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Extraterrestrial Home Building the Foundations for Life in Space
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00:00Hello to all of you watching us from wherever you are. My name is Louise Eklund. I'm your host today
00:05here at Vivas Tech.
00:06We're about to start our second session now entitled Extraterrestrial Home, Building the Foundations for Life in Space.
00:14This is a two-hour session running from 10 a.m. this morning to 12 p.m.
00:19So stay with us till 12 p.m. and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send them through.
00:24We have an iPad and we'll be able to ask those questions in all of our different sessions.
00:28So here's the subject of the moment. What are the implications of the commercialization of space on habitability?
00:36What factors, ideas, research and recent innovations feed our notion and the possibility of living in space?
00:43So we're going to try and answer these questions in the next 40 minutes.
00:46And I'm very pleased to hand over right now to Frédéric Castel. Frédéric, it's over to you.
00:52Thank you very much for this introduction. Good morning. We have three key actors of the space program and to
01:02speak during 40 minutes about the future of man in space, how to live there.
01:10We have a key astronaut, we have the architecture, the architecture of the future, and we have the key person
01:18of space transportation.
01:20But let's start with the fact that the introduction, they were saying in September 2021, for the first time, SpaceX
01:28was the first private company to launch NASA astronauts, but could launch also tourists.
01:37So let's think what it represents. Is tourism a key element of commercialization for the future and to go in
01:48space? Is it a key element?
01:52If you want to, Michael, is tourism the new force to boost the future of life in space?
02:00But first, tell us, you are an important person designing architecture with NASA. You've been working for years.
02:09Why is it so important to design, to conceive, things that will happen only in 15, 20, or 25 years?
02:20Thank you, Frédéric, for the question. The first slide is up.
02:25Let's go perhaps with the slides, yes.
02:28First slide. There, perfect. So what we do at SEARCH is we design mostly habitats and infrastructure for deep space
02:37missions.
02:38So thinking about the timeline for the missions, it's important that we also, in a moonshot sort of way, you
02:47know, think about what life would be like on these planets, Moon and Mars, in about 25 to 50 years.
02:54So we're working towards the sort of technology readiness level that is there to put that in place.
03:01And I'm just going to show you, should I show the video now? Yeah, I'm just going to show you
03:05the video, please.
03:06Let's try...
03:07These are just different infrastructures. This is a...
03:10Landing pads, thought to be one of the first lunar structures, will need to contain and control the supersonic and
03:16subsonic dust ejecta created during launch and landing.
03:22So the particular designs of each element have to be uniquely considered, not only for the Moon and or Mars,
03:31which are very different conditions from Earth, but there's different gravitational requirements.
03:36So you could show the next slide, just maybe move through the slides quickly.
03:45Is it...
03:46And then sort of habitat designs more recently working with ICON for NASA.
03:54This is called the Lunar Lantern.
03:57Mikey, it's so beautiful. Is it art? Or is it much more?
04:01Well, this is the actual video showing the current technology of actually automated construction.
04:07So putting that, you'll see a bit that they add this piece into it.
04:12And sort of coordinating how these things would be advanced on automated construction, just putting that piece in like that,
04:21isn't a major achievement at the moment.
04:23So yeah, moving from where we're at today in construction to something like the Lunar Lantern involves, you know, incredible
04:31amount of research and development.
04:33So all of the Artemis missions that will go on will push those technologies further as they are tested on
04:41the Moon.
04:43Do you think that just to the three of you with a very short answer, because we have a limited
04:48time, is tourism, space tourism becoming an important, has an important role in the future?
04:59If you want, Jean-Francois, just a very short answer on the space tourism.
05:04Space tourism consists of proposing to non-professionals the experience of space flight, to see the black sky in daylight,
05:12to see the Earth, to be in weightlessness, to feel the push of the rocket engine.
05:16It will still be risky, because riding a rocket is risky and expensive.
05:24But there is a market, so it will develop, but not to a level of what we call, you know,
05:35everybody could do it.
05:38Daniel, do you think it's, is it important, space tourism, or is it just a minor event at this point?
05:49In space, nothing is minor. It just adds a dimension, de facto.
05:54I think, of course, transportation, the risk flies with you, Jean-Francois mentioned it, that's a fact.
06:01Our role as European Space Agency is really to work on the scientific excellence, to push the barriers of technological
06:09innovation,
06:10and it's what we have to do is our contribution to the space development as such, and at the end
06:17also providing applications, giving data back to Earth.
06:20I think we have clearly to differentiate in which function you are here, but at the end, it's an additional
06:26dimension, it's an additional opportunity for some people.
06:32Thank you, thank you, Daniel.
06:34To Jean-Francois, Jean-Francois, not only most of the people know you here, but not only you are a
06:41veteran astronaut, but you are also the founder of Air Zero-G.
06:45Is it the first experience and the first step of living in space to have Air Zero-G?
06:55Before going to space, it's very useful for anybody, professional and non-professional, to have experience beforehand, high G-level
07:04in a centrifuge, and real weightlessness in what we call a Zero-G flight.
07:09So I suggest we launch now a video where I explain the way it works. It's a program I founded...
07:16The aircraft is placed into orbit for about 22 seconds. We start the pull-up. During the pull-up, the
07:24aircraft climbs to put the trajectory on the 50 degrees nose up.
07:30We feel twice our weight. Look at the ball coming back very fast. We feel twice our normal gravity.
07:38And 30 degrees, 40 degrees, injection into weightlessness.
07:47Now we are in the same weightlessness as the astronaut in space on board the space station.
07:55And we can float. You see all the scientists around me working on their own experiments.
08:14They prepare the hardware in their laboratories. And now they are in weightlessness, the same weightlessness as the astronaut in
08:21space.
08:22But this time, the scientists themselves are on their own hardware, doing good research, and producing good science.
08:33So as you can see, this plane is actually a scientific lab.
08:39But 10 years ago, working with the Airworthiness authorities, I got the authorization to fly tourists.
08:47So we fly four to up to eight flights per year with tourists on board.
08:54So the plane is empty, and the passengers are their own experiments.
08:58And what is nice is they understand scientific space research.
09:05They are happy because they experience the sensations of their life.
09:09And all the benefits of those public flights are given back to space agencies to fund more research.
09:18And actually, these are some of the advantages of space tourism in general.
09:22The three main advantages.
09:25When you fly tourists on capsule like Crew Dragon, you reduce the cost, the price for public missions.
09:34So you reduce the income tax contribution.
09:41You create ambassadors of planet Earth, because all those who flew in orbit, when they talk about Earth,
09:50they talk about Earth like they are in love with Earth, and every astronaut has experienced this.
09:55And also, it creates jobs, high-value jobs, that increase the quality, the performance of human space flight in general,
10:05including those space flights for professionals.
10:08So it is really the real first step of living in space?
10:14So before going to space, you go on those flights, zero-G flight, and we have had on our, on
10:20board our plane,
10:21many customers who have already bought their ticket to go on suborbital flights.
10:26So it would be a pity to go to space and to waste the first few minutes.
10:32You know, you know, suborbital flight is only two or three minutes in weightlessness in actual space.
10:38Suborbital, you know, Virgin Galactic and the Blue Origin.
10:40But if you spend those few minutes to get accustomed to weightlessness, it's a waste of time.
10:47So you better learn about weightlessness, real weightlessness, on a plane like this, before you go to space.
10:53And that's the same for orbital flights.
10:55Everybody who has been in orbital flights, professional astronauts and tourists,
11:00have flown beforehand on board a zero-G flight.
11:04So it's essential.
11:07Daniel, I don't have to remind you, we just read it, you are the Director of Launchers for Europe
11:14at the European Space Agency, ESA.
11:17How ESA and Europe is preparing the future of space transportation with a view, one day perhaps, of living in
11:31space?
11:32Which are the priorities in all that?
11:37So space transportation, you name it, in fact, has different dimensions.
11:41It's not only about accessing space, because then you would speak about the Director of Launcher.
11:48But in fact, we cover also the transport in space, and equally important, the return back on Earth.
11:53I have a slide on this, it's what we are having right now in our project.
11:58So we will have in a few weeks from now, the maiden flight of Vega-C, the rocket in the
12:03middle you see here.
12:04We will have in 23 the maiden flight of Ariane 6, left on this slide,
12:09and in 24 the maiden flight of our small space capsule space rider,
12:14which in fact will stay in orbit, in low Earth orbit a couple of months,
12:17comes back on Earth, will be refurbished and leaves again towards space.
12:22So it's a nice portfolio of showing how we will create new capabilities here in Europe for accessing space,
12:32giving opportunities for transport in space, but especially also to learn on reusability.
12:38And this will also give us the foundations to what's coming next.
12:43On the next slide you see a bit of a roadmap, which we are debating right now, where we could
12:48go.
12:50And the key message is, you see, we started from launchers, access to space, we speak today about transportation in
12:57space.
12:58But when I see the inspiring pictures from Michael, it's definitely at the end about space logistics.
13:03And this is what we are heading to. At the horizon 2030, we will certainly go towards a modular two
13:12-stage-to-orbit launchers,
13:13which are fully liquid, which are for sure reusable, and which are green.
13:19I think this really matters today that we create a capability which is also sustainable, environmentally speaking.
13:27But if you go in a two-stage-to-orbit logic, you must anticipate what you have to do to
13:34go in deep exploration.
13:37And for that, we need also mission extension vehicles.
13:41First of all, for in-orbit services, we are having here, let's say, close to our spaceship Earth in low
13:47Earth orbit,
13:48but then going in the dimension of space logistics and deep space exploration capabilities.
13:54So that's a bit the way for the next ten years here in Europe.
13:58I should say that this plan here is fully linked to cargo.
14:02So today, Europe barters, in fact, its crew flight, because we have the European Astronaut Corps, represented here by Jean
14:11-François,
14:12who has flight opportunities, and we barter, in fact, this against provisions.
14:17And the fact to bring cargo to international corporations is an opportunity of getting a flight ticket.
14:25But I'm personally convinced that it's only a question of time until Europe will have its own capability to launch
14:31also humans.
14:33Thank you, Daniel.
14:35If we go beyond, and for the past 50 years, we've seen only governments handling space programs, huge space programs,
14:45in Europe, in China, in Russia, of course, in the United States.
14:48And now we see, for the past few years, the private sector.
14:54So I will ask to each of you, which importance has the public sector in providing services in space, and
15:07companies like Boeing, Blue Origin, or SpaceX?
15:12How important is this new element in the equation of space?
15:19Who wants to start on that?
15:22Michael, yes, please.
15:23I guess I can start.
15:24Well, we're very small search.
15:26Space exploration architecture is a very small company.
15:29So I think that both private, these big, enormous companies funded by the world's billionaires, as well as small startups
15:38are critical to the sort of thinking.
15:41But they started small, too.
15:43They started small, too.
15:44Yeah.
15:45So, yes, of course, it's very expensive to get involved.
15:49So, obviously, happy to announce, looking for sponsorship to prototype and to invest in some of this technology that we're
15:59developing.
16:00But I think that this is important because we can sort of, as sort of a private entity, we can
16:05begin to sort of maybe take on a little bit more risk, conceptual risk, as well as potentially other types
16:11of risks that larger government agencies may be a little bit more risk-averse in terms of things.
16:18Of course, we should do everything very safely.
16:21But I think that what we do is we sort of think outside the box.
16:26And in that way, we can sort of lead the technology to where it may need to go one day.
16:31Thank you, Michael.
16:33Jean-François, you want to rebound on this.
16:37You've been flying three times with the shuttle program.
16:41We've been part of NASA somehow as an ESA astronaut, of course.
16:45What the public sector is showing you right now and what can be the impact for the future?
16:54In fact, it's a will from governments.
16:58Governments decided that we need to reduce the cost of government missions.
17:04And the only way to do it is to buy a service versus buying a vehicle.
17:10So we buy a launch service, we buy a cargo transportation service, instead of launching yourself, I mean, launching by
17:21yourself the cargo to the station.
17:23And by buying a service, you let the private company owning the ship, owning the Crew Dragon, for example, or
17:30owning the control center, to sell to private customers.
17:33You know, the inspiration for crew, private crew, the first ever...
17:40Underline, yes. Private company, private crew.
17:43Yeah. In September last year, you had for the first time only non-professional onboard the crew capsule.
17:51No professional astronauts. It's like if you were in an airplane, you had no more pilots in the cockpit.
17:58And that crew didn't need to coordinate or to find an agreement with any government.
18:08Private customers are buying a flight from a private company since they didn't go to the space station.
18:16They just flew for three days in Earth orbit.
18:20It's just a private business.
18:21For the first time, NASA was at all involved.
18:25Not even in the recovery. It was 100%.
18:28But before, any tourist who want to go to space, who wanted to go to space, had to negotiate with
18:34the government.
18:35I would like to buy a seat on board your space shuttle or on board your Soyuz.
18:39Now they can buy a service from the private company. And that's because the service is available.
18:45And that's the way government eventually decrease the taxpayer contribution to space exploration.
18:55Because we reduce the fixed cost and we create high added value jobs that we need to go further to
19:06the Moon and Mars.
19:07We need people to solve more difficult problems than just going to Earth orbit.
19:14Daniel, do you think that this new element of the public sector playing such a role in the United States
19:21is unique for America?
19:24Or do you think that things will evolve elsewhere and especially in Europe?
19:30Do you see a place for public sector in providing services of space transportation in Europe in the future?
19:38Thank you for the question because it's an opportunity that it's reality today here in Europe.
19:43I mean, what has been said going from systems as a public customer to services is something which is today
19:53in operation in space transportation.
19:55We have the boost program, which we established three years ago, which is a small program.
20:02If you look to the overall funding, it's in bracket only 40 million.
20:06But what matters is that it generated additional 200 millions of private investments here in Europe.
20:12So you see already the leverage factor and I think that's an important aspect.
20:16But what we really have to do is really to leapfrog as public sector.
20:21We have to leapfrog what I said before in terms of remaining state of the art, technologically speaking, scientifically speaking,
20:29because a private company needs to have a certain moment in time, a return of investment.
20:34And I think we shall de-risk them on the longer term.
20:38This is really to create the new capabilities or to incentivize the new capabilities.
20:43And this you can do through buying concrete services in the short term, act as an anchor customer,
20:50focus on technological long-term building blocks to de-risk them.
20:55And third, I would say also provide them a certain expertise because we have a certain expertise.
21:00And I think private companies, when you are in the starting, in the making, you are energetic.
21:07But you may have some sweet spots where you need some external support.
21:12And this is where I think an agency like ESA can really jump in.
21:17And let me say a last point about the boost program.
21:21We learn on the go. It's rather young.
21:23The US have started this, and with this we should underline, with a deliberate policy over 15 years.
21:31If today we have actors like SpaceX with private investments, which are really impressive,
21:37it is because beforehand there was a real policy making and shaping over 15 years.
21:43We should keep this in mind.
21:44On the European side, we are a bit younger in the field.
21:49I think we can do it, but we should do it the European way.
21:54Thank you. Thank you, Daniel.
21:56I think we'll go to questions, if there are questions.
22:00In the meantime, I mean, I think what we just spoke is really, it has to do with what they
22:08call new space.
22:09So, a new space is perhaps new, but that's the traditional space, as we've seen it in the past 50
22:18years, remains the base.
22:21Don't you think that, how would you see the mix of the new space and the traditional space sector?
22:34Sorry, may I jump in right away? For me, there is no old and new space.
22:39I never say old.
22:41I never say old.
22:42The law of physics remains the same.
22:45Exactly.
22:46We have one space community which is enriched day to day, and this is what is great.
22:51And I think it's important that we have people like Michael giving a long-term heading, but it's clear that
22:58you first have to deliver in the presence in order to justify and legitimate your action in the future.
23:05And today, we are seeing that we have established actors, we have new entrants, and I think each single new
23:11entrant is an enrichment of the space community.
23:14And that's great, because space is where it will happen tomorrow.
23:18If you think today about the dependence of connectivity of our society, of all our industries, all.
23:26If you go towards global connectivity, to take one single example, you have to integrate the space dimension or the
23:33space infrastructure.
23:34And this you can apply in a lot of other sectors. So, space is a sector where tomorrow the show
23:42will really rock, if you allow myself.
23:44And it's good to have more actors, it's good to have more fields of activity, and each actor has to
23:50take its position depending on its role and responsibility and all that.
23:55But I think it's really a great opportunity.
23:58I mean, one of the main challenges of astronautics, space, business in general, you need to decide long in advance.
24:11You need to see far into the future.
24:15But this is also the strength. You need the vision.
24:19You succeed in space only if you are able to see far into the future about what you want to
24:25do.
24:25Because if you want to go to Jupiter, to Mars, you need to think about it 15, 20 years in
24:32advance.
24:33And that's a challenge, but that's a strength.
24:35Because when you have a strong vision, whatever problems you encounter, you want to do it.
24:41And you find the solutions.
24:43You know, the main, you know, spirit in astronautics is problem solving.
24:52In the control center, in program management, in the astronaut space flight, we are constantly solving problems.
25:01And we are formatted as problem solvers.
25:04You know, 70% of the time we spend to train for a space flight as an astronaut is training
25:10to manage problems.
25:13The instructors, they are not allowed to give us, you know, scenarios with no solution.
25:18But sometimes we have air leak, propulsion leak, a fire onboard, a short circuit, the control stick which doesn't work.
25:25And we have to find the solution.
25:27And this is the way we are.
25:29In our business, in our space business, whether you are astronauts, program managers, or, you know, visionaries, we solve problems.
25:37And we see far into the future.
25:39And that's the strength in our discipline.
25:43Any questions in the room?
25:45Don't be shy.
25:46A question there.
25:47Please.
25:48We can have a microphone.
26:03Hello.
26:04Good morning.
26:04Thank you so much for organizing such an amazing panel.
26:08So I have two questions.
26:09I have one for Jean-Francois and one for Daniel.
26:12So maybe I'll start my question with Daniel.
26:15So Daniel, you mentioned earlier that there is a European way of doing things.
26:21So my question to you is in the light of the fact that there's going to be an Artemis Accord
26:28and China and Russia are planning to have their Artemis Accord.
26:33And France having joined Artemis Accord, I think about two or three weeks back,
26:38how do you position the ESA, the European Space Agency, vis-à-vis the Artemis Accord?
26:47Yes, thanks.
26:48I mean, up to now, we have an exploration strategy called Terra Nova,
26:53and into that we also position us on different international endeavors.
26:59And this is really what we have done as Europe in the past and what we continue to do.
27:04What really matters in such broad cooperation, and I would really like to underline,
27:10deep space exploration will only happen if we pull all the efforts at worldwide level together.
27:17That's very clear.
27:18The key question is, how do you put yourself on the critical path?
27:23Because you are only a partner, also in a negotiation, at ICE level, if you are having some critical elements.
27:32I mean, it creates an interdependence.
27:35What does it mean?
27:37For example, on Gateway, we have, from the European side, concrete modules.
27:42We have two out of the three modules.
27:44On other activities, we are developing technological capabilities which are needed by the partners,
27:52or transportation services which are needed by the partners.
27:56This is a way that Europe can, with its own capabilities, I think in terms of financing especially,
28:04really position itself in niche.
28:07But I would like to say, we are good in Europe in terms of talents.
28:11We have real talents.
28:13We have really good results.
28:14Scientific results are outstanding.
28:16And I think we can capitalize more on that.
28:20And if you go, and let me add another dimension beyond your question,
28:23if you really go into Michael's vision, there will be, and we have to think long term as it has
28:30been mentioned,
28:32there are some topics we can prepare.
28:33One is logistics because humans at outposts or doing science will need a lot of logistics.
28:41Second, human machine interface and teaming up will be crucial.
28:46We have really competences in Europe on that.
28:49And third and last element for me is also the fact that interoperability will be crucial.
28:56because it's only by having interoperability and creating standards that you can provide your contribution to an international endeavor,
29:06and that together you make more.
29:09Thank you.
29:11Michael, a question.
29:14Everybody wants to think about, of course, exploring Mars.
29:20And you work every day.
29:22We saw your visuals and you teach to a lot of students.
29:27What is the difference between building space habitat on the Moon and space habitat on Mars?
29:36Is it the same thing?
29:38Do we have to go through the step of the Moon for it?
29:42Actually, they're both quite different from what we understand.
29:46We actually started our projects working on Mars.
29:50And as it turned out, it seems to be a lot easier in some ways than the problems we confronted
29:56on the Moon.
29:57So the Moon has just that much more difficulty because it has absolutely no atmosphere.
30:03So I think that that component alone, with the dust, the ejecta that the landing pad, the brief clip that
30:12you saw addressed,
30:15this sort of supersonic dust ejecta, which is a big problem for Gateway if they're landing and ascending back to
30:23the space station,
30:25could actually destroy it.
30:27So I think that these are primary questions in addition to radiation, but we, you know, since Mars has a
30:35small atmosphere,
30:37there's a slight opportunity for having a window in a habitat on Mars that may not be possible on the
30:45Moon
30:45because you get some radiation protection at a low angle, low altitude angle from the planet itself.
30:53So I think there's a couple of very key architectural driving issues on those two planetary bodies that are quite
31:01different.
31:02So, yeah, it's a paradox. The Moon is more difficult in terms of habitat.
31:06I think so.
31:07Any other questions in the room? Yes, please.
31:10Miss?
31:12Ah, I don't know. Ah, yes, maybe.
31:13But we're going to say, yes.
31:15Yeah, I just wanted to...
31:17To Jean-Francois, yes, please. Sorry, I forgot you.
31:20So, Jean-Francois, you mentioned about you guys being very good in solving problems.
31:26That's how the ecosystem, the astronautics ecosystem is.
31:30So, in the light of what happened with the Russian invasion in Ukraine,
31:36I suppose you will also have to solve geopolitical problems or political problems with the Russian team?
31:43Actually, in human space flight so far, there is no impact.
31:48All the cargo missions, all the resupply, the crew exchange took place as planned for many months already.
31:56And I was very pleased two days ago to read that the Russian government gave full approval to the Russian
32:03space agency
32:04to agree with NASA for an idea that was discussed long ago with the Russians,
32:11that on any ship going up, there will be at least one American, one Russian.
32:15So, the Russians agree to launch Russian cosmonauts on board future Crew Dragon and Starliner taking off from the US.
32:26And there will be, again, from this fall or next year, each time there is a Soyuz going up from
32:32Baikonur,
32:33there will be a US astronaut or a US astronaut, yes, not Canadian or European, but taking off on board
32:40the Soyuz.
32:40So, this is a sign that the Russians, as far as human space flight is concerned,
32:46agree to maintain a good relationship on an operational point of view, you know, level,
32:53from control centers, training, astronauts, and so far they work in space well.
32:58So, there is impact for commercial missions, for exploration missions.
33:03You know, ESA had a very ambitious mission to explore Mars, with Exo-Mars, with a rover,
33:12supposed to dig two meters deep to look for life, but it will not be launched by a Russian rocket.
33:20So, but as far as human space flight, so far…
33:24Space. Space remains a sanctuary, the space station at least.
33:28That's great news, thank you.
33:30Please, Miss, on the front row.
33:33Hello, thank you for your presentation.
33:35I was wondering if you use data and artificial intelligence for the pre-review,
33:39and what are the applications?
33:43Applications of AI?
33:45Data and AI, yes.
33:47AI didn't exist at my time, that's why we had 1,000 switches in the cockpit of the space shuttle,
33:55because we didn't trust enough the computers.
33:58Same for Apollo.
34:00But now, on Crew Dragon, you have touch screens, like 10 buttons to change the page,
34:08but it is fully automated for normal missions, for managing malfunctions,
34:14and if necessary, the control center can control the ship from the ground.
34:19But the crew doesn't have to get involved in any management of malfunctions.
34:26They just have to learn how to live on board, to sleep, to eat, to wash, and go to the
34:32toilets.
34:33So that's why it's easier to train for a private flight, if you don't have to do a space work
34:39or to fly manually a docking.
34:42But AI will be necessary for Mars, definitely.
34:46When you go to Mars, for the first time in human history, you will have people who don't see the
34:52Earth anymore.
34:53It has never happened, except those who flew behind the moon for a few minutes.
34:58But they knew they would see the Earth back on the other side.
35:01But the first people going to Mars won't see the Earth, won't be able to have support from the ground
35:09control center to solve problems.
35:11And I remind you that in 61 years of human space flight, we never lost any humans in space.
35:20We lost four crews, unfortunately, but in the atmosphere, going up or down.
35:24But in space, we had the major catastrophe you can have in space.
35:31You know, Apollo 13, or a big fire on board Mir, or another time, a big air leak.
35:38They lost one third of the atmosphere each time we saved the crew, thanks to the expertise from the control
35:43center.
35:44But when you go to Mars, you cannot count on the control center for immediate advice.
35:49So you need AI on board.
35:52And worst of all, when you go to Mars, there is no scenario for quick return.
35:57It has never happened so far.
35:59On every mission since Gagarin, including Apollo missions, you have always available on board,
36:06a scenario, a procedure, to come back on Earth now, within three days from the moon,
36:13or within a few hours from the low Earth orbit.
36:16When you go to Mars, you're gone, for months.
36:18So you need a good AI on board.
36:21Okay.
36:22But it will take time to make it right.
36:26If I may just compliment and jump on it.
36:29We have only three minutes left.
36:30Very shortly.
36:31Just to say, we launched the first satellite using AI for Earth observation purposes four years back.
36:37So it's reality today in our project.
36:41It's reality and it will grow.
36:43And I would just say that it's not only in the construction,
36:46AI is essential for building on these distant planets in advance of human arrival,
36:52but they also have to exist to monitor the actual buildings as they're lived in.
36:59So it's critical that AI be that level of advancement.
37:05It's not just the building, it's the maintenance of the actual habitat.
37:09Last one where you have to answer in 30 seconds.
37:12Do you think that humans will be able to live in space completely in a few decades?
37:19And when we listen to Elon Musk, who is a superstar, as we know,
37:23is that just helping us to dream or could it be reality soon?
37:29Let's start perhaps with you, Daniel, if you don't mind.
37:33And should we finish with the...
37:34Yeah.
37:36For me, yes, definitely, yes.
37:38I mean, I can't imagine that we have only spaceship Earth.
37:42And if you see the number of exoplanets we are discovering,
37:45meaning planets out of our solar system,
37:48having potentially similar conditions that we have on Earth,
37:52it is clear that out there we will have opportunities.
37:55We will have to work hard on the transportation capabilities, of course.
38:00We are far from having the technological capability of doing that.
38:04But it's very clear, it comes.
38:06Michael, is it realistic? Very short, 30 seconds.
38:10Well, I think it is.
38:11I think with Daniel and Jean-Francois,
38:13and when you're in the room with real astronauts and real rocket scientists,
38:18it's very real to you.
38:20The problem becomes very real.
38:21And it's exciting to not only be in the speculative realm,
38:25but also to be pushing it towards reality with such people.
38:30Jean-Francois, of course, you have the key answer on that.
38:33You're on Earth's road.
38:34You know why the dinosaurs disappeared?
38:36Because they didn't have a space program.
38:39And in the very long run, when the Earth becomes uninhabitable for natural reasons,
38:45the only way to save the human species is to have been able to learn to live somewhere else.
38:51So I think in the long run, I'm talking a thousand years, maybe a million years,
38:55we have to learn to live somewhere else.
38:57And we can do it to survive the human species.
39:03Thank you very much for the three of you.
39:06Thank you, Daniel, for being here.
39:08Thank you, Michael, for traveling here.
39:09And thank you, Jean-Francois, for coming down on Earth from the stars.
39:14Thank you so much.
39:15And thank you to Frédéric, as well, for this wonderful session.
39:17Please give him a big round of applause.
39:19It's time to take a short break.
39:20We're going to be back in a few minutes for our third session entitled
39:22A Piece of Moon Crafting Commercialization Policies.
39:27Not easy to say, but a very interesting subject.
39:29See you in a few minutes.
39:29We'll be right back.
39:30We'll be right back.
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