Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz

The future of space exploration, Building the “space railroad,” Advanced propulsion systems; Enabling fast human missions to Mars and beyond, NASA’s shuttle program and International Collaboration:

• Much like the steam locomotives revolutionized travel in the U.S., advanced space propulsion systems to support the space supply-chain are needed to grow a sustainable space economy. As space is opening commercially and globally, projected to become a $1 Trillion industry, high-power electric propulsion will be necessary to sustain demand for affordable logistics and to develop a robust and reliable supply chain in-space.
• The challenges and opportunities of deep space travel to Mars and Beyond - As NASA has assembled it's Moon-to-Mars Architecture program and the U.S. is eager to go back to the Moon and go further, we start to think about what will be necessary for us to develop as a nation to be at the forefront of this exciting new endeavor. Going to Mars is very different than going to the Moon, meaning how we get there will need to be different. Learn from former astronaut and scientist about the challenges and opportunities of what a fast mission to Mars could look like and how disruptive emerging technology can revolutionize the way we travel in space.
• NASA’s Shuttle Program - Dr. Chang Díaz was fortunate enough to experience a 25-year career as a NASA Astronaut that encompassed a transformation in human space flight, from the beginning of the Shuttle Program and its evolution and integration with the Russian MIR Program and the construction of the International Space Station. Flying 7 space shuttle missions, he participated in some of NASA’s most important space achievements, such as the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the internationalization of space with the Shuttle-MIR Program and the Construction of the International Space Station. Learn from an insider what it was like to learn from the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia and to personally observe, over nearly two decades of space flight, the environmental changes taking place on our home planet.