Space Martin Rees

VIDEO: Pardee Center Conference

April 12, 2007

In this keynote address at the Pardee Center Conference on “The Future of Space Exploration”, Lord Rees of Ludlow presents a fascinating snapshot of the history and the potential futures of the Cosmos. He explores not only the past of the planets but also the future of our exploration of these planets. He outlines the possibilities and the potentials for future exploration, including on how these might relate to the great challenges of human development and human challenges. He explores also the possibilities of private ventures into space and how that might unfold but makes a distinction between private sector space explorations and space tourism (which he considers less likely). The lecture is followed by a Q&A session.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and the 40th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, this Pardee Center conference brought together leading space scientists, visionaries, and entrepreneurs from around the world to imagine the next half-century of space exploration. The conference resulted in a vision statement by the participants outlining five key areas of concern for the next 50 years.

About the Speaker

Lord Martin Rees of Ludlow is Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics and Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, UK. He was knighted in 1992, appointed Astronomer Royal in 1995, and became President of the Royal Society in 2005. He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy, and several other foreign academies. His awards include the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Balzan International Prize, the Bruce Medal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (AAS/AIP), the Bower Award for Science of the Franklin Institute, the Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation, the Einstein Award of the World Cultural Council, and the Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy). He has been president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1994–95) and the Royal Astronomical Society (1992–94) and a trustee of the British Museum, NESTA, and the Kennedy Memorial Trust.