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Open Dome (Virtual): Stranded in Space talk

Projected stars in Observatory
Public lectures

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

  • From: Thursday 24 April 2025, 8 pm
  • To: Thursday 24 April 2025, 10 pm
  • Location: Virtual event (link will be provided upon reservation),
  • 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 this virtual talk, which only includes the talk. Should you wish to book onto the in-person event you will also receive a tour of the NTU Observatory.

When you reserve your place on this virtual talk, a link to the talk on YouTube will be emailed via the confirmation email. We will be happy to answer any questions you submit to the video chat during the talk.

Location details

Address:

Virtual event (link will be provided upon reservation)
Past event

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