Bill Nye (2014)

YES!! We have a plan to send humans to Mars in the 2030's- and with work- we can make it happen. --Ellen

And of course, robotic spacecraft are going there now! :-) -Robert P.

Love it. That's Weird Al himself Newtonising... and they're imitating me. I mean that's as immitationally flattering as it gets. I admit though, I'm not sure why I would be battling Isaac Newton rather than sitting down to share an apple and some peanut butter.
BN

With the James Webb Space Telescope, we will look at the atmospheres of planets around other stars- taking a big leap towards finding habitable planets! JWST launches in 2018- so stay tuned! -- Ellen

Neil would crush me. But based on our day of bike riding, I'm pretty sure I can outrun him. Phew...
BN

Great to read from you! The key to teaching anything (I think) is to let your passion show. Let em' see you love them and that you care how well they do along with the joy of science.

For a pic, check out my new site (your home page) billnye.com

My brief advice is to follow your dreams and desires. Along the way, I was told that there are very few jobs studying the planets at NASA. But if you are dedicated and persistent, one of those could be yours. Who would have thought I would be leading the effort to study the science for a mission to Europa? -Robert P.

BN: Was there, or better yet, is there life on other worlds? That's why I took this job as CEO of the Planetary Society. Mars may still harbor something alive today, and who knows what's in the sea of Europa!

A big one is calling up your congressional representatives and telling them that you support NASA and its projects. They need to know that their constituents support this stuff. Beyond that, staying informed about issues in space policy helps you communicate important issues to your friends. I do a lot of that for The Planetary Society at http://planetary.org/get-involved/be-a-space-advocate

--Casey

BN here:
Oh, we are working hard on that. Sorting several offers. Meanwhile, my book Undeniable, The Science of Creation comes out in November. Buy a carton or two ;-)

The most astonishing thing about science is that it is a process that lets us humble humans know so much (or what seems like so much) about the universe. We are part of the cosmos, yet we can understand it. Amazing.
For science education: I say we need to emphasize and fund in elementary schools. That's not where we should cut back. People get their lifelong passion of science before they're ten years old. And, that lead to discovery and innovation.
BN

We're in an interesting position in our civilization where, technologically, there is nothing stopping us from exploring most of the solar system robotically. The big limiting factor is funding.

But NASA is exploring some really exciting concepts right now, including a mission called the Clipper that would orbit Jupiter and fly by the moon something like 45 times to perform initial reconnaissance. Most mission concepts could get there by the early to mid-2020s.

If you're talking about humans, a la Europa Report that's a lot different. The big factor there is radiation protection for astronauts, which is a problem pretty much any time you leave low-Earth orbit. --Casey

It was fun! It stretched the science a bit, but that's okay for the movies. It raised awareness of Europa, its science, and the drive to explore it! -Robert P.

Back in 1995 there was a scientific conference on the possibility of an ocean beneath Europa's ice shell. Arthur C. Clark tied in via a video connection from his home in Sri Lanka, which was a big feat for the day. He gave us express verbal permission to send a lander to Europa! :-) -Robert P.

It would tell us that life could be very common throughout the Universe. And we would be able to examine another life chemistry: would it be the same or different from that on Earth? These would be huge advances scientifically and to humanity as a whole! -Robert P.

We are searching for life on Mars and hopefully soon on Europa- we are following the liquid water, which scientists think is critical for life. I think the public would be in awe over the ability to answer the question- are we alone, how similar is life on other worlds to life here on Earth, and how can we use that information to better understand ourselves! --- Ellen

There was lots of water vapor in the solar system as it was forming. In the outer solar system, it was cold enough that lots of ice condensed (while in the inner solar system, it was too warm for that too happen). Thus, the moons of the outer planets were built from rock, metal, and ice, so they still contain much ice today. At Europa, tidal heating can melt some of this H2O to form a global subsurface ocean. -Robert P.

At NASA, we are working hard on this issue- because it is critical to our ability to get astronauts to Mars in the 2030's. The Mars Curiosity Rover has an instrument that characterized the radiation environment between Earth and Mars and on the surface, giving us specific numbers to work with. -- Ellen

We don't know -- it could be anywhere in between! There must be some salt, based on magnetometry results from the Galileo spacecraft. But how salty that ocean is can be tested with a follow up mission. -Robert P.

I am actually really optimistic! We have a lot of support- like from everyone here today :)), and we use lots of paths- increasing our use of technology to bring up capabilities and decrease costs, more partnering with the commercial sector and our international partners-- so we are getting more creative and leveraging every opportunity. And when you look at all the compelling science there dis to do- how can you not be optimistic! --Ellen

David Grinspoon's book: Lonely Planets. -Robert P.

Tip: Pay attention in your science and math classes! :-) -RP

One idea suggested is a melting probe that could go down through the ice. It would likely have to be heated by a nuclear power source. But such exploration is difficult and a long way off. Fortunately Europa appears to bring its innards up to the surface, so we can explore what is below by examining the surface, and perhaps plumes (if they are confirmed). -Robert P.

We are studying a new mission to Europa-- in fact- a NASA announcement of opportunity to work on instruments for the next Europa mission came out today! --Ellen

It's important to remember that SpaceX has previously and continues to receive a significant amount of funding from NASA to develop its vehicles. The biggest difference is in the contracting types: fixed cost vs. cost-plus, in which the government is responsible for delays and cost overruns. NASA essentially buys a delivery service from SpaceX, though they provided many hundreds of millions of dollars to help them develop the tech.

This isn't to diminish the success of SpaceX: they've created a vertically integrated rocket company that does business in a very different way than classical contractors like Boeing and Lockheed-Martin.

But increased privatization is probably one of the most exciting and positive developments in space in recent years. If a real market can form, you open up a wide variety of possibilities that don't really fall into the realm of government-funded exploration, like tourism and asteroid mining.

--Casey

NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecrafts have studied the Jupiter system, and Europa was a big focus of the Galileo mission. We have been studying a Europa mission, but it is a challenge due to the high radiation environment. But we are close- and just today released a NASA announcement of opportunity to start work on instruments for the next Europa mission. We are also working with the European Space AGency on their next mission to the Jupiter system, called JuICE! --Ellen