iSci Fly By
The iSci Fly By podcast is a regular fix for non-scientists and non-technologists about an eclectic mix of topical issues in modern science and technology. Laid-back and fun, it‘s a must-listen if you‘re curious about where science and technology are going in the next century or two. Every fortnight we speak to some of the most informed people about the issues that are already influencing our lives or those which will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. From zero emissions aircraft and self-driving cars to quantum computing and vast space colonies containing millions of people, the show asks the questions on everyone‘s lips – in everyday language for lay-people. We‘ve got some great shows lined up – so don‘t miss them.
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Episodes
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
In the second part of this great interview, Stephen Baxter delves deeper into the whole concept of living in space and especially into the social, economic, and political aspects. For example, should we be even thinking of trying to build cities on Mars or to terraform planets like Venus and Mars into Earth-like environments on which to settle billions of people?
Stephen introduces us to questions that most of us would never even consider – like the significant advantages to science of being able to take polar ice-cores on Mars, the value of outer space to manufacturing, and even the need for new vocabularies. Listening to Stephen Baxter should be regulated by law because it is so addictive.
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
If there is anyone who should be able to shed some deeper light of the prospects of living in space, it is the man who is arguably the UK's greatest living science fiction author – Stephen Baxter. Having written dozens of highly successful Sci-Fi books and co-authored with the likes of Arthur C Clark and Terry Pratchett, Stephen gives us his expert views on the problems – and the benefits – of living in space, and the "colony ships" that could expand the horizon of the human race, take us to nearby star systems, and explore where no one has gone before.
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Have you ever considered the idea of living in a colossal space colony holding nigh on two million people and having Earth-type gravity? Such cities in space are actually perfectly possible during the coming century - some could even be built in the next thirty years if the will is there. Mark Hempsell and Stephen Ashworth of the British Interplanetary Society have been involved in engineering and social studies of orbiting cities, and in this episode they take us on a stunning ride through the possibilities of there being over 100 billion people living in space by the end of the twenty-second century.