While jokingly referring to The Matrix and Star Trek, Goldin said This is not science fiction. We are working on it now.
The revolutionary implications of technologies developed for space exploration will ultimately impact every facet of science and technology, Goldin said.
This is not theoretical stuff that only relates to Mars. It relates to everything we do, Goldin said.
Goldin noted that many of these technologies will be problems left to the student.
However, Goldin warned, We will have to bring up the level of scholarly research within ethical boundaries and not take short-cuts.
He ended the talk by emphasizing the importance of a learning environment where everything will have to come together to acquire more fundamental understanding and general skills for adapting to future change. Collaborate, integrate, innovate, or stagnate or evaporate, Goldin said.
In the question and answer section following the lecture, audience concerns ranged from changes in the infrastructure of NASA to accommodate future needs to the concern of scientific ethics in developing these technologies.
