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Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy presented the crowds at the Annenberg Conference Center on Wednesday night with some excerpts from her upcoming documentary on the history and modern operation of NASA.
Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and niece of John F. Kennedy, was joined by former commander of the International Space Station and current vice president of A & M Texas, Michael E. Fossum, who moderated the discussion and presented his point of view as a former astronaut. the history and future of the organization.
Kennedy oversaw the creation of more than 30 documentaries shown on television in prime time, but the 90 minutes Beyond: NASA's way to tomorrow occupies a special place in his heart.
"Discovery Channel has asked me to make a film about NASA," she said. "I've jumped at the opportunity." It's partly because of my family's history and my Uncle Jack's involvement in the Moon Challenge, [my] to be connected at that moment in history from a very young age. Growing up, I enjoyed her vision of bringing us to the moon over the decade. (…) I also had the feeling that some of us here probably grew up at that time, and we felt enthusiasm for the Apollo missions and this idea of going in the space for the first time. "
NASA turned 60 this year, Kennedy had six decades of equipment to work on. Several short excerpts from his film were broadcast in front of the crowd in Annenberg's main auditorium, addressing various topics discussed in Above and Beyond.
The film revisits the early years of NASA in the Kennedy administration, but also presents scientific triumphs such as the discovery and documentation of thousands of galaxies by the Hubble Space Telescope. Kennedy and Fossum spent a lot of time talking about clips about the imperative role that NASA plays continuously in environmental studies, particularly with regard to the discovery in 1985 of a hole in the ozone layer.
"NASA has gone out into space, and the further they went, the more they learned to appreciate the Earth and the vulnerability of this planet, how precious and unique it is," said Kennedy. "… We are learning more about our galaxy and our solar system, but there is a kind of magnet that brings us back to understanding this planet."
The film is structured from interviews with former astronauts such as Jim Lovell and the late Piers John Sellers, as well as interviews with historians and scientists and NASA directors. Fossum spoke about the inclusion by Kennedy of Sellers, whom he considered a good friend and colleague. He addressed the discussion on discoveries made by telescopes such as Hubble, and stated that it was the same child wonder and curiosity that collectively felt as a nation that had inspired him to become a astronaut.
Fossum and Kennedy discussed the future of NASA – the potential discovery of life on Mars, as well as the assessment of other planetary atmospheres conducive to life. Fossum said in his discussion that the preciousness and fragility of the Earth's atmosphere can not be underestimated.
"One of the things that shocked me in my first minute was traveling in space in this shuttle years ago," Fossum said. "… nine and a half minutes ago, we were sitting on the ground in Florida, and then I looked at the Atlantic Ocean, blue and surrounded by white clouds." I looked up and there was a dark sky with the sun Moving away from me and from a curved horizon, I noticed a small band of atmosphere. This little band is what we live , the area where there is enough air to live, it is not as thick as we think, looking up from here on the floor.
Kennedy emphasized the importance that space missions and NASA research continue to bring to the human race – a fact highlighted by Above and Beyond.
"It comes down to what my uncle John F. Kennedy said when we went to the moon," Kennedy told the crowd. "In the vision of going to the moon, we do not know what we are going to learn, but we must push ourselves to go beyond our knowledge base and what we have done before. It's the nature of the human being to do it, but in doing so we answered questions that we did not even know we had. "
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