Space on the Page

How does our history of exploration and identity shape our imagined future in space? How has our past limited us? And, how can science and science fiction help us to transcend these limitations with fuller understanding, broader imagination, and true curiosity? These two speakers are experts on the relationship between past and future.

Dr. Bet&uum;l Kaçar is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Kaçar leads a NASA-funded astrobiology research center and her own molecular paleobiology laboratory. Across research endeavors, Betül explores fundamental questions about how life originated and evolved on Earth and how we find life beyond our solar system. She has previously partnered with UN Women to expand representation in STEM and delivered a TED talk discussing the implications of solving the origins of life problem at the universal scale. Her team’s work has appeared on NOVA, BBC, CNN, PBS, Wired and more.

Dr. Nnedi Okorafor is a Nigerian-American author, best known for her science fiction stories exploring identity and heritage. Her multiple award-winning Binti series prompts readers to think critically about human and cultural significance, challenging sci-fi tropes of human development while drawing the reader into a deeply personal narrative. Dr. Okorafor holds a PhD in literature and has written for comics, television, and movies in addition to her short stories and novels. She is a popular speaker on African Futurism. Her newest novel, Noor, is due out in November 2021.

What does it mean to talk about truly alien life? Can we even imagine what might be out there? And, how will we know what to look for? These two speakers exemplify the careful balance of skepticism and curiosity when talking about alien life.

Dr. Frank Rosenzweig teaches biology and astrobiology at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on understanding major transitions in biology, including the origins of multicellularity. With a background extending to comparative literature and philosophy, Dr. Rosenzweig offers a rare perspective at the intersection of science and humanities. From 2015 to 2019, he was Director of the NASA funded “Reliving our Past” research center.

John Scalzi has written over 20 science fiction novels spanning a wide range of sci-fi themes. Known for his irreverent and creative humor, his works address existential and personal philosophical issues in an engaging and enjoyable way. His short story “When the Yogurt Took Over”, animated on the Netflix series Love, Death, and Robots, asks what if another species went to space and left us on Earth. Scalzi has also written on popular astronomy for stargazers and served as the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America 2010-2013.

What do we hope for in space travel and in astrobiology? What is so important about life that we continue to look for it and hope to spread it throughout the galaxy? These two speakers exemplify the well-informed optimism of astrobiology.

Dr. Rika Anderson studies the co-evolution of organisms and environments. Teaching biology at Carleton College, she deftly weaves here scientific studies into a broader picture of history, philosophy, and practical knowledge. A long-time member of the astrobiology community, Dr. Anderson has experience integrating data from diverse fields and communicating the importance of science.

Becky Chambers wrote the Wayfarer series of sci-fi novels, which won the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2019. She has been cited as a prime example of a new style in science fiction that is hopeful and strongly character driven. Her 2019 novella To Be Taught, if Fortunate brilliantly captures the ethos of astrobiology research while asking deeper questions about our place in the cosmos.

For decades, people have fantasized about going to Mars, yet a human expedition to the red planet remains just that—a dream. NASA, other space agencies, and private entrepreneurs are taking concrete steps toward that goal, but science journalist David Whitehouse says we must still overcome many constraints and risks—biological, technological, and social—before we see the first footprint in red Martian soil. Whitehouse is author of “Space 2069: After Apollo: Back to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond.”

At the start of the twentieth century, a Mars “craze” struck Earth. Humans went wild with speculation that the red planet might harbor an advanced civilization. Historian of astronomy William Sheehan explains the science that spawned this imaginative idea. It all began with an optical illusion—a network of lines on Mars that some astronomers believed were irrigation canals. Sheehan is the author, with Jim Bell, of “Discovering Mars: A History of Observation and Exploration of the Red Planet.”

The hunt for life on Mars has entered a new phase. NASA’s Perseverance Rover is collecting rock samples that, when returned to Earth, may reveal whether life once existed on the red planet (and perhaps still does). Biologist Sarah Stewart Johnson explains how new discoveries about Mars and a better understanding of life on Earth have propelled this quest, and she ponders what the answers might say about life elsewhere in the universe. Johnson is author of “The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World.”