Will Collaboration or Competition Propel Humans to Mars and Beyond?

Between the close of the Cold War and the more recent retirement of the U.S. shuttle fleet, we’ve long since left the first space age behind. But now it seems there’s a new space race brewing; one that may take humans out of our planet’s orbit.

At the height of the Cold War, the first space age was a geopolitical race between superpowers eager to outreach each other. Today's space race is a more complex interplay of networked nations and private players alternatively competing against and collaborating with each other. Once the exclusive provenance of old power nations, space exploration has opened to new global players with India, China, Nigeria, Japan, the EU and the UAE getting involved. Private enterprises are also playing an increasingly prominent role in our interplanetary yearnings, as evidenced by the ventures backed by Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson. 

NASA is still very much in the game but without a moonshot-like commitment for Mars, their projected 2040 manned mission seems far off. A start-up company, or an upstart country, may beat us there, or perhaps help us all get there together as partners. 

Join us for an event on Wednesday, March 8, in Washington, D.C., to discuss whether it will be competition or cooperation that finally gets us to Mars and beyond.

Lunch will be served.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America and Arizona State University. 

 Confirmed Speakers: 

• Lindy Elkins-Tanton, director, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, @ltelkins
• Scott Pace, director, Space Policy Institute; professor of the practice of international affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University 
• Eric Stallmer, president, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, @EricStallmer
• Ellen Stofan, former chief scientist, NASA, @EllenStofan
• Talal M. Al Kaissi, senior advisor commercial affairs and special projects, director of U.S./UAE space affairs, UAE Embassy Trade and Commercial Office 
• Karl Schroeder, science fiction writer and futurist, @KarlSchroeder
• Deji Bryce Olukotun, author of "Nigerians in Space" and "After the Flare" (forthcoming, 2017); senior global advocacy manager, Access Now, @dejiridoo
• Rob Chambers, Orion Production Strategy Lead, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, @marsbasecamp_rc
• Véronique Dockendorf, deputy chief of mission, Luxembourg Embassy, @VeroDockendorf
• Thomas Cremins, associate administrator for strategy and plans, NASA

Emily Fritcke

Future Tense/New America

fritcke@newamerica.org

https://www.newamerica.org/