0:00:00.918,0:00:04.566
I was 17 when I chose my career.

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I was standing outside

0:00:08.110,0:00:11.358
on a hot summer night in Floria

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and just a few miles from the ocean.

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I was waiting for a miracle to happen.

0:00:19.660,0:00:23.496
That summer I was privileged[br]to work as an intern

0:00:23.496,0:00:25.998
as NASA's Kennedy Space Center,

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and the miracle I was waiting for

0:00:28.382,0:00:31.826
was the launch[br]of the Columbia Space Shuttle,

0:00:31.826,0:00:35.586
carrying the Shondra X-Ray Observatory,

0:00:35.586,0:00:41.517
a telescope that would allow scientists[br]to peer into the end of black holes.

0:00:42.891,0:00:45.725
The entire sky filled with light.

0:00:47.128,0:00:50.137
And it was as if it was daytime[br]in the middle of the night.

0:00:51.249,0:00:54.750
Soon, we could feel the rumble[br]of the engines vibrating in our chests.

0:00:56.153,0:00:58.456
And it wasn't a miracle;

0:00:58.456,0:01:02.437
it was the combined effort[br]of a team of thousands of people

0:01:02.437,0:01:03.742
who worked together

0:01:03.742,0:01:06.776
to make was seemed impossible a reality.

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And I wanted to join that team.

0:01:13.022,0:01:17.758
So I decided to apply to university[br]where I could study aerospace engineering,

0:01:17.758,0:01:19.068
and the following year,

0:01:19.068,0:01:21.718
I started at MIT[br]in my engineering training

0:01:21.718,0:01:24.320
and joined a student project[br]building space robots.

0:01:25.226,0:01:27.941
And everything was going as I planned,

0:01:27.941,0:01:32.289
except I was confused[br]about something important.

0:01:33.838,0:01:36.621
Now, my confusion arose[br]in my summer breaks.

0:01:37.704,0:01:41.035
I traveled to a school in Kenya,

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and there I volunteered with girls[br]ages five to 17,

0:01:45.363,0:01:50.288
giving them lessons in English[br]and math and science.

0:01:51.323,0:01:53.965
And they taught me songs in Swahili.

0:01:55.420,0:01:59.007
And mostly, I just spent time[br]getting to know the girls,

0:01:59.007,0:02:00.380
enjoying their presence.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I saw that these girls,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the leaders in their community,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they were overcoming important barriers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to allow these girls to have[br]the best possible chances in life ...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I wanted to join that team.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I wanted to be part of a team[br]that would help break down barriers

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and improve the lives[br]of girls around the world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I was worried that studying[br]aerospace engineering

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
wasn't the most useful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I was worried this team in Kenya

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
couldn't use the technology[br]I was learning about space.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But thankfully, I still learned[br]that I was wrong.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I came back and interned at NASA again,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and this time,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a mentor taught me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that countries like Kenya had been[br]involved using space technology

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for decades

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to improve the lives[br]in their own countries.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And then I knew that I could have[br]a career in space and in development.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This idea is not new.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In fact, in 1967, the nations[br]of the world came together

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to write the Outer Space Treaty.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This treaty made a bold statement,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
saying that the exploration[br]and use of outer space

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
should be carried on[br]for the benefit of all peoples,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
irrespective of their level[br]of economic or scientific development.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We have no truly liked up to this ideal,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
although people have worked for decades[br]to make this a reality.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Forces such as colonialism and racism[br]and gender inequality

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
have actually excluded many people[br]from the benefits of space,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and caused us to believe[br]that space is for the few,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or the rich or elite.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But we cannot afford this attitude,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because the world is engaged[br]in a vital mission

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to improve life for everyone.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Our roadmap for this mission comes from[br]the 17 sustainable development goals

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the United Nations.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All the member states[br]of the United Nations have agreed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that these are priorities[br]between now and 2030.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These goals give us our key moments[br]and opportunities of our time --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
opportunities to end extreme poverty,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to insure that everyone has access[br]to food and clean water.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We must pursue these goals[br]as a global community,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and technology from space[br]supports sustainable development,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and in fact there are six space services

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that can help us pursue[br]the sustainable development goals.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Over the next few minutes,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
let's explore these six services,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and see examples of just a few[br]of the goals they help support.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You ready?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
OK.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Communication satelites provide access[br]to phone and internet service

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to almost any location on earth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is particularly important during[br]times of disaster recovery.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When Typhoon Hian[br]struck the Phillipines,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the local communication netwworks[br]needed to be repaired,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and teams brought in inflatable[br]communication antennas

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that could link to satellites.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This was useful during the time[br]of repair and recovery.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Positioning satellites tell us[br]where we are[br]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by telling us where they are.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Scientists can use this technology[br]to track endagered wildlife.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This turtle has been fitted with a system

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that allows it to receive location[br]information from positioning satellites,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they send the location information

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to scientists via[br]communication satellites.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Scientists can use this knowledge[br]to then make better policies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and help determine how[br]to keep these animals alive.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Earth observation satellites.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They tell us what's going on[br]in our environment.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now right now,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there are about 150 satellites[br]operated by over 60 government agencies,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and these are just[br]those observing the earth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And meanwhile, companies[br]are adding to this list.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Most of the governments provide the data[br]from the satellites for free online.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Some of these satellites provide[br]images like this,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that show what you[br]would see from a camera.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is an image showing[br]agricultural land in Kansas.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
However the majority of the earth[br]observation satellites

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
don't take pictures at all.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They take measurements.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And they combine these measurements[br]with complex computer models

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and make beautiful, global visualizations

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
such ast this one,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
showing the ocean currents

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the temperature[br]of the ocean, globally.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or we can look at the salt and smoke[br]and dust in the atmosphere.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or the rainfall and snowfall globablly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As well as the annual cycle of vegetation[br]on land and in the ocean.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now scientists can take this information[br]about the rainfall and the vegetation,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and use it to understand what areas[br]on earth are in danger

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of a famine or a drought,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and provide that information[br]to aid organizations

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so they can be prepared with food aid[br]before the hunger becomes severe.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In space, we have an orbiting laboratory[br]on the international space station.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The vehicle, and everything inside,[br]are in a form of freefall around the earth

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they don't experience[br]the effect of gravity.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And because of this,[br]we call it microgravity.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When astronauts are in[br]the microgravity environment,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
their bodies react[br]as if they're aging rapidly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Their bones and muscles weaken,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and their cardiovascualar system[br]and their immune system change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As scientists study how to keep[br]astronauts healthy in space,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we can take the exercises and techniques[br]we use for astronauts

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and transfer them to people on earth

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to improve our health here.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Often as we develop[br]technology for astronauts

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and exploration,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or for spacecraft,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we can also tranfer those inventions[br]to improve life on earth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Here's one of my favorites.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a water filtration system,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and a key component of it[br]is based the technology

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to filter wastewater on the space station.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's now being used around the world.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Space is also an infinite[br]source of inspiration.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Through education,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
through research and astronomy,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that age-old experience of stargazing,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
countries are around the world[br]are enganging

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in advancing their own development

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by increasing their local knowledge[br]of engineering, and science and space.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's meet some of the world's[br]newest satellite engineers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is [Eleka ... ] from Venezuela.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Elecka is training as a satellite engineer

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as part of her nation satellite[br]program in Venezuela.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
She has designed a software tool

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to better design the power systems[br]for engineering.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is Adele Castillo-Duran,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from Phillipines.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Adele is both a meteorologist[br]and a satellite engineer,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and she uses data from satellites[br]in her weather forecasting.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And finally, meet Thoula.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thoula is from the Sudan,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and as she was studying electrical[br]engineering as an undergraduate

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in [Cartun],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
she and several students decided[br]to build their own satellite.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And later, [...] earned a scholarship

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to study satellite engineering[br]at the graduate level.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These stories that I've shared with you

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all illustrate that space really is useful[br]for sustainable development

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for the benefit of all peoples.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But we have more work to do,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because there are still barriers[br]that exclude people from space

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and limit the impact of this technology.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
For many people,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
earth observation data is complex.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And satellite communication[br]services are too expensive.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And microgravity research[br]just appears to be inaccessible.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is what motivates my work[br]as a professor at MIT's media lab.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I've recently founded a new research group[br]called "Space Enabled."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We are working to tear down these barriers[br]that limit the benefits of space,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and we're also going to develop[br]the future applications

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that will continue to contribute[br]to sustainable development.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We'll keep on this work

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
until we can truly say that space[br]is for the benefit of all peoples,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and we are all space enabled.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)