I think I'm not alone in the world of mild-to-heavy science geekdom in having been repeatedly, consistently inspired by PBS's NOVA program. And I'm pretty sure that the crystal-clear images streaming from Mars in recent years have made as many or more hearts flutter than any Barry Bonds home run.
Two of the figures responsible for these public-science highlights will be honored tomorrow at a Planetary Society event in New York, dedicated to discussing "Planetary Citizenship in the Next Space Age."
NOVA Senior Executive producer Paula Apsell will take away the group's Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science, while Michael Malin – President and Chief Scientist of Malin Space Science Systems, and a key architect of the Mars Global Surveyor's orbital camera system – will be honored for advancing the cause of human exploration of Mars. And cheers to them; the world needs more people who can keep the romance, along with the rigor, in science and space progams.
So what exactly does it mean to be a planetary citizen in a new space age? I'm not sure either, but the event, with Bill Nye the Science Guy
(never miss a chance to see him, is my recommendation) and Planetary
Society president Neil deGrasse Tyson might shed some light.
There's sure to be some flippancy involved, but it's worth pondering:
Will (or should) expanding our horizons spaceward change the way we act here on Earth? I'd love to hear your thoughts below.
(Image: Mars' "Happy Face" crater, in a composite image taken by
Malin's Mars Orbiter Camera, on the Mars Global Surveyor. Credit: Malin
Space Science Systems/NASA)
