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Open Dome (In-person): Stranded in Space talk

Projected stars in Observatory
Public lectures

Join Dr Ian Whittaker (NTU) for his talk Stranded astronauts, exploding rockets, and celebrities going to space – is there an ethical issue with the private space industry?  to discuss the lack of testing, safety, and ethical responsibility that led to several astronauts being stranded on the ISS.

  • From: Thursday 24 April 2025, 8 pm
  • To: Thursday 24 April 2025, 10 pm
  • Location: Lecture Theatre 4 (LT4), Lecture Theatre 4, Teaching and Learning Building, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Campus, Clifton,
  • Booking deadline: Thursday 24 April 2025, 8.00 pm
  • Download this event to your calendar
Past event

Event details

Industries have been let loose to launch rockets without going through a space agency leading to a lack testing, safety, and ethical responsibility that led to major new problems in the space sector, including astronauts being abandoned on the ISS for months. Buy why?

Join Ian Whittaker (NTU) for his talk Stranded astronauts, exploding rockets, and celebrities going to space – is there an ethical issue with private space industry? where he will discuss the history of industry in the space sector and consider the rise of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic, as well as the ongoing issues at Boeing.

We will make time for a discussion of figures within the space industry such as Elon Musk, whose conflict of interest in the US government and bizarre claims on social media have led to him being a polarising figure within the space industry. Audience participation and opinion during the discussion is welcome.

We are running two versions of this event, an in-person and a virtual talk. This in-person event will be held in Lecture Theatre 4 (LT4) of the Teaching and Learning Building on Clifton Campus.

Booking is required if attending in person and when you reserve your place, you will be sent a link to confirm payment. The ticket costs £5 and includes an Observatory tour. There is no charge if you are under 18 or an NTU student.

While attending, you consent to filming, photography, and sound recording, and their use in publication or advertising distribution, either printed or online, without payment or copyright.

Programme

The event will start at 8.00 pm with the talk following shortly after an introduction from Dr Ian Whittaker.

Refreshments will be offered from 7.45 pm in LT4 in the Teaching and Learning Building.

After the talk, visitors will be allowed to enter the NTU Planetarium and receive a tour of the NTU Observatory. This is a chance to see many interesting objects in the Spring sky using the observatory's telescopes, small telescopes and binoculars, but is subject to good weather conditions.

If the weather is not good, the planetarium session will still go ahead, but we will focus more on pointing out objects of interest instead.

Location details

Address:

Lecture Theatre 4, Teaching and Learning Building
Nottingham Trent University
Clifton Campus
 Clifton

Parking:

Parking is available only for booked visitors in the Main Gate car park. of Clifton Campus.

Allow sufficient time since you will need to contact security at the barrier to identify the event you wish to visit. Furthermore it is a 3-minute walk from the car park to the Teaching and Learning Building.

Past event

Still need help?

+44 (0)115 848 2999