Schedule By Day
Day 1 - Friday 09-02-2005 Day 2 - Saturday 09-03-2005 Day 3 - Sunday 09-04-2005 Day 4 - Monday 09-05-2005
2005 DRAGON*CON SPACE & SCIENCE TRACK SCHEDULE |
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| Friday 09-02-2005 | Return to top | ||
| 1:00pm – 2:00pm Opening Rant by Track Director jonnyX |
Welcome to the third year of revived Space and Science programming! Track Director jonnyX will hype our spiffy new website, mailing lists, message forums and audio archives. The S&S crew will also reveal plans for the next several years and solicit feedback. | |
| 2:30pm – 3:30pm Using Suborbital Spacecraft for Microgravity Research by George R. Tyson |
Proposed suborbital spacecraft can be used for both tourism and real science. This presentation compares suborbital craft with traditional methods of microgravity research as well as the usefulness of such research. | |
| 4:00pm – 5:00pm Cassini-Huygens Visits Saturn and Titan by Ginny Mauldin–Kinney |
More than a year has passed since Cassini entered its orbit around Saturn. What has Cassini has discovered during its first year in orbit around the ringed world? What did the Huygens probe find on Titan last December? | |
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm Who is LiftPort Group? by Michael J. Laine |
Meet part of the business team behind the LiftPort Group space elevator project, and hear what they are doing to move it forward. | |
| 7:00pm – 8:00pm Brave New Worlds by Dr. William C. Keel & Dani Eder |
Over 100 planets have been located around other stars. Discussed will be how they have been found, their histories, characteristics and implications biological environments, plus the upcoming 'Terrestrial Planet Finder' mission. | |
| 8:30pm – 9:30pm Space Elevator Progress - A Year in Review by Michael J. Laine |
Breakthroughs and developments since last year. | |
| 10:00pm – 11:00pm NASA's Great Observatories Revisited: Accomplishments, Images and How to De–orbit the Suckers by Dr. William C. Keel |
A year in review – what's up with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X–ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescopes. Also, what will eventually replace them? | |
| Saturday 09-03-2009 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am - 11:00am The First Wave: America's Manned Space Program in the 1960s – An Astronaut Speaks by by Dick Gordon |
Navy test pilot and NASA astronaut Capt. Richard F. Gordon, Jr., will discuss America's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, as well as his personal experiences on the Gemini XI and Apollo XII missions. Audience questions and participation are encouraged. | |
| 11:30am – 12:30pm Soviet Space Disasters by Hugh S. Gregory |
A look back at the early era of space exploration by the former Soviet Union, including some of their more notable successes, and their previously secret and hidden space disasters. | |
| 1:00pm – 2:00pm Robots, Lasers and Nanotubes – Oh My! by Michael J. Laine |
Specific technologies needed for the space elevator are discussed, as well as where we are in developing them. | |
| 2:30pm – 3:30pm Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine by Dr. Ralph C. Merkle |
An update on current trends as well as predictions on where the young technology is heading, from an expert in the field. | |
| 4:00pm – 5:00pm Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow: It's the End of the World as We Know It by Richard (Hawk) Altstatt & Dani Eder |
Various catastrophes, both natural and manmade, could end our relatively safe post-cold war existence. Naturally, we will discuss them in great detail, including ways to trigger them. Note: if you are prone to nightmares, DO NOT ATTEND THIS PANEL! | |
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow: 3rd Annual Recruiting Session, Membership Drive and Bake Sale by Richard (Hawk) Altstatt, Dani Eder, Mike Lynn |
Members of the professional association for the working Evil Genius discuss various methods of taking over the world for fun and profit, avoiding common mistakes and the design of secret lairs. New applicants should bring a resume or a project to demo. | |
| 7:00pm – 8:00pm Cryonics by Dr. Ralph C. Merkle, Randall Bollig, |
This is the practice of being frozen at low temperatures shortly after death with the hope of a future revival. A panel of cryonicists will answer your questions and discuss updates to the legal issues they now face around the world. | |
| 8:30pm – 9:30pm Living in Einstein's Universe by Dr. William C. Keel |
Lots of nice flashy visuals in this presentation covering the NASA - Chandra outreach effort. | |
| 10:00pm – 11:00pm SETI: Where the Heck *IS* Everyone? by Dr. William C. Keel & Ginny Mauldin–Kinney |
Audience Q&A encouraged. An intro to SETI, current research both professional and amateur, the Fermi Paradox, "Rare Earth" vs "Life Everywhere", the Anthropic Cosmological Principle (strong & weak), and Tippler's Omega Point will be covered. | |
| Sunday 09-4-2009 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am – 11:00am Mars Exploration Rovers: Still Rolling Strong by Ginny Mauldin–Kinney |
This session will discuss how the Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed successfully on Mars, the significance of their recent geological finds and how this mission has paved the way for future missions! | |
| 11:30am – 12:30pm The Mars Society – Private Pre–Mars Mission Research That Works! by Hugh S. Gregory |
Learn how this non-profit society with chapters world-wide is helping scientists and engineers solve the problems of living on and exploring Mars. Also discussed, the "Mars Direct" mission profile vs. NASA's "battleship enormous" approach. | |
| 1:00pm – 2:00pm Too Good to be True? What's Next in Space (Maybe) by Ginny Mauldin–Kinney & Dani Eder |
The Shuttle has returned to active service (hopefully) - what's next? A manned US mission to Mars? A permanent US Lunar base? If this isn't just political hype, what is actually being done right now, and what has been funded? | |
| 2:30pm – 3:30pm Space Exploration – The Year 2004–05 In Review by Hugh S. Gregory |
An annual report by Spaceflight Historian Hugh S. Gregory on what other countries space programs world wide have been doing for the past year and their future plans. | |
| 4:00pm – 5:00pm The Demon–Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by John C. Snider, Adam Levenstein, Derek Colanduno, |
What defines science? Why is it vital to the survival of our civilization? Why are pseudoscience, poor science reporting, and the distortion and suppression of scientific data for corporate, religious or political purposes dangerous?. | |
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm The Demon-Haunted World: Spreading the Light by jonnyX, Adam Levenstein, Derek Colanduno, |
This is a workshop and brainstorming session for the official relaunch of the GA Skeptics' Society. We have a lot of work ahead of us, so please get involved! | |
| 7:00pm – 8:00pm That's No Moon - It's a Space Station by Dani Eder |
Just how big can you build in space? It's probably bigger than you think. Within the limits of known physics, we explore how big can you get and what sets the limits. Death Star plans are included. | |
| 8:30pm – 9:30pm Between Space and Slack: Theory and Technology of the SubGenius by by SubGenius Space Patrol |
Hear the Holy Word of "Bob" and learn the secrets of the hidden technologies arrayed AGAINST you and fighting FOR you (for a small fee)! Your brain will MELT and your spirit will EVOLVE! FREE SEX! Fun for the WHOLE FAMILY! | |
| 10:00pm – Till ?! Burn, Hollywood, Burn! by Stephen Eley, Derek Colanduno, &George R. Tyson |
A general gripe-fest about everything that's wrong and what little is right in recent sci-fi movies & tv. Are the laws of physics different in LA? Hint: Serenity & Firefly = GOOD, most Star Wars/Trek = BAD. | |
| Monday 09-05-2009 | Return to top | ||
| 10:00am – 11:00am Deep Impact, Temple 1 and Other Comet/Asteroid Missions by Ginny Mauldin–Kinney |
Comets are cool and fun to slam into. This session will cover the anatomy of a comet, the Deep Impact Mission to Comet Temple 1, and the Stardust Sample Return Mission from Comet Wild 2. | |
| 11:30am – 12:30pm Training a Suborbital Flight Crew by George R. Tyson |
So you want to go into space, why not become a suborbital pilot or payload specialist? Presentation covers current status of the OCP training facility, admission requirements and training experience. | |
| 1:00pm – 2:00pm Mars Desert Research Station Report by Dr. Anthony G. Francis & Hugh S. Gregory |
The Joys of Life In a Tuna Can Shaped Mars Habitat or What I Did On My Winter Vacation! A report on the adventures, misadventures and scientific research under taken by the international "Pisces Expedition" last winter. | |
| 2:30pm – 3:30pm The Space Elevator - Why bother? by Michael J. Laine |
Why do we NEED to go to space? What does the elevator accomplish? How do we build a better planet and earn profits? | |
| 4:00pm – 5:00pm Track Wrap-up and Blame: Comments, Criticisms, Requests and Death Threats by Track Director – jonnyX203 (formerly Henry) (Hilton) |
Tell jonnyX what you liked, would like to see next year, and/or how he screwed everything up. The betting pool is open and placing 15:1 odds he'll be a gibbering wreck by the end of the con. | |
Space Track 2010 Schedule
Science Track 2010 Schedule
Space Track 2009 Schedule
Science Track 2009 Schedule
Space Track 2008 Schedule
Science Track 2008 Schedule
Space Room 2007 Schedule
Science Room 2007 Schedule
Space & Science 2006 Schedule
Space & Science 2005 Schedule
Space & Science 2004 Schedule
Space & Science 2003 Schedule