Mars may be one of the closest planets humans want to colonize, but it

certainly isn’t the only one.

… the 100-Year Starship project aims to develop the tools and

technology necessary to build and fly a spaceship to another planetary

system within the next 100 years.

The program isn’t necessarily concerned with building the ship itself as

much as it seeks to foster innovation and enthusiasm for interstellar

travel.

“The reason we’re not on the moon has nothing to do with technology

and everything to do with public will and commitment,” Jemison said.

Narrate

Inform

Entertain

the head of the 100-Year Starship project

an astronaut training to travel in the first expedition to Mars

a fundraiser trying to obtain money to fund NASA’s programs

a scientist working on new technologies for exploring the moon

to generate support for NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft

to enable human beings to establish colonies on Mars

to help humanity overcome its problems with political instability

to encourage public enthusiasm for travel beyond our solar system

to develop the new technology needed to travel beyond our solar system

Artists and science fiction writers are among the greatest critics of space

travel, so changing their opinions is crucial to the success of the project.

Artists and science fiction writers are great supporters of space travel, and

they are willing to lend their time and effort to the project.

The skills of artists and science fiction writers can help in the program’s

aim of increasing public enthusiasm for space exploration.

The program is so experimental that artists and science fiction writers

understand it better than scientists and engineers do.

It probably will be reached by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft within her

children’s lifetime.

It cannot be reached for thousands of years, given our present technology.

It is unlikely to have a planetary system that can support human life.

It is farther away than the distance from New York to Los Angeles.

ways to lower the cost of space travel

ways to enable spaceships to travel more rapidly

ways to shrink the amount of time space travel takes

ways to adapt spaceships for public transportation on Earth

ways to improve the human body to help it endure long space trips

New technologies for space travel will not be developed.

There will be no lasting economic benefits from space travel.

Lengthy journeys through space will be threatened by a lack of

cooperation.

Nations that colonize other planets will merely move their political problems there.

The dedication and support of the general population is needed for a

space program to succeed.

A space program can succeed without public support, but getting funding

is easier with it.

The general population’s support has less of an impact than the

government’s support.

Technology is the key to a space program’s success, not the support of

the public.

Research for space programs often results in inventions that improve

everyday life.

By supporting space programs, governments can gain important public

support.

Funding a space program will provide jobs that will support economic

growth.

Creating a goal shared by many nations will result in global political

stability.

Mars may be one of the closest planets humans want to colonize, but it

certainly isn’t the only one.

The program isn’t necessarily concerned with building the ship itself as

much as it seeks to foster innovation and enthusiasm for interstellar

travel.

The 100-Year Starship program not only includes engineers and

astrophysicists, but also artists and science fiction writers.

Without the development of a method to warp or shrink space-time, or a

new propulsion system—both ideas that the 100-Year Starship program

is exploring—humanity would need to find a way to overcome some of

its instability problems.

To get there, Jemison emphasized that everyone must be involved in the

process.