[ MUSIC ]
>> HELLO AND WELCOME
TO A SPECIAL VIRTUAL EDITION
OF "NASA SCIENCE LIVE."
MY NAME IS DAHLIA KIRSCHBAUM
AND I'M AN EARTH SCIENTIST
AT NASA.
TODAY MARKS THE 50th
ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY.
AND WHILE WE CAN'T
BE TOGETHER DUE TO
SOCIAL DISTANCING PRACTICES,
WE'RE VIRTUALLY
COMMEMORATING THIS EVENT
WITH SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
FROM ACROSS THE U.S.,
READY TO TALK TO YOU
ABOUT THE AMAZING THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING AT NASA
TO STUDY OUR PLANET.
BUT FIRST LET'S TAKE A MOMENT
TO REFLECT AND APPRECIATE
THE ONE AND ONLY EARTH.
>> EARTH.
HOME.
OF ALL THE PLANETS
NASA HAS EXPLORED,
NONE HAVE MATCHED
THE DYNAMIC COMPLEXITY
OF OUR OWN.
DESERTS, TROPICAL FORESTS,
ICY POLES.
MASSIVE STORMS RAGE
OVER LAND AND OCEANS.
A UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE
PROTECTS AND INSULATES US.
LIQUID WATER SPANS
ITS VAST SURFACE.
AND A DELICATE BALANCE
OF SYSTEMS GIVES WAY
TO A KALEIDOSCOPE OF LIFE.
[ CHILDREN CHANTING ]
EARTH IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.
FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF SPACE,
THE PERSPECTIVE OF SKY AND SEA
AND ALL ACROSS THE LAND,
WE STUDY OUR PLANET
NOT ONLY TO LEARN ABOUT IT,
BUT ALSO TO PROTECT IT.
>> ON THIS 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF EARTH DAY,
WE ARE FINDING OURSELVES
IN A MUCH DIFFERENT WORLD
THAN WE'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
AT NASA, WE STUDY HOW
OUR ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING
USING NASA AND PARTNER
SATELLITES THAT ORBIT
THE EARTH HIGH ABOVE.
FOR EXAMPLE WE'VE SEEN
REDUCED NITROGEN DIOXIDE
EMISSIONS OVER MAJOR CITIES
AS A RESULT OF CHANGING
FACTORY OPERATIONS.
WITH NASA'S SUITE OF SATELLITES,
INSTRUMENTS AND MODELS,
WE ARE STUDYING OUR HOME PLANET
24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK,
EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR.
SO JOINING US NOW TO TALK
ABOUT NASA'S UNPARALLELED
CONTRIBUTIONS TO EARTH SCIENCE
IS NASA ADMINISTRATOR
JIM BRIDENSTINE.
JIM, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US,
AND HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> WELL THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME.
UH, I'M DOING FINE.
I'M ACTUALLY DOING REALLY WELL.
AS YOU CAN SEE,
I'M IN MY HOME,
UM, AS MANY PEOPLE RIGHT NOW
ARE IN THEIR HOMES,
UH, FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE
OF THE CENTER
FOR DISEASE CONTROL.
AND, UM, WE ARE--
WE ARE ALL A FAMILY HERE.
MY-MY THREE CHILDREN
ARE OUT OF SCHOOL.
I'VE GOT A 14 YEAR OLD,
A 12 YEAR OLD,
AND AN 8 YEAR OLD.
UH, MY WIFE IS HERE,
AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW
LIVES WITH US.
WE HAVE TWO DOGS.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE,
MY LIVING ROOM IS NOW
THE NASA HEADQUARTERS.
UH, SO, UM, WHAT I'M HOPING
IS DURING THIS INTERVIEW,
UH, WE WON'T HAVE ANY, UH,
MAYBE SCREAMING KIDS
OR DOGS BARKING,
BUT WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES.
UH, BUT I WILL TELL YA,
THE-THE-THE NASA WORKFORCE
ACROSS THE ENTIRE AGENCY,
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
WORKING FROM HOME,
UM, AND IT'S-IT'S NOT EASY,
ESPECIALLY WHEN KIDS
ARE OUT OF SCHOOL,
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW,
SPOUSES ARE-ARE-ARE WORKING
FROM HOME AT THE SAME TIME.
UH, SO LOOK, I KNOW THERE'S
A LOT OF CHALLENGES OUT THERE,
BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT
OF VERY IMPORTANT MISSIONS
GOING FORWARD.
UM, WE DO HAVE
MISSION-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
THAT WE'RE CONTINUING
TO WORK ON AS AN AGENCY.
UM, AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE
THIS REALLY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
TO STUDY THE EARTH RIGHT NOW,
UM, DURING THIS PANDEMIC
WHEN, YOU KNOW, PRODUCTION
ACROSS THE GLOBE IS DOWN,
AND WE'RE ABLE TO LEARN THINGS
THAT OTHERWISE WE MIGHT NOT
BE ABLE TO LEARN.
SO, UM, WE DEFINITELY WANT
TO GET THIS PANDEMIC BEHIND US.
WE DEFINITELY WANT TO GET BACK
TO OUR-OUR NORMAL WAYS OF LIFE.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, UM,
THIS-THIS IS A REALLY
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.
AND-AND UM, AND SO NASA INTENDS
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND-AND REALLY, TALKING
ABOUT HOW NASA OBSERVES
THE EARTH, YOU KNOW,
LOOKING BACK OVER THE LAST
50 YEARS OF EARTH DAY
AND 60 YEARS
OF NASA EARTH SCIENCE,
WHAT DO YOU SEE
AS SOME OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW,
NASA HAS REALLY
A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LOOKING
AT THE EARTH FROM SPACE.
AND WE'RE ALWAYS SENSING
THE EARTH IN ALL PARTS
OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM.
AND WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT-
AT THE DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE EARTH SYSTEM
SPECIFICALLY AND THEN--
AND THEN MAKE AN EFFORT
TO-TO SEE HOW THEY EFFECT
EACH OTHER.
SO THE LITHOSPHERE,
WHICH IS OF COURSE
THE STUDY OF THE LAND, AND--
AND THE HYDROSPHERE WHICH IS
THE STUDY OF-OF THE WATER,
AND THE CRYOSPHERE,
THE STUDY OF THE ICE,
UH, THE ATMOSPHERE.
UH, ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT SPHERES
THAT MAKE UP THE EARTH SYSTEM
ARE ALL VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT.
UH, AND WE'RE STARTING
TO-TO-TO RIGHT NOW
UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FEED
INTO THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE-WE THINK
ABOUT-- UM, YOU KNOW,
WE SEE THE OCEANS RISING,
AND WE SEE THE ICE MELTING.
AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT--
YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT
HOW THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING?
WE KNOW THAT THE ICE REFLECTS
THE ENERGY FROM THE SUN,
AND WE KNOW THAT THE OCEAN
ABSORBS ENERGY FROM THE SUN.
AND SO THERE'S A FEEDBACK
MECHANISM THERE
WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING
THE WARMING, UH, EXACERBATED
BY THE MELTING ICE.
AT THE SAME TIME,
CARBON DIOXIDE I-- B--
I-IS A GREENHOUSE GAS,
BUT IT'S ALSO USED BY PLANTS,
UH, FOR FOOD.
AND SO WE'RE SEEING--
IN A LOT OF PARTS
OF THE GLOBE,
WE'RE SEEING A GREENING
OF THE EARTH,
AND THE GREENING OF THE EARTH
HAS A FEEDBACK MECHANISM
THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION
AGAINST, UH, THE-
THE GLOBAL WARMING
THAT WE'RE SEEING.
SO, UM, SOME OF THESE
FEEDBACK MECHANISMS
HAVE A LONGER DELAY.
SOME OF THEM ARE IMMEDIATE.
UM, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW,
WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW
AS AN AGENCY
IS TR-TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT.
I GUESS THE IMPORTANT THING IS
WE NEED TO-- WE NEED
TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW MUCH
WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
AND THAT NASA IS
EXCEPTIONALLY UNIQUE
IN ITS ABILITY TO LEARN
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
AND THERE'S A-- THERE'S
SO MUCH LEFT TO DO.
THERE-- WHAT WE--
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING EVERY DAY
IS HOW MUCH WE DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LEARNING.
AND NASA IS IN
THIS UNIQUE POSITION,
UM, TO-TO-TO GET US
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING,
SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD
WITH BETTER MODELS.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES,
YOU KNOW, THESE MODELS,
THEY'RE ALL OVER THE MAP,
UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU
GET PAST FIVE YEARS.
WE WANT TO GET BETTER MODELING,
SO WE KNOW KIND OF
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
AND HOW WE CAN RESPOND TO IT.
UM, AND CERTAINLY,
UM, THE ONLY WAY
TO GET BETTER MODELS
IS TO GET MORE DATA
AND FEED THAT DATA
INTO THE MODELS.
UH, AND NASA
IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED
TO DO THESE ACTIVITIES.
AND HERE ON EARTH, THEY--
THESE ARE THINGS
THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
THAT NASA IS UNIQUELY
SITUATED TO DO.
>> WELL, I MEAN, YOU HIGHLIGHT
JUST THESE COMPLEX SYSTEMS
AND THE ROLE OF SATELLITES
NOT ONLY LOOKING
INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
BUT ALSO POINTING
RIGHT DOWN AT EARTH.
SO IF WE TAKE A QUESTION
FROM SOCIAL MEDIA,
FROM [ INDISTINCT ]
ON INSTAGRAM,
THEY'RE ASKING S-S-SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THE OZONE LAYER,
AND THEY ASK,
"IS IT REALLY HEALING?"
WHAT DO WE KNOW--
WHAT IS NASA'S SATELLITE DATA
AND MODELS TELLING US
ABOUT THE OZONE LAYER?
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW,
NASA HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT
OF THIS ISSUE NOW FOR DECADES.
UM, AND OF COURSE,
FOLLOWING THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL,
WHAT WE ARE NOW SEEING
IS THAT IT IS IN FACT WORKING.
UM, AND AS IT WORKS,
WE NEED TO CONTINUE WORKING
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL.
I WILL TELL YOU,
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS
NOT ALL NATIONS ON THE PLANET--
EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE
SIGNATORIES TO IT,
THEY DON'T ALWAYS FOLLOW IT.
I'LL TELL YOU THIS,
NASA IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED
TO BE ABLE TO QUICKLY
IDENTIFY WHAT NATIONS
ARE NOT FOLLOWING IT,
CALL THEM OUT AND MITIGATE,
UM, THOSE CHALLENGES.
BUT WE KNOW THAT
THE OZONE LAYER IS HEALING,
AND OVER THE COURSE OF TIME,
IT WILL HEAL EVEN MORE.
AND BECAUSE OF WHAT
NASA IS DOING,
ALL OF HUMANITY
WILL BE BETTER OFF.
>> WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US!
I THINK, YOU KNOW,
ONE LAST VERY QUICK QUESTION IS,
YOU KNOW, WHAT'S FOR THE FUTURE?
WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT
AT NASA, LOOKING FORWARD
FOR EARTH SCIENCE?
>> I'LL TELL YA,
I GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT,
UM, A COUPLE-- A COUPLE
OF VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.
UM, WE TALK ABOUT, UH,
THE-THE-THE POPULATION
OF THE GLOBE INCREASING,
AND HOW ARE WE GOING
TO FEED THESE-THESE-THESE
INCREASES IN POPULATIONS
ALL OVER THE WORLD?
UH, YOU KNOW, NASA HAS
A LOT OF SCIENCE CAPABILITIES
IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE LOOKING
AT THE EARTH IN EVERY PART
OF THE SPECTRUM,
UM, AND OF COURSE,
MAKING DETERMINATIONS ABOUT
HOW WE CAN IMPROVE LIVES.
ONE AREA WHERE WE'RE SEEING
SOME SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS, UH,
IS INCREASING CROP YIELDS.
UH, WE'RE USING LANDSAT 7,
FOR EXAMPLE, UM, TO MAKE
MEASUREMENTS OF WHAT WE CALL
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION.
WHICH IS BASICALLY
A MEASUREMENT OF HOW MUCH,
UM, MOISTURE IS BEING
EVAPORATED FROM THE SOIL,
AND HOW MUCH PLANTS
ARE-ARE TRANSPIRING OR--
THINK OF IT AS PLANTS BREATHING.
UM, AND WE CAN COME UP WITH
A PRECISE MEASUREMENT
DOWN TO A QUARTER OF AN ACRE
TO HELP FARMERS VERY PRECISELY
FIGURE OUT HOW TO IRRIGATE.
DOWN TO A QUARTER OF AN ACRE.
AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS
THAT BY DOING THIS,
FARMERS ARE ABLE
TO INCREASE CROP YIELDS
WHILE REDUCING WATER USAGE
BY ABOUT 25%,
AND AT THE SAME TIME
PRESERVING NITRATES IN THE SOIL.
AND THAT'S WHY THE CROP YIELDS
ACTUALLY GO UP.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED
ABOUT USING NASA'S
EARTH SCIENCE CAPABILITIES
TO INCREASE CROP YIELDS,
PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT.
THOSE NITRATES-- THAT--
I MEAN, THAT'S A POLLUTANT.
WHEN THAT GETS
IN THE WATER SUPPLY,
THEN WE HAVE TO CLEAN IT OUT
SO THAT WE CAN
ACTUALLY DRINK THE WATER--
THAT'S VERY EXPENSIVE
FOR STATE GOVERNMENTS
AND MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, AND SO IF FARMERS
CAN MORE PRECISELY IRRIGATE
AND INCRE-INCREASE
CROP YIELDS, SAVE WATER,
PRESERVE NITRATES IN THE SOIL--
ALL TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT.
AND THEN WE'RE USING
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
UH, WE'RE TESTING A MISSION
WE CALL ECO-STRESS.
SO WE CAN ACTUALLY MEASURE
THE STRESS ON A PLANT
BASED ON HOW MUCH
IRRIGATION IT'S GETTING.
AND-AND, YOU KNOW,
EVERY PLANT HAS STOMATA,
WHICH BREATHE.
THINK OF HOW A PLANT BREATHES.
AND THOSE STOMATA,
WHEN-WHEN THE PLANT
GETS STRESSED,
IT'S NOT GETTING ENOUGH WATER,
THAT STOMATA CLOSES.
AND THEN THE TEMPERATURE
OF THE PLANT GOES UP.
WELL WE CAN MEASURE
THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PLANT
FROM SPACE,
AND-AND WE CAN DETERMINE
IF A PLANT IS STRESSED
WEEKS AHEAD OF WHEN
A FARMER WOULD KNOW.
AND THE FARMER CAN THEN
RESPOND AND-AND IRRIGATE
OR, UM, MAYBE DO, UH--
PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, UM,
FERTILIZER OR SOMETHING
THAT THE PLANT NEEDS.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE
SECOND AND THIRD BENEFITS
TO WHAT NASA HAS BEEN DOING
ON THE EARTH SIDE
FOR-FOR MANY YEARS.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE,
I'M-I'M REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT A MISSION CALLED GRACE,
WHICH IS HELPING US
UNDERSTAND HOW, UM--
HOW THE GRAVITY
OF THE EARTH CHANGES,
IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT.
WHEREVER YOU ARE ON EARTH,
THE GRAVITY IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE,
THE GRAVITY IS DIFFERENT.
I-I KNOW THAT SOUNDS STRANGE.
WE DON'T FEEL IT.
IT'S VERY, VERY SMALL,
BUT IT'S BASED ON HOW WATER
MOVES AROUND THE EARTH.
AND WE CAN MAKE
DETERMINATIONS AS TO,
YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT
AQUIFERS ARE FULL
AND HOW MUCH WATER'S
GONNA BE AVAILABLE
INTO THE FUTURE
IN DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE WORLD.
SO, NASA EARTH SCIENCE
IS JUST DOING AMAZING WORK.
IT'S IMPROVING LIVES.
WE'RE BETTER ABLE
TO PREDICT DROUGHT.
WE'RE GONNA FEED MORE
OF THE WORLD THAN EVER BEFORE.
AND WE'RE GONNA GET
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF HOW OUR HUMAN ACTIVITY
IS AFFECTING THE CLIMATE,
SO THAT IN THE FUTURE
POLICY MAKERS CAN MAKE
REALLY GOOD DECISIONS.
SO, UM, HERE ON EARTH DAY,
I WOULD JUST LIKE
TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY
TO KNOW, UM, AND BE AWARE
OF THE GREAT WORK
THAT NASA IS DOING,
AND WE WILL CONTINUE DOING IT.
OUR-OUR EARTH SCIENCE BUDGET
TODAY IS HIGHER THAN
IT'S EVER BEEN IN HISTORY.
UM, AND-AND IN FACT, UM--
AND THAT'S BECAUSE
OF THE GREAT WORK
THAT'S BEING DONE.
AND-AND-AND WE'RE LEARNING
SO MUCH ALL THE TIME.
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US,
ADMINISTRATOR BRIDENSTINE.
>> WELL, THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE.
>> WELL, WE REALLY ENJOY
HEARING HOW, YOU KNOW,
WE CAN CONNECT THE SATELLITES
ALL THE WAY TO THE FIELD SCALE,
AND HOW THIS IS SO IMPORTANT
FOR STUDYING OUR
HOME PLANET EARTH.
NOW MANY OF YOU MAY THINK
OF JUST NASA AS SPACE SHUTTLES
AND MAYBE SATELLITES,
BUT YOU KNOW THAT ONE
OF THE As IN NASA
IS AERONAUTICS.
SO UP NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO TALK
WITH THE PROJECT LEADER
OF A NEW TYPE OF AIRCRAFT.
THIS SMALL EXPERIMENTAL PLANE
IS POWERED BY ELECTRICITY.
KNOWN AS THE X-57 MAXWELL,
IT'LL HELP MAKE FLYING
CLEANER, QUIETER,
AND MORE SUSTAINABLE.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK
AT THIS AIRCRAFT.
>> THE X-57 MAXWELL
IS NASA'S FIRST MANNED X-PLANE
IN ALMOST 20 YEARS.
IT'S A SMALL, EXPERIMENTAL
AIRPLANE THAT IS POWERED
FULLY BY ELECTRICITY.
ALL ELECTRIC AIRPLANE
TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE FLYING
CLEANER, QUIETER,
AND MORE SUSTAINABLE.
>> AT THIS POINT,
THROTTLE IS IDLE.
RIGHT MOTOR AREA CLEAR.
>> WITH ELECTRIC POWER,
THE X-57 WILL DEMONSTRATE FLIGHT
THAT IS NOT ONLY MORE EFFICIENT,
BUT ALSO MORE RELIABLE,
HELPING TO ADVANCE
THE FUTURE OF GREEN AVIATION.
>> SO TO TELL US MORE
ABOUT THIS EXCITING PROJECT,
I'M PLEASED TO BE JOINED
BY THE MISSION'S PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATOR, SEAN CLARKE.
SEAN, HOW YA DOING?
>> I'M GREAT.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT THE X-57?
WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?
>> WELL, WE'RE SEEING
A LOT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
BECOME AVAILABLE.
WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE ACCESS
TO ELECTRIC MOTORS
AND BATTERIES THAT WE CAN USE
FOR AIRCRAFT DESIGN.
SO IN X-57,
WE'RE ACTUALLY PUTTING 14 MOTORS
ALONG OUR AIRCRAFT
IN ORDER TO MAKE A VEHICLE
THAT IS MUCH MORE EFFICIENT
AND USES LESS ENERGY
AND HAS ZERO
CARBON EMISSIONS IN FLIGHT.
>> TH-TH-THAT'S
PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
SO, IT'S CLEAR THAT
THERE'S SOME BENEFITS,
BUT CAN YOU TALK
A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT HOW THE X-57
MAY HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO, BECAUSE IT'S, UH,
USING ELECTRIC MOTORS,
AND THE MOTORS ARE
SO LIGHTWEIGHT
AND SO MUCH MORE RELIABLE,
WE'RE ABLE TO PUT THEM
IN-IN REALLY INTERESTING PLACES
ON OUR AIRCRAFT.
WE'VE GOT OUR MAIN MOTOR SYSTEM
OUT AT THE WING TIPS,
WHICH ACTUALLY REDUCES
THE AIRCRAFT DRAG
AND IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
BY REDUCING THE VORTEX
THAT FORMS FROM A--
FROM AN AIRCRAFT WING.
AND SO, UH, ALONG WITH
THE HIGH PERFORMANCE WING
AND OUR SMALL MOTORS
THAT HELP US TAKE OFF AND LAND,
THIS AIRCRAFT WILL USE
ABOUT FIVE TIMES LESS ENERGY
FOR EVERY MILE THAT IT TRAVELS
COMPARED TO A TYPICAL AIRCRAFT
THAT YOU CAN BUY TODAY.
>> WOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S
A LOT OF TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENT GOING ON.
AND-AND ONE OF THE OTHER
THINGS YOU'VE MENTIONED
IS ABOUT THE BATTERIES,
HOW TO INCREASE, YOU KNOW,
BATTERY DEVELOPMENT
TO MAKE IT HIGHER VOLTAGE.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THAT PROCESS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE'RE-WE'RE ACTUALLY USING
SPACE STATION TECHNOLOGY
FROM-FROM THE-THE NASA RESEARCH
ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
AND BY PUTTING THAT TECHNOLOGY
IN OUR AIRCRAFT BATTERIES,
WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE
A-A BATTERY SYSTEM
THAT'S SAFE ENOUGH TO INSTALL
NEXT TO OUR PILOTS,
BUT GIVES US THE ENERGY
THAT WE NEED TO PERFORM
OUR EXPERIMENTS.
UH, SO THAT'S BEEN
REALLY CRITICAL,
AND IT'S BEEN SOMETHING
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SHARE
WITH INDUSTRY ALREADY.
>> AND-AND SPEAKING OF INDUSTRY,
YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU SEE
AS THE FUTURE
OF THIS CAPABILITY?
HOW-HOW LARGE
CAN THESE PLANES BE?
>> UH, WHAT'S SO EXCITING
ABOUT THIS TECHNOLOGY
IS THESE MOTORS
AND THESE BATTERIES
CAN SCALE UP TO LARGER
AND LARGER AIRCRAFT.
AND SO, OUR AIRCRAFT
WILL HOLD, UH, ROOM
FOR OUR TEST PILOT
AND-AND A LOT
OF INSTRUMENTATION.
BUT, UH, THESE TECHNOLOGIES
WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE AIRCRAFT
THAT COULD CARRY PEOPLE
A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES,
OR ACROSS THE COUNTRY
IF YOU MAKE A HYBRID VERSION
IN THE-- IN THE FUTURE.
>> SO, NASA CONDUCTS
MANY DIFFERENT TYPES
OF FIELD CAMPAIGNS,
FLYING, UM, AIRPLANES TO--
WITH INSTRUMENTS TO LOOK
IN ALL DIFFERENT TYPES
OF ENVIRONMENTS HERE ON EARTH.
YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT THE OP--
THE POTENTIAL FOR FLYING PEOPLE
COMMERCIALLY WITH THIS TYPE
OF TECHNOLOGY?
>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY EXCITING.
THIS TECHNOLOGY ISN'T READY
TO FLY COMMERCIALLY RIGHT NOW.
YOU-YOU WOULDN'T WANNA BUY
THE X-57, BECAUSE IT'S
AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE.
BUT OUR TECHNOLOGIES ARE-
ARE ABSOLUTELY APPLICABLE
TO-TO FUTURE MARKETS.
THE-THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY
FOR URBAN AIR TAXIS
OR, UH, RURAL AVIATION
MARKETPLACES OPENING UP
DUE TO ELECTRIC PROPULSION
AND AIRCRAFT BEING
MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
>> SO, AS WE'RE-- YOU KNOW,
AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
THIS THEME OF TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW,
DO YOU SEE AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY
TO BE APPLIED FOR OTHER
TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS,
FOR EXAMPLE?
>> UH, ABSOLUTELY.
WE-WE'RE ACTUALLY USING
SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY
FROM THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
AND, UH, THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
UM, AND SO, HELPING
TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN
ADAPT THOSE TO AIRCRAFT
AND MAKE THEM LIGHTWEIGHT
AND RELIABLE, SO THAT WE CAN--
WE CAN USE THEM IN FLIGHT
HAS BEEN CRITICAL,
BUT ALSO, UH,
LEARNING HOW TO TAKE
OUR-OUR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
AND-AND FLOW THAT BACK INTO
OTHER INDUSTRIES HAS BEEN
A-A-A MAIN GOAL OF OURS.
>> WELL, THIS IS JUST
A REALLY IMPRESSIVE PROJECT.
AND I GUESS MY LAST QUESTION
IS WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST
ABOUT THIS INVENTING
AND BUILDING OF TECHNOLOGY
TO REALLY HELP OUR HOME PLANET?
>> UH, IT'S JUST SO EXCITING
TO-TO BE WORKING
ON AIRCRAFT RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE
THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES
AND-AND REDESIGN AIRCRAFT
FROM THE GROUND UP.
UH, WE'RE-WE'RE THINKING
ABOUT NEW AND-AND INTERESTING
CONFIGURATIONS THAT WILL
MAKE AIRPLANES MORE EFFICIENT
AND MORE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
SO THAT MORE PEOPLE
WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL
AND-AND DO IT CHEAPLY
AND-AND WITH LESS EMISSIONS.
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US, SEAN.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU.
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY
EXCITING TO HEAR ABOUT
THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES
BEING DEVELOPED TO CREATE
AN AIRCRAFT COMPLETELY
POWERED BY BATTERIES.
YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE
TO FOLLOW THE PROGRESS
OF THIS MISSION
AT SOCIAL MEDIA @NASAAERO.
SO SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN, UH--
60 YEARS AGO,
NASA'S BEEN A LEADING AGENCY
KNOWN FOR DEVELOPING
TECHNOLOGIES TO SEND
PEOPLE TO SPACE, LOOK AT
THE OUTERMOST REACHES
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND,
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT
THE TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED
TO ANSWER KEY QUESTIONS
ABOUT SPACE EXPLORATION
AND TRAVEL HAVE SIGNIFICANT
BENEFITS FOR US ON EARTH?
FOR EXAMPLE, DID YOU KNOW
THAT NASA DEVELOPED
THE FIRST COMPUTER MOUSE
IN THE 1960s TO INTERACT
WITH DATA ON SOME
OF THE BIG FIRST COMPUTERS?
AND IN THE 1970s,
THEY DEVELOPED MEMORY FOAM
TO MAKE PILOT SEATS
MORE COMFORTABLE.
MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE THOUGH
IS THE INVENTION OF TECHNOLOGY
TO ENABLE THE CAMERA PHONE
IN THE 1990s,
WHICH IS NOW PERVASIVE
IN CAMERA PHONE TECHNOLOGY
AND WEBCAMS ACROSS, UH--
ACROSS THE WORLD.
SO TO CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION
ON HOW NASA TECHNOLOGIES
CAN HELP US HERE ON EARTH,
I'D LIKE TO BRING IN
INNOVATOR ANNIE MEIER.
TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF HER
AND HER TEAM'S IMPRESSIVE WORK.
>> ON A ONE YEAR MISSION,
A CREW OF FOUR WOULD PRODUCE
AROUND 2,500 KILOGRAMS OF TRASH.
I'M ANNIE MEIER,
AND I'M TURNING TRASH
INTO USEABLE RESOURCES.
SO WE'RE TAKING THAT TRASH
AND CONVERTING IT INTO GASES
THAT WE CAN USE FOR EITHER
VENTING OFF A SPACECRAFT
OR USING IT FOR FUELS.
SO, I'M STANDING IN FRONT
OF WHAT'S CALLED OSCAR.
IT NOT ONLY PRODUCES
THESE GASES,
BUT IT'S REDUCING
THE TRASH VOLUME.
NO ONE LIKES TO SIT IN A ROOM
SURROUNDED BY THEIR TRASH,
AND NEITHER DO ASTRONAUTS.
AND SO THE THINGS WE'RE STUDYING
FOR CONVERTING TRASH INTO GASES
HAS TO BE SAFE FOR THE CREW,
AND THEREFORE SAFE
FOR USE ON THE PLANET.
MY GRANDFATHER WAS ACTUALLY
A SANITATION WORKER
IN THE BRONX.
AND SO GROWING UP,
I WAS VERY AWARE OF TRASH
ALL AROUND US,
AND I WAS ALWAYS CURIOUS,
HOW CAN WE REDUCE OUR WASTE
OR CONVERT IT?
BUT I REALLY TRY
TO TAKE IT HOME WITH ME
AND DO EVERYTHING
FROM COMPOSTING,
TRYING TO LIVE AS ZERO-WASTE
AS YOU CAN, SHOW OTHERS
THAT IF I CAN DO THIS,
YOU CAN DO IT, TOO.
>> WOW.
WHAT AN AMAZING PROJECT.
ANNIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US HERE
TO TALK MORE ABOUT OSCAR
AND TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO FIRST, CAN YOU--
CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT OSCAR?
>> SURE, WE ARE CONVERTING
SOLID TRASH THAT YOU FIND
ON A SPACE MISSION INTO GAS,
SO THAT WE CAN HAVE
A SUSTAINABLE HUMAN PRESENCE
ON SPACE MISSIONS.
>> AND SO, IT-IT SOUNDS AS
IF THERE'S A LOT, UM,
OF THEMES IN THIS EARTH DAY
OF CONSERVATION.
HOW CAN THIS TECHNOLOGY HELP,
UH, IMPROVE OR, UH, AFFECT
OUR LIVES ON EARTH?
>> YEAH,
SO ON THE SPACE MISSION,
WE THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING
WE SEND UP THERE,
AND THEN WE HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT HOW ARE WE GONNA USE
EVERY SINGLE DROP
OF WHAT WE SEND UP THERE
AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL?
SO IN OUR CASE,
WE ARE CREATING A GAS
THAT CAN BE USED AS A FUEL.
AND, UM, IF WE DON'T USE IT
AS A FUEL, WE'RE FREEING UP
SPACE FOR ASTRONAUTS
IN THEIR SPACECRAFT
AND VENTING IT OVERBOARD.
UM, SO, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT,
UH, BACK ON EARTH,
YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HAVE
TO THINK ABOUT,
UH, REDUCE FIRST.
SO, REDUCE WHAT YOU'RE USING
BEFORE YOU CONVERT IT
INTO SOMETHING ELSE,
AND-AND IT-IT'S, UH,
A COMMON MINDSET TO TRY
AND REDUCE AS MUCH
AS YOU CAN IN SPACE.
>> SO, IF-- THERE'S
A LOT OF TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT HERE,
AND ONE THING THAT I THINK
THAT'S REALLY INSPIRING
IS THE FACT THAT OSCAR
IS AN EARLY CAREER
INITIATIVE PROJECT.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT HOW YOU AND YOUR TEAM
DEVELOPED THIS TECHNOLOGY?
>> SURE.
SO, MOST OF THE PEOPLE
ON OUR TEAM WERE ENGINEERS
OR SCIENTISTS
THAT HAD NEVER DONE
A HANDS-ON PROJECT BEFORE,
OR WERE VERY EARLY
IN THEIR CAREER.
SO, WE HAD TO TAKE
A LEAN AND AGILE APPROACH
AND TAKE SOMETHING FROM JUST
WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER
TO A MICROGRAVITY
AND SUBORBITAL PAYLOAD
IN A LITTLE UNDER TWO YEARS.
SO, IT WAS VERY FAST PACED,
A LOT OF HARD WORK,
BUT A LOT OF FUN.
>> SO, THERE'S A LOT
OF INTEREST AT #askNASA.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO
TO SOCIAL MEDIA NOW
WHERE WE CAN TALK A BIT MORE,
UM, ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS
OF TECHNOLOGIES.
KATIE ON INSTAGRAM WRITES,
"HOW IS THE PROCESS
OF RECYCLING DIFFERENT
IN SPACE THAN ON EARTH?"
>> SURE, SO, THE MAIN THINGS
I WOULD SAY ARE POWER AND TIME.
ON EARTH, YOU HAVE PEOPLE
THAT CAN SPEND A LOT OF TIME
SEPARATING OUT THE MATERIALS
INTO THE DIFFERENT TYPES
OF MATERIALS.
IN SPACE, WE DON'T HAVE
A LOT OF CREW TIME
TO SEPARATE OUT THE TRASH,
SO WE NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT WE HAVE UP THERE,
EXACTLY WHAT NEEDS
TO BE CONVERTED,
SO WE CAN BE AS EFFICIENT
AND FAST AS POSSIBLE.
ALSO ON EARTH,
YOU HAVE A LOT MORE POWER
AVAILABLE TO YOU,
AND YOU CAN SPEND
A LOT OF ENERGY, UH,
IN YOUR RECYCLING PLAN.
IN SPACE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT,
SO EVERYTHING LIKE HEATING
AND, UM, YOU KNOW,
HEATING UP SOMETHING
OR CONVERTING IT
WITH DIFFERENT SENSORS
HAS TO BE DONE WITH
AS LITTLE POWER AS POSSIBLE,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT THERE
ON A SPACECRAFT.
SO, IT MAKES US VERY INNOVATIVE
IN THE APPROACH AND THE DESIGN
THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS
TRASH-TO-GAS REACTOR.
>> IT'S EXCITING TO HEAR
THE AGILITY NEEDED
AND THE INTERPLAY
BETWEEN SCIENTISTS
AND TECHNOLOGISTS
AND ENGINEERS TO REALLY
KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW
TO ADVANCE THESE CAPABILITIES
IN A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT.
UM, ANOTHER INTERESTING QUESTION
FROM @SPECIALK1624
ON INSTAGRAM ASKS,
"ONE OF-- WHAT'S ONE OF
THE MAJOR CHANGES YOU'VE SEEN
FROM RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENTS IN YOUR--
IN YOUR CAREER?"
>> YEAH, SO THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCES ON EARTH
VERSUS SPACE WASTE CONVERSION--
IT'S-IT'S A COMPLICATED PROCESS
ON EARTH, BUT IN SPACE,
YOU HAVE THINGS
LIKE HEAT TRANSFER,
FIRE AND COMBUSTION--
IT'S ALL DIFFERENT
IN MICROGRAVITY.
SO WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME
ON THE PHYSICS OF FLUID FLOW
AND HEAT TRANSFER
AND THINGS LIKE NATURAL
CONVECTION AND BUOYANCY.
IT'S ALL DIFFERENT
IN MICROGRAVITY,
SO IT CHANGES THE APPROACH
OF HOW WE DESIGN THE REACTOR.
BUT ALSO, WE HAVE A LOT
OF HARMFUL GASES.
IF YOU JUST THROW TRASH
INTO A FIRE ON EARTH,
YOU'RE GONNA CREATE
SOME BAD GASES.
ON A SPACECRAFT,
WE NEED TO PROTECT
OUR CREW AT ALL COSTS.
SO WE'RE TRYING INNOVATIVE
APPROACHES TO MAKE IT
AS CLEAN AND EFFICIENT
OF A GAS AS POSSIBLE,
SO WE'RE NOT PRODUCING
THOSE HARMFUL BYPRODUCTS.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
WE CAN TAKE BACK TO EARTH,
BECAUSE EARTH
IS BASICALLY A SPACESHIP.
WE FORGET THAT SOMETIMES,
BUT IT'S THIS BIG ATMOSPHERE
PROTECTING OUR PLANET.
SO THE TECHNOLOGIES
WE'RE USING WILL HOPEFULLY,
UM, GO BACK TO EARTH
AND PROTECT THAT ATMOSPHERE
FROM PROCESSING
OUR OWN TRASH HERE ON EARTH.
>> WELL ANNIE, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE
TALKING TO YOU
AND EXCITING-EXCITING TO HEAR
ABOUT THE EVOLUTION
AND THE DEVELOPMENTS OF OSCAR.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
>> HAPPY EARTH DAY!
SO WHILE ANNIE AND HER TEAM
ARE WORKING TOWARDS
INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MANAGE
WASTE IN SPACE AND ON EARTH,
OUR FINAL GUEST TODAY
IS LOOKING AT HOW
HUMAN PRESSURES MAY BE
CHANGING OUR OCEANS.
USING THE POWER
OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY,
THIS NEXT RESEARCH PROJECT
HAS DEVELOPED AN INTERACTIVE APP
TO CHARACTERIZE CORAL REEF
ECOSYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD
WITH UNPRECEDENTED ACCURACY.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> WHAT IF YOU COULD HELP NASA
CREATE A MAP OF THE OCEAN FLOOR
WITH JUST THE TIP
OF YOUR FINGER?
THE OCEAN.
TEEMING WITH LIFE.
IT DEFINES OUR BLUE PLANET,
DRIVES OUR ECOSYSTEM,
AND REGULATES OUR CLIMATE.
CORAL REEFS ARE ONE
OF THE MOST DIVERSE
AND IMPORTANT SYSTEMS
IN THE OCEAN.
THEY'RE ALSO BECOMING
AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF MEDICINES
FOR SOME OF THE WORLD'S
DEADLIEST DISEASES.
BUT THEY'RE DYING
AT UNPRECEDENTED RATES
DUE TO RISING TEMPERATURES.
BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH
WE'RE LOSING OR HOW MUCH
OUR CLIMATE IS CHANGING.
WE CAN'T,
UNTIL WE DETERMINE HOW MUCH
HEALTHY REEF EXISTS NOW.
AND THE ONLY WAY
WE CAN KNOW THAT
IS WITH YOUR HELP.
NASA NEMO-NET IS A GAME
WHERE YOU CLASSIFY
THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS
BY PAINTING ON REAL LIFE IMAGES
SCANNED FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR
USING A REVOLUTIONARY INSTRUMENT
THAT LETS US SEE
BENEATH THE WAVES
AT UNPRECEDENTED RESOLUTIONS.
OUR OCEANS ARE SO VAST,
IT WOULD TAKE US 2 MILLION YEARS
TO CLASSIFY THE WORLD'S
CORAL REEFS BY HAND.
THE CLASSIFICATIONS
YOU CREATE ARE SENT
TO OUR TEAMS OF NASA SCIENTISTS
AT HOME BASE
TO TEACH OUR SUPERCOMPUTER
TO CLASSIFY CORAL REEFS
ON A GLOBAL SCALE.
EVERY CONTRIBUTION YOU MAKE
BRINGS US CLOSER
TO SOLVING THIS PROBLEM.
JOIN THE NASA TEAM
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
THESE AMAZING ECOSYSTEMS,
TAKE COMMAND
OF YOUR RESEARCH VESSEL,
AND LEARN ABOUT ALL
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CORAL.
WE MUST KEEP THE OCEAN ALIVE.
IT SUPPORTS OUR LIFE
AS WE KNOW IT.
TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE
A GLOBAL DATA SET OF CORAL REEFS
AND BUILD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF HOW TO SAVE
THESE AQUATIC WORLDS,
ONE PIECE OF CORAL AT A TIME.
GOOD LUCK, AND WELCOME
TO THE NASA NEMO-NET TEAM.
>> WOW, WHAT A COOL APP.
WELL, JOINING ME NOW
IS VED CHIRAYATH,
WHO'S A NASA SCIENTIST
AND NEMO-NET
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR.
VED, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
AND WHAT A GREAT WAY
TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC
IN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.
>> THANK YOU, DAHLIA,
AND HAPPY EARTH DAY.
>> THANK YOU.
BEFORE WE TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT THE APP,
CAN YOU TELL ME MORE
ABOUT NEMO-NET?
>> SURE.
SO, NEMO-NET STARTED IN 2016
AS ACTUALLY A WAY TO STUDY
AND PROCESS ALL OF THESE
REALLY HIGH RESOLUTION DATA SETS
THAT AN INSTRUMENT
CALLED FLUIDCAM WAS GENERATING.
SO, IT STARTED
ON THE NASA SUPERCOMPUTER,
AND THE CHALLENGE GREW TO HOW
DO WE PROCESS ALL OF THESE
HIGH RESOLUTION DATA SETS
FROM-- OF CORAL REEFS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD?
AND THAT EVENTUALLY GREW
INTO A CITIZEN SCIENCE APP
THAT YOU CAN NOW PLAY.
>> SO, WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE
THE COOLEST PART
OF THIS APP?
WHAT DO YOU HEAR FROM USERS?
>> UH, FOR ME, THIS IS
REALLY JUST A CHANCE
TO EXPLORE OUR EARTH'S OCEANS
LIKE WE'VE NEVER
SEEN THEM BEFORE.
ONLY 6% OF OUR OCEAN FLOOR
IS MAPPED AS OF 2020,
BUT WE HAVE MAPPED ALL OF MARS
AND THE MOON
AT A SPATIAL RESOLUTION
OF 30 METERS OR FINER.
AND IT'S REALLY SURPRISING,
BECAUSE WE GET SO MUCH
FROM THE OCEAN.
CORAL REEFS IN PARTICULAR
ARE JUST AN AMAZING SOURCE
OF BIODIVERSITY IN OUR PLANET.
THEY SUPPORT ALL THESE LIFEFORMS
IN THE OPEN OCEAN
THAT WE RELY ON.
AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW,
DURING THIS VIRAL PANDEMIC,
NOW MORE THAN EVER
I THINK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF ALL THE MEDICINES
WE GET FROM CORAL REEFS.
LEADING ANTIVIRAL
MEDICATIONS LIKE AZT,
WHICH TURNED AROUND
THE HIV EPIDEMIC,
WERE FIRST DISCOVERED
IN REEF SYSTEMS.
SO FOR ME, IT'S-IT'S EXCITING
BECAUSE YOU-YOU GET TO EXPLORE
AND SEE THESE DATA SETS
COMING FROM OUR
FLUIDCAM INSTRUMENT,
UH, WHICH IS
THE FIRST INSTRUMENT
THAT'S ABLE TO PEEL BACK
THE OCEAN WAVE DISTORTION
AND ACTUALLY MAP THE COR--
SEA FLOOR IN SHALLOW AREAS
AT THE CENTIMETER SCALE.
AND IN THE GAME,
YOU NOT ONLY GET TO EXPLORE
THESE ENVIRONMENTS,
BUT ALSO COLOR THEM.
AND AS YOU COLOR,
ALL OF THAT DATA GETS SENT
TO OUR SUPERCOMPUTER,
WHICH IS ABLE TO STUDY CORAL
ON A GLOBAL SCALE BY CREATING
A MACHINE LEARNING MODEL
WITH ALL THE TRAINING DATA
THAT USERS LIKE YOU PROVIDE.
>> THIS IS
AN AMAZING TECHNOLOGY.
DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER PLACES
THIS COULD BE APPLIED?
>> UH, YES.
UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY
THE FIRST TIME 3D DATA
HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED
BY CITIZEN SCIENTISTS,
AND IT OPENS UP
AN ENTIRE NEW, UM,
WAY TO STUDY THE WORLD.
HUMANS RELY ON OUR--
ON OUR STEREO VISION,
OUR 3D VISION
TO SEPARATE ITEMS OUT.
IN FACT, IF YOU GOOGLE
CHIHUAHUA AND BLUEBERRY MUFFIN,
YOU'LL FIND THAT THIS
IS STILL A DIFFICULT PROBLEM
FOR COMPUTERS TO SEPARATE OUT.
THE FACES OF CHIHUAHUA DOGS
AND MUFFINS LOOK VERY SIMILAR.
BUT ONCE YOU HAVE 3D DATA,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEPARATE
THOSE TWO THINGS OUT.
SO, FOR NEMO-NET,
ONE OF THE APPLICATIONS
WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UM,
GOING TO MARS AND THE MOON
AND OTHER PLANETARY BODIES
AND LOOKING FOR SIGNS OF LIFE.
UM, ON EARTH,
WE ACTUALLY USED FLUIDCAM
TO STUDY THINGS
CALLED STROMATOLITES
IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
NOW THESE ARE THE FIRST
LIFEFORMS ON EARTH.
THEY'VE BEEN AROUND
3.5 BILLION YEARS
AND THEY FORM THESE
VERY STRANGE LOOKING ROCKS.
AND THEY'RE STILL LIVING,
UM, IN-IN THIS AREA
IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO MAP THEM
USING FLUID CAM,
AND THEN USING A TOOL
LIKE NeMO-NET,
WHERE WE TRAIN
WHAT IS CONSIDERED
A LIVING ORGANISM AND NOT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO
SEPARATE OUT THE STROMATOLITES,
UH, WHETHER THEY'RE FOSSILIZED
OR LIVING, FROM ROCKS,
AND THAT'S REALLY THE F--
YOU KNOW,
A LIFE DETECTION INSTRUMENT,
BEING ABLE TO SEPARATE OUT
THESE 3D STRUCTURES, UM,
AND IDENTIFY THAT
THEY'RE LIVING ORGANISMS.
UM, OR THEY WERE
LIVING ORGANISMS.
SO AS WE VENTURE OUT
INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM
AND THE UNIVERSE, UM,
I THINK WHAT'S EXCITING
ABOUT NeMO-NET IS THAT
WE CAN BRING THESE ADVANCED
3D MACHINE-LEARNING TOOLS
TO STUDYING DIFFERENT WORLDS
AND DIRECTING THE AREAS
THAT WE WANT TO SEND
OUR NEXT ROVERS TO.
>> THIS IS AMAZING.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN HEARING, UM,
THROUGHOUT THE COURSE
OF THIS SHOW ABOUT HOW--
YOU KNOW, WE CAN TAKE
TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED FOR SPACE
AND APPLY THEM ON EARTH,
BUT IT'S REALLY EXCITING
TO HAVE THE ANALOGUE ON EARTH
TO LOOK INTO SPACE.
SO, UM, JUST--
WE'D LOVE TO TAKE SOME QUESTIONS
FROM AXE--
#ASKNASA, AND ONE QUESTION
IS FROM SHANNON
ON INSTAGRAM.
YOU KNOW,
"WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED
"IN CORAL REEF STUDIES?"
>> YEAH, I-I'M ACTUALLY
AN ASTROPHYSICIST BY TRAINING,
AND, UH, I MET
DR. [ INDISTINCT ],
YOU'LL SEE IN
THE NeMO-NET VIDEO GAME.
AND TWO MINUTES
WITH [ INDISTINCT ]
HAD ME CONVINCED THAT
I NEEDED TO POINT MY GAZE
FROM THE SKY DOWN
INTO OUR OWN OCEAN.
UM, THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION
WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO US,
TO ME, JUST MAKES IT, UH,
AN INSTANT SWITCHOVER.
I MEAN, STUDYING THE OCEAN
HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY
FULFILLING CAREER SO FAR.
I'VE GOT TO INTERACT
WITH ANIMALS AND SEE, UM,
LIFE IN A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT WAY,
AND I HOPE THAT EVERYONE
PLAYING NeMO-NET
GETS THAT EXPERIENCE AND JOY
WITHOUT ALL OF THE LABORS
OF WEARING SCUBA GEAR
OR HAVING TO TRAVEL TO
THESE REMOTE AREAS
AND SWIM AND SNORKEL OUT
TO FIND LIFE FORMS.
BUT IT'S JUST--
IT'S A VERY SPECIAL PLACE,
AND YOU BEGIN TO REALIZE, UM,
THAT THE OCEAN IS REALLY
WHAT DOMINATES OUR PLANET,
AND WE'VE LIVED ON
THIS TINY LITTLE SLICE OF LAND
OUR WHOLE LIVES,
BUT WE DON'T REALLY
FULLY UNDERSTAND, UM,
HOW OUR PLANET WORKS
UNLESS WE UNDERSTAND THE OCEAN.
>> WELL, VED,
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU'VE DEFINITELY INSPIRED ME,
AND HOW CAN OTHERS BE INSPIRED
AND GET INVOLVED WITH THE APP?
>> SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY
TO GET INVOLVED IN THE APP
AND ALSO YOUR COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD
THE NeMO-NET APP
IN THE APP STORE RIGHT NOW
FOR, UH, DESKTOP
AND iOS DEVICES,
AND IT CAN ALSO VISIT
OUR HOMEPAGE AT NEMONET.INFO.
>> GREAT.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, VED,
FOR JOINING US.
SO THAT'S ABOUT ALL
FOR OUR SHOW TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US ON TODAY,
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF EARTH DAY.
IF YOU WANNA FIND OUT
ALL THE WAYS
YOU CAN GET INVOLVED,
PLEASE VISIT NASA.GOV/EARTHDAY.
NASA HAS LAUNCHED
A NASA AT HOME WEBSITE
WHERE YOU CAN FIND
LOTS OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES,
VIDEOS, PODCASTS, AND ACTIVITIES
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NASA'S
EXCITING TECHNOLOGY
AND SCIENCE.
ALSO, FOLLOW THE HASHTAG
#EARTHDAYATHOME
FOR A SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
IN HONOR OF EARTH DAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US AND
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
[ MUSIC ]
