Carolyn Porco on Wired's Smart List 2008

Author: Bernd Hölzner

The October issue of WIRED magazine features fifteen big thinkers that WIRED editors would like to see as advisors to the next president -- on issues such as climate change, energy, security and defense. Amongst them planetary scientist Dr. Carolyn Porco, speaker at DLD 2008 and leader of the Cassini imaging science team.

The Cassini mission to Saturn has sent back thousands of snapshots -- a project that Porco says could have been done more quickly and cheaply had it been launched with the kind of big rockets the US quit building after the moon program. Here are the talking points she would bring if she were granted an audience with the president:

1.)  Space shuttle program will be retired in 2010.Waste of an estimated $170 billion. Instead of circling Earth, we should be exploring outward.

2.)  Send robots.They will always have to go before humans -- don't need to eat, breathe, or be kept safe. Plus, never have to come back.

3.)  Still, need to send humans, too. End robots-versus-people debate -- let both sides win.

Read more on this topic here.

 

0 comments· October 15, 2008 · 02:34 PM· Permalink· Trackback-URL

Tags: carolyn porco· cassini· dld· dld-friends· dld08· moon· saturn· smart list· space shuttle· wired