Exploring Mars and space, fighting climate change, developing new technologies that protect our planet and make the lives of those who live there better. These are some of the goals that governments and scientists are trying to achieve. But we could not succeed in a short time if we do not involve all the intelligences and forces at our disposal. “We cannot afford the luxury of not letting everyone sit at this table. We must strive for gender equality and fight against all discrimination: it is essential if we want to solve these problems “, explained Dava Newman, former deputy administrator of NASA and current director of the MIT media lab in Boston. Interview by the director of Repubblica Maurizio Molinari during the event Life in Danger on mother Earth, organized by the Women 20 group as part of the G20, Newman explained that there are still some obstacles preventing girls from gaining access to STEM science subjects: “We must say yes to all girls who dream of space travel and that that’s why they fight against so many stereotypes and are discouraged. We have to change the conversations we hear in our homes “.
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During the interview, the former number two of NASA told how space technologies and artificial intelligence are used to fight climate change and safeguard life on Earth against extreme events, such as floods: “Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning allow us to collect and analyze data from past floods and create a sort of image of the future via satellite, a projection of what could happen next month or next year. In this way we could organize the evacuation of populations residing in dangerous places and save lives. “In other words, thanks to the satellites of ESA and NASA, scientists and governments look at the Earth, study it, analyze the oceans and biodiversity that characterizes them, but also the climate: a knowledge that is then shared and which also serves to educate people, showing them the increase in the planet’s temperature and thus helping to promote more sustainable lifestyles. “Collecting data is not enough, we have to change people’s minds and hearts, change their behaviors, “said Dava Newman.
Pressed by the questions of the director Molinari about a possible life on Mars and the future of space travel, the director of the MIT Media Lab then pointed out that while tourism in orbit will remain a sector that private companies will continue to deal with, exploration of space and planets will remain a priority for government agencies. “4,000 exoplanets have been identified, we will go to Jupiter, we already have a mission. The government will finance the exploration and development of new technologies”, he stressed, then explaining the meaning of travel on the red planet: “We go to Mars because we want to analyze the evidence showing that there was life on that planet. We want to explore it to increase our understanding of reality. “
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More specifically, Dava Newman pointed out that if in the next decade, from 2030 onwards, it will be possible to go and live on the Moonat the same time, work is underway to send people to Mars. “At the moment we have a station there that is not populated by humans, we are also producing oxygen and we have experiments underway to study the atmosphere of the planet and the earthquakes that have occurred, but also to try to produce fuel”. The idea is to try to have a refueling station on Mars, as it takes 8 months to reach the planet and it is necessary to ensure that there is enough fuel to return from the trip.
Humans don’t just have to commit to exploring space, they also have to improve life on Earth, adopting different behaviors to combat climate change. And this is the responsibility of all countries, especially the most industrialized ones. “The United States, China, India, all must be responsible for the emissions they produce, reducing and eliminating the consumption of fossil fuels and thinking about the use of other forms of energy, including nuclear energy,” continued Dava Newman.
Finally, answering a question from director Molinari on national plans to combat gender stereotypes promoted by Women20, the former NASA number two explained that the starting point must be education: students must be taught that they must behave in the right way and make girls understand that whatever career path they decide to take, they will not find discrimination along their way.
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