview at Londons ` Dana Centre&acute; (For those unfamiliar this is a venue associated with the Science museum that run informal, exciting and innovative events for adults on all areas of contemporary and often controversial science technology and culture through speakers, discussions, performance and art for a couple of hours on an evening) </p><p>I have to come up with an event with broad appeal in the field of Astonomy.</p><p>I have narrowed down the topic to roughly be about britains involvemnet in space and manned spaceflight and the implications for culture, business, internationl affairs and technology..maybe called - space...the wasteful frontier? or something similar</p><p>Id like to hear thoughts on what you guysthink could make this a really great and innovative event..</p><p>Maybe you can suggest<br />-Sub topics for this<br />- any one who might have a novel take on this from other fields perhapsand be a good speaker<br />-Tie ins to events in the space world for august<br />- Potential groups who would be intereste din this and how i could extend this by including what?<br />- any ideas for interactive audience parts- demos, art ect</p><p>i would appreciate any small flashes of inspiration!! or comments</p><p>Thanks guys..</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
 
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Carrickagh

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<p>I'll bite....</p><p>I don't believe Britain has a manned spaceflight option. In that I mean as an ESA member it does not support would-be British astronauts. That seems to be an ongoing debate in the UK. Perhaps you could look at the pros and cons and even have voting booths available where people could cast ballots in favor or opposed. You might even have profiles about Britons who want to be astronauts but cannot. In addition, I beleive at least one American astronaut is from Britain, but he changed nationalities in order to fly. That's dedication!</p><p>In terms of wastefulness you might look at the social and family costs these programs can create. Aerospace work is either feast or famine. Either the work is on overload and you spend all your time in the office or you are unemployed. You might want to note that behind every pazazz headline for Apollo, Shuttle , or Phoenix Lander there are lost holidays, weekends, and never to be re-captured time with kids. These stresses lead to health problems for the employees as well as divorces, etc. One friend I know has quipped that whenever you see engineers in JPL control or Houston cheering like fans at a football stadium at least a handful are also probably&nbsp;equally happy that the divorce proceedings are over.</p><p>Also,&nbsp;many organizations involved in education use the space program as a "hook" to get kids into math and science. But not every kid can go to college or, if they get an engineering or science degree, can actually work on the programs they dream about. These "Children of Apollo" wind up taking engineering jobs at the toaster factory rather than working at Moonbase. Of course society benefits because you get an educated work force and tax revenue...but for the individual who has worked thru 4-5 years of engineering school in order to follow some dream or other it is, as you may imagine,&nbsp; a bit of a let down for them. You may want to look at this as a lost frontier rather than a wasteful one.</p><p>Just a few thoughts. Good luck with your interview!</p><p>***&nbsp;</p><p><br /><br />&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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jobe2080

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thanks for those thoughts..v interesting. i like the idea of voting as part of the event and revealing results too
 
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l3p3r

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<p>How about some inspirational talk connecting the possibilities of space exploration with the more glorious days of the British Empire? Challenging new frontiers rather than thinking of a list of reasons why it's all too hard. </p><p>Suffice to say, I won't encourage you to say anything negative about spaceflight! :)</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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