Welcome to the Tech Takeover
Is everyone having a good time? I'm joined here with Professor Rada Mihalcea and Professor Ben Kuipers, and we're going to talk a little bit about how the technology you see in 2001: A Space Odyssey relates to the work that we're doing in Michigan Engineering. We're going to focus on spacecraft propulsion, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
My name is Alec Gallimore. I'm a professor of aerospace engineering and the dean of the College of Engineering, and I'm going to focus my talk on advanced spacecraft propulsion systems.
As a starting point, what I'm showing in this image is a picture of the Discovery One spacecraft, which is a spacecraft in the movie 2001 that sends the astronauts to Jupiter. This spacecraft is nuclear-powered, about 700 feet long, and can travel at over a hundred thousand miles an hour. To give you context, that speed covers the distance between the Earth and the Moon in about two hours.
So, the question is how close are we to developing that kind of spacecraft propulsion technology? In fact, you're seeing an example of that in that display over there. The same plasma drive that is used on this spacecraft in the movies and in the book is being demonstrated in that chamber over there.
But let me start with this question: does science fiction drive technology or just technology drive science fiction? So let me give you some examples. To the left is from 2001: A Space Odyssey. What does that look like? An iPad. 1968, an iPad. Looks familiar, right? How about that? So, does science technology drive science fiction or does science fiction drive technology? My answer: yes, it goes both ways in my humble opinion.
Why Do We Have a Need for Speed?
We just launched the Parker Solar Probe, the fastest human-made object. When that probe passes by the sun, it's going to be traveling at over 400,000 miles an hour. Earth to the moon in about 30 minutes. So, what's the need for speed?
Getting around space: it's all about trajectories
Trajectory: a balance between gravity and movement
Let me give you a concrete example. Imagine you have a student twirling a string with a mass at the end. The string is pulling the mass so it doesn't fling off, and her speed is keeping the rope taut. In space travel, the sun would be the student, gravity would be the string, and the distance would be 93 million miles. Things in space tend to move very quickly.
How Do We Get Things Moving Fast in Space Propulsion?
The most common propulsion method is rocket propulsion. Rocket propulsion works by mixing fuel and oxidizer in a rocket chamber, which burns and expands to a nozzle at about ten thousand miles an hour. This gas provides a force that accelerates the spacecraft.
How fast can rocket-propelled objects travel?
To send an object in orbit, it needs to be at almost 18,000 miles an hour.
To go to deep space, like the moon or beyond, it needs to go at 25,000 miles an hour.
The fastest chemically propelled system we have so far is the Pluto probe that was launched a few years ago, which reached about 43,000 miles an hour.
Why do we need to go fast? Space is really big. For example:
Earth to the moon: width of a finger
Mars: 8 feet
Jupiter: 65 feet
Saturn: 110 feet
Neptune: longer than a football field
Alpha Centauri (nearest star): 600 miles
Our galaxy: 100,000 light years wide
Andromeda (nearest galaxy): 2 million light years
Expected universe width: 13 billion light years
Let's talk about sending people to Mars. NASA has plans to do that in the 2030s. If we did it with a chemical system, it would take nine months. One of the challenges with a long trip is the safety and health of the astronauts. Radiation from the sun could cause a high probability of getting cancer, resulting in a lifetime 15 years less than if they had not gone. We want to explore electric propulsion as a way to get there quicker.
Electric propulsion uses power onboard the spacecraft to heat a gas to tremendous temperatures, which
Electric Repulsion and Advanced Plasma Drives
The reason we are interested in electric repulsion is that it can significantly reduce trip times to Mars. In my lab, called the Plasma Dynamics and Electrical Propulsion Laboratory, we work with NASA and other government agencies to prototype and design advanced plasma drives. These drives can potentially cut the trip time to Mars from nine months to four or five months. Our lab has one of the largest vacuum chambers in the world, capable of providing a pressure 10 billion times lower than sea level pressure. We have also developed a prototype Mars engine that has broken world records in terms of power and thrust produced by a plasma drive.
The Future of Space Travel
In the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey," they portrayed a nuclear propulsion system for space travel. However, in reality, we would most likely use plasma drives like the ones we are developing. While achieving this level of capability may take some time, it is possible that we could see this technology being used in the middle of this century.
Artificial Intelligence and the Turing Test
Artificial intelligence has come a long way since the 1960s when dialogue systems were rule-based and used canned responses. The Turing Test, proposed by Alan Turing in 1950, is still one of the main goals in AI. The test involves determining whether a conversation is with a human or a machine. In the movie, a conversation between a human and a machine was shown, demonstrating how machines can sound natural and human-like.
While progress in AI has been exponential, with advancements happening at an accelerated rate, it is important to note that the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" may have been a visionary portrayal of where we could be in AI at that time.
