Schedule By Day
Day 1 - Friday 08-29-2003 Day 2 - Saturday 08-30-2003 Day 3 - Sunday 08-31-2003 Day 4 - Monday 09-01-2003
2003 DRAGON*CON SPACE & SCIENCE TRACK SCHEDULE |
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| Friday 08-29-2003 | Return to top | ||
| 08/29/03 Interstellar Vehicles: You Must Be Crazy by Matthew Graham |
We do not have Warp drive yet, but we may still be able to use modern technologies to enable flights outside our solar system. This session will review different engineering concepts for sending craft outside our local space neighborhood. | |
| 08/29/03 The Hitchhiker's Guide to Robotic Space Exploration by A.C. Charania |
Take a journey on the spacecraft being deployed to the rest of the solar system. From the moon to Mars to Pluto, from comet sample returners to the next generation space telescopes, a vast array of spacecraft are set to take off in the next decade. Descriptions of both current and future concepts will be presented. | |
| 08/29/03 The Atlanta Astronomy Club by Tom Crowley, other AAC members TBA |
Meet members of this fifty-five year old club dedicated to promoting educational, literary, scientific, and especially public knowledge of, and interest in astronomy. | |
| 08/29/03 Cryonics: Cheating Death? by local cryonauts |
Local "cryonauts" discuss the science of cryonics and the various cryonics programs and organizations available to interested parties. | |
| 08/29/03 Your Next Interstellar Voyage: Gate or Trek? by Bill Gardiner |
Science fiction ideas reach the laboratory bench as FTL communications and nano-organisms (science fact) make warp drives and stargates (science fiction) begin to look possible. | |
| 08/29/03 The Columbia Accident Investigation: A New Understanding of Space Chemistry Rises from the Ashes. by Bill Gardiner |
There is evidence of a recirculation of heavy metals and a broad variety of chemical and organic chemical species between plasma/ionic and solid/liquid phases in the earth's near-space environment. Did the Columbia run afoul of this recirculation as it reentered the ionosphere on 2/1/2003? | |
| Saturday 08-30-2003 | Return to top | ||
| 08/30/03 So You Want to Go into Space? by Ric Jordan & |
The current status of the private space sector within the United States – the government is not the only show in town when it comes to space exploration. Non-government programs such as the X-prize will be discussed, as well as brief overviews of other organizations within the USA who are trying to develop a private-sector space program or influence the government's programs. | |
| 08/30/03 Asteroids: Are They Coming for You and How to Stop Them by A.C. Charania |
One of the greatest threats mankind may face comes from our neighbors in space. This session will discuss the threat, what humanity is doing (or not doing) about the problem and potential strategies world space organizations have for attacking these potential harbingers of global catastrophe. | |
| 08/30/03 Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow: First Annual Recruiting Session, Membership Drive and Bake Sale by Richard Altstatt, |
Members of the professional association for the working Mad Scientists and/or Evil Genius discuss various methods of taking over the world for fun and profit, design of secret lairs and avoiding common pitfalls (tip - *NEVER* turn your back on a heroic do-gooder and assume your diabolical Rube Goldberg device will finish them off). New applicants should be dressed appropriately and bring a resume or a project (ie - working Death Ray) to present. Make sure you clearly state you "evil" name when called upon. | |
| 08/30/03 SETI: Where the Heck *IS* Everyone? by Tom Crowley, |
Large panel discussion with audience Q& A encouraged. Discussed will be an intro to SETI, current research both professional and amateur, the Fermi Paradox, "Rare Earth" vs "Life Everywhere", the Anthropic Cosmological Principle (strong & weak), Tippler's Omega Point. Was Dr. Sagan too much of an optimist in "Cosmos"? The anti-ETL/ETI arguments do raise some very good points. | |
| 08/30/03 Space Exploration - Human vs. Machine by Dani Eder, Les Johnson |
The future exploration of the solar system will be a partnership of humans and robots. The question is, "will the people be on earth while the machines have all the fun?" The pros and cons of human vs. robotic space exploration will be discussed -- civilly, of course. | |
| 08/30/03 Ferengi in Space: Or, Making a Profit Beyond Earth's Atmosphere. by George R. Tyson |
A brief presentation and discussion on the possible business markets in space. Topics include tourism, crystal growth and biotechnology. | |
| 08/30/03 Death, the Universe and Everything: Don't Invest in Milliway's by jonnyX |
Some speculations on the ultimate fates of the Earth, the sun, our galaxy, matter and the universe. Why things will probably end with a whimper, not a bang, and the Restaurant at the end of the Universe would be a pretty boring place. Timescales involved will range from several hundred million (10^8) years in the short term to 10^100 years and more in the very, very, very, VERY long term. | |
| Sunday 08-31-2003 | Return to top | ||
| 08/31/03 NSS Atlanta Open Meeting by Bill Gardiner |
The Atlanta chapter of the National Space Society invites you to a presentation of its ongoing efforts to make cheap access to space available to you. You can help! | |
| 08/31/03 The State of Space Transportation and Exploration: A Forum by John E. Bradford |
What is the current state of space transportation and exploration, how close are you to getting to orbit/to the moon/to Mars? Get answers to these questions with this panel to both review the progress and state the potential goals of future space travel. | |
| 08/31/03 The Experts Speak - Some Speculations on the Future of Space Travel and Exploration by Richard Altstatt, |
Another large panel discussion building upon the previous session, with audience Q&A encouraged. Topics for discussion will include fairly well-grounded, near-future stuff (private and public spaceflight, manned vs unmanned missions, what's going to happen to the Shuttle program, are we ever going back to the Moon & why we may or may not want to, a possible Chinese Mars mission, non-US space programs, problems with prolonged exposure to a weightless environment) to more speculative but still plausible ideas and their associated difficulties terraforming and non-planetary colonies, futuristic propulsion methods, AI and nanotech, difficulties with interstellar travel vs interplanetary travel). | |
| 08/31/03 High Power Rocketry: Beyond Estes by John Kemker |
Discussion and presentations on High Power Rocketry as a hobby, and the ramifications of Safe Explosives Act, which is a portion of the Homeland Security Act that might outlaw the hobby. Info on Tripoli Atlanta, the local HPR chapter. | |
| 08/31/03 Satellite Communications for Mere Mortals by Robin Cutshaw, |
How to communicate with people all over the world using satellites – tips & ; techniques, plus info on the local ham community. | |
| 08/31/03 A Primer on High Frontier Justice by Ric Jordan |
The debate over law in space was once described as "much ado about nothing". This is a dangerous characterization and should be corrected to say "much ado about everything". We are talking about colonization and exploitation of this our solar system. We may not yet physically occupy any part of it, but it does belong to all mankind: you and I. And we will conquer it through the free enterprise system. Private corporations from this nation and from nations around the world will form the necessary launch infrastructures, RLVs, space habitats, colonies, Cislunar vehicles, and on and on. But these efforts must all be accompanied by laws protecting property rights, individual rights, and security of the individual, just to mention a few. | |
| Monday 09-01-2003 | Return to top | ||
| 09/01/03 Space Elevators and Tethers by Dani Eder, Les Johnson |
What's the status on space tethers? How close are we to realizing Arthur C. Clarke's "Elevator to space?" How close are they to reality, and what are the future space applications? | |
| 09/01/03 Santa's Workshop, or Attack of the Replicating Factories by Dani Eder |
The promise and problems associated with nanotech, as well as macro-scale replicating devices (aka - von Neumann devices) | |
| 09/01/03 An Introduction to Radio Astronomy by Tom Crowley |
Information from the past President of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA), including how you can join and get involved. | |
| 09/01/03 Track Wrap-up and Blame - Comments, Criticisms, Requests and Death Threats by jonnyX |
Tell jonnyX what you liked, would like to see next year, and/or how he screwed everything up. The betting pool is open and placing 15:1 odds he'll be a gibbering wreck by the end of the con. | |
Space Track 2010 Schedule
Science Track 2010 Schedule
Space Track 2009 Schedule
Science Track 2009 Schedule
Space Track 2008 Schedule
Science Track 2008 Schedule
Space Room 2007 Schedule
Science Room 2007 Schedule
Space & Science 2006 Schedule
Space & Science 2005 Schedule
Space & Science 2004 Schedule
Space & Science 2003 Schedule