| Friday 09-01-2006 | Return to top | ||
| 1:00pm Space and Science Meet and Greet – C'mon by and Say Hi! by jonnyX & crew |
Welcome to the 4th year of revived Space and Science programming! Track Director jonnyX will hype our updated website, new mailing lists and pending audio archives. The S&S crew will also reveal plans for the next several years and solicit feedback. | |
| 2:30pm Mars Rover Updates for 2006 – Latest News and Images by Ginny Mauldin-Kinney |
Still going! Spirit and Opportunity continue to deliver data from the surface of Mars, having long ago exceeded their originally planned missions in both distance travelled and operating time. So what's happening on Mars these days? | |
| 4:00pm Simulating Mars on Earth: Georgia Tech Crew 47 at the Mars Desert Research Station by Dr. Jan Osburg & crew |
MDRS provides a unique environment for simulating a Mars environment and manned base, complete with airlocks, space suits, rovers, and the like. GA Tech's student chapter of the Mars Society and their faculty advisor present Crew 47's mission report. | |
| 5:30pm The Orbital Commerce Project: Status and Updates by George Tyson |
So how close is OCP to manned private spaceflight? Find out and get involved! | |
| 7:00pm The Space Elevator – 2006 Progress Report by Michael J. Laine |
What the LiftPort Group has been working on, including key technologies, and successes and failures over the past year. Where we are in our step-by-step development of a complete space-access infrastructure. | |
| 8:30pm Cassini–Huygens: Updates from Saturn and Titan by Dr. Kevin Grazier |
Huygens has gone silent, but we've had time to analyze the data sent from Titan's surface. Cassini continues to do scientific work as it orbits Saturn. What's the latest news from the ringed planet? | |
| 10:00pm Cryonics by Dr. Ralph C. Merkle & Alcor members |
This is the practice of being frozen at low temperatures shortly after death with the hope of a future revival. A panel of cryonicists will answer your questions and discuss updates to the legal issues they now face around the world. | |
| Saturday 09-02-2006 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am Nuclear Power in USA – Now and Pending by Patrick Mason |
Fossil fuels will not sustain our increasingly power–hungry global civilization. Will the US move to replace its aging fission power plants with advanced reactor designs? Are they really cheaper, safer and more efficient? The answers may surprise you. | |
| 11:30am Will Humans Ever Get Beyond Low Earth Orbit Again? by by Dr. Steven D. Howe, |
NASA has a new vision for space exploration. It is currently somewhat uninspiring. The "Apollo on Steroids" metaphor is devolving into "Apollo on a Diet". Will another country beat us back to the Moon? What is in store for the US in the next 40 years? | |
| 1:00pm MythBusting for Fun and Profit by Tory Bellici, |
How do the MythBusters decide which myths to bust? Which were their favorites? Which, um, weren't? | |
| 1:00pm Saving the World: They Got the Dinosaurs, They're Not Getting Us! by A. C. Charania |
How to prevent "Sudden Asteroid Syndrome", that nasty feeling you get when a big rock smacks into your home world at many klicks per second. | |
| 2:30pm Giant Space Guns for Fun and Profit, or "Is That a Giant Space Gun or Are You Just Happy to See Me?" by Dani Eder |
Isaac Newton and Jules Verne wrote about using guns to launch things into space. Hypervelocity guns actually exist, though. This panel will discuss their history, capabilities, and prospects for use in the future. | |
| 4:00pm The Flight of Buran – The Russian Space Shuttle by Hugh S. Gregory |
A behind the scenes look at the development of the former Soviet Union's first re-usable spacecraft, the trans atmospheric spaceplane Buran, from initial testing through to it's first and only flight into space. | |
| 5:30pm Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow: 4th Annual Recruiting Session, Membership Drive and Bake Sale by Richard Altstatt, |
Members of the professional association for the working Evil Genius discuss various methods of taking over the world for fun and profit, avoiding common mistakes and the design of secret lairs. New applicants should bring a resume or a project to demo. | |
| 7:00pm Space Elevator 101 – What is a Space Elevator and Why Should I Care? by Michael J. Laine |
The Who, What, When, Where, How, and WHY of building a space elevator for cheap, reliable and safe access to space. | |
| 8:30pm Big Projects You Might Like to Do, and Why You'll Have to Rule the World to Get Them Funded by Richard Altstatt |
An Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow brainstorming session – Ok, why are you trying to rule the world? What real(ish) scientific problem requires either global domination or massive budget? We'll assume you've already taken over & go from there. | |
| 10:00pm The History of Military Space Communications – Your Tax Dollars at Work! by Wil Langford |
Audience Q&A encouraged. An intro to SETI, current research both professional and amateur, the Fermi Paradox, "Rare Earth" vs "Life Everywhere", the Anthropic Cosmological Principle (strong & weak), and Tippler's Omega Point will be covered. | |
| 11:30pm The Church of the SubGenius: AutoEroticTechnoApocalypse! by the SubGenius Space Patrol |
Madness! Mayhem! Your chance for Eternal Salvation(c)(tm) GUARANTEED or TRIPLE YOUR MONEY BACK!!! Your brain will MELT and your spirit will EVOLVE! Fun for the WHOLE FAMILY! byob, byo "Bob" | |
| Sunday 09-03-2006 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am Space Elevator – The Roadmap to the Future by Michael J. Laine |
Never before released to the public, this is the LiftPort Group's roadmap of technological development, milestones needed (with anticipated dates), budget and timeline info, and our "2000 Questions, an Encyclopedia of Issues". | |
| 11:30am Astrophysics from your Backyard and Your Laptop by Dr. William C. Keel |
The merger of telescopes with cheap personal computers has ignited a new golden age for amateur astronomers. Adding free software, websites and inexpensive digital cameras to the mix allows one to observe a wide variety of natural and man–made objects. | |
| 1:00pm NASA's Lunar Exploration Program by A. C. Charania |
We may not have a Lunar base (yet), but there's still a lot happening on the Moon in preparation for our return. Learn about some major changes taking place this year and in 2007. | |
| 2:30pm MythBusters – Behind the Scenes by Tory Bellici, |
Things you didn't see on TV, but might on dvd – things that the MythBusters would like to do, but the Discovery Channel and/or their insurance company won't let them. Possibly even things that the MythBusters would like to pretend never happened. | |
| 4:00pm NASA's Great Observatories – 2006: Accomplishments, Images and How to De-orbit the Suckers by Dr. William C. Keel |
The latest news on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescopes. Also, what will eventually replace them? | |
| 5:30pm The Demon–Haunted World: Spreading the Light The GA Skeptics' Society – First Annual Report by members of the GA Skeptics' Society |
Pseudoscience, poor science reporting, and the distortion or suppression of scientific data for commercial, religious and/or political purposes can get you killed. Debunking the BS can be a lot of fun, however. We'll teach you how to get in on the fun. Dr. Phil Plait of badastronomy.com fame will be participating in the Skeptics program, possibly Evil Geniuses as well. | |
| 7:00pm The Space Environment – Radiation, Meteors and Plasma, Oh My! by Richard Altstatt |
An interesting look at real space environment problems that most sci–fi media overlook, such as ionizing radiation, orbital debris, solar thermal issues, etc. NASA engineers don't have that luxury. Learn what it takes to REALLY fly in space. | |
| 8:30pm Saving the World: Global Warming, Global Shwarming by Dani Eder |
Global warming is a hot topic these days. Are we doomed? Certainly not! There are quite a few ways we can avoid having to crank our A/C up to "overdrive" for the rest of eternity. | |
| 10:00pm Exploring Analogue Mars – Mars Society Update by Dr. Anthony Francis Jr. |
Being a report on the adventures, misadventures and scientific research undertaken last winter at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah. | |
| Monday 09-04-2006 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am MythBusters – What's Next? by Tory Bellici, |
What do members of the Build Team see themselves doing after MythBusters? | |
| 11:30am The Space Elevator – Finance, Business, Social, Legal and Political Developments by Michael J. Laine |
The often overlooked aspects of developing a world–changing technology. This is when we get into debates like "Is it a weapon?" "A solution to global warming?" "Is it a monopoly?" "Who controls it?" "What about spin-off technologies?" | |
| 1:00pm OCP – Status and overview of the private human spaceflight industry by George Tyson |
Do *YOU* have a future in space? You might – private/commercial spaceflight is gearing up, as the cost to orbit drops and the scent of profit is in the air. Say it with me: CAPITALISTS IN SPAAAAAACE! Keep an eye out for the tourists, too. | |
| 2:30pm Defying Gravity: Enduring Life in Space by Jason Schneiderman |
There are many obstacles to overcome in manned long duration space–flight, including the impact this environment has on the human body. Learn what countermeasures are being developed to allow for successful prolonged space exploration. | |
| 4:00pm Track Wrap-up and Blame: Comments, Criticisms, Requests and Death Threats by Track Director 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 2008 Schedule
Science Track 2008 Schedule
Space Track 2007 Schedule
Science Track 2007 Schedule
Space & Science 2005 Schedule
Space & Science 2004 Schedule
Space & Science 2003 Schedule