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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
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BEGIN:VEVENT
LAST-MODIFIED:20080507T101118
SEQUENCE:0
CONTACT:events@ri.ac.uk
ORGANIZER:The Royal Institution of Great Britain
DTEND:20080616T203000
UID:2008-07-25T18:36:36-0400_46717860@socialweb1
DESCRIPTION:Manned space flight has been one of the greatest achievements o
 f humankind\, but as we move into the next century we have to ask if there 
 is still a need to put people in space.
\n
\nSpace exploration allows us to
  seek answers to some of the biggest questions in science and many believe 
 that these questions cannot be answered without human presence in space. Bu
 t it doesn't come cheap and with robots that can do the job effectively for
  less\, can it be justified? Are we really funding projects of scientific w
 orth or just aiding political campaigns? 
\n
\nAdvocators for UK space expl
 oration argue that the benefits of putting people in space go way beyond sc
 ience itself. In a country where interest in science education is at an all
  time low and nearly half the university physics departments have closed in
  the last 15 years should we not be endorsing manned space flight\, which h
 as been shown to be capable of encouraging students to pursue scientific ca
 reers?
\n
\nJoin our experts from both sides of the debate and have your sa
 y!
\n
\n*_Philip Ball_* is a freelance writer and a consultant editor for N
 ature\, where he previously worked as an editor for physical sciences. He w
 rites regularly in the scientific and popular media on all areas of science
  and its history\, and his books include H2O: a biography of water (2000)\,
  Bright Earth: the invention of colour (2001) and Critical mass: how one th
 ing leads to another (2004)\, which won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science 
 Books. His most recent book is The Devil?s doctor: Paracelsus and the world
  of Renaissance magic and science (2006).
\n
\n*_Kevin Fong_* is an anaesth
 etist and honorary lecturer in physiology at University College London. He 
 chairs the UK Space Biomedical Advisory Committee and co-directs the Centre
  for Aviation\, Space and Extreme environment medicine (CASE).
\n
\nKevin h
 olds degrees in medicine and astrophysics and his background in these disci
 plines has led to his current special area of interest. In the past Kevin h
 as collaborated with international space agency organisations and is curren
 tly working at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston investigating the eff
 ects of long-term space flight on the human body. 
\n
\nHe has spent the la
 st six years working with British National Space Centre in an attempt to fu
 rther UK involvement in the international space programme. 
\n
\nKevin is a
  NESTA Fellow and much of his current work is supported through this organi
 sation.
\n
\n
\n
\n
SUMMARY:People in space: the big debate
DTSTART:20080616T190000
CREATED:20080507T100928
DTSTAMP:20080725T183636
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