Making Space a More Democratic Place
10:53 minutes
Mason Peck, NASA’s former chief technologist, is on a mission to make space more accessible to all. What if anyone could print a satellite in space, using asteroid or lunar material? Or jet from the Earth to the Moon—and beyond—using just the hydrogen found in a two-liter bottle of water? Together with his colleagues at Cornell, Peck is developing cracker-sized satellites called “sprites,” a solar-powered hydrogen engine, and other technologies that may some day democratize space exploration.
Segment Guests
Mason Peck
Mason Peck is former chief technologist at NASA, and a mechanical and aerospace professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
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About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.