onward to space: norman augustine on campus.

Let me preface this post by repeating a conversation I had over dinner. I told my overachiever friend A that I was going to a talk by Norman Augustine that evening, to which A nonchalantly replied: "Oh yeah, I just had coffee with him. He said really interesting things about innovation." Um, you don't just "have coffee" with Norman Augustine, but A really had- he had been invited as an undergraduate engineering major representative, spending an afternoon chatting with Norman Augustine. He needs to put that on his resume (if there is any space, Apie-poo).

I packed extra snacks for this looong day at school

After some much-needed catching up, I walked into the lecture I had been anticipating all week. Norman Augustine, the name itself inspires awe and respect from those even remotely interested in space exploration. Augustine is (among many, we need to start somewhere) former CEO of Lockheed Martin, head of the Advisory Committee on the Future of United States Space Program, former chairman of the American Red Cross, and more recently, chairman of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Committee. He holds many roles- professor, engineer, businessman, and CEO.

A towering figure, engaging the audience with his interesting stories

Augustine talked about the history of U.S. space exploration, peppering his talk with funny stories. He spoke about the time when he entertained kindergarten kiddos by having them ask questions on the phone to Buzz Aldrin (he has Buzz Aldrin's phone number!- but should I be surprised?) only to find out later that the kids thought they had been talking to Buzz Lightyear. He noted how fast space travel has been evolving, noting that his mother had been ten when the Wright brothers flew their first airplane and in her lifetime she met astronauts that had traveled to the Moon.

He spoke about balancing humans and robots on spaceships, because although robots can be reliable in dangerous situations, they cannot make spontaneous judgments in novel situations as well as humans can. Much of the focus now seems to be on Mars (Moon may be shoved aside as "been there, done that"). Some of the major problems about humans on Mars may be the potentially dangerous galactic cosmic rays and delayed communication with Earth (may take up to 20 minutes, compared to three seconds on the moon. Ugh, speed of light).

Space exploration may be "something just worth doing, not put a price on".

One thing I found interesting was his attempt at justifying the huge amount of public money we put into space exploration. Dr. Augustine made a bold statement which was questioned later during the Q&A session, that he would choose to explore space with money that could have been used to cure cancer, if it was such a choice. Dr. Augustine admitted that in making this decision he was "reluctant but convinced is correct". He noted that however, this is not the correct way to phrase a question, that we need to consider instead the efficiency of that extra dollar put into either programs.

The role of the space program, beyond its immediate benefits of improved technology and unraveling the mysteries of the universe, may be that it serves as an inspiration for young scientists and engineers. I was somewhat surprised to find that someone rational would choose such an abstract reason to support space exploration- I expected graphs and expected returns to investments charts- but maybe there is a huge benefit of the space program that is hard to quantify.

He ended his talk reminding us of the importance of establishing a "sustainable" plan that can last through multiple presidents, changing Congress, and shifting economies.

A great evening spent in the company of great thinkers. Our auditorium was the fullest I'd ever seen, and there were many people from the Johnson Space Center. I was reminded that I live in Houston, Houston!, as in "Houston, we have a problem."