The Future of Space Stations with Ariel Ekblaw

About This Episode

Can we put the data centers in space? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly map out the future of human habitation, research, and industry in low Earth orbit with Ariel Ekblaw, founder and CEO of the Aurelia Institute.

What does decommissioning actually mean for something as large as the ISS? Learn about the plan to decommission the ISS and plop it in the pacific ocean. We explore NASA’s transition plan with new commercial stations attaching to the existing ISS before it’s retired. What will new generation space structures look like?

Can we do construction in space to create modules larger than a payload bay? Ariel’s vision centers on self-assembling modular structures. We explore how biomimicry can inform self-assembling design and how early testing microgravity has gone. What can you actually do in microgravity that’s impossible on Earth? We explore making  perfect ball bearings, grow retinal tissue without sagging, crystallize cancer drugs, and run biotech experiments without convection or sedimentation interfering with results.

Can we put data centers on the moon? What about plans to create solar arrays in space to beam power back down to Earth? We discuss the public-private tension between NASA and SpaceX, and approaches to cleaning up orbital debris. Plus, learn about the timeline for all these low Earth orbit building projects.

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