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Danielle Wood: 6 space technologies we can use to improve life on Earth
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Danielle Wood leads the Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media Lab, where she works to tear down the barriers that limit the benefits of space exploration to only the few, the rich or the elite. She identifies six technologies developed for space exploration that can contribute to sustainable development across the world -- from observation satellites that provide information to aid organizations to medical research on microgravity that can be used to improve health care on Earth. "Space truly is useful for sustainable development for the benefit of all peoples," Wood says.
Danielle Wood - Space engineer and development scholar
Danielle Wood designs satellites and space technology applications that contribute to sustainable development. Full bio
Danielle Wood designs satellites and space technology applications that contribute to sustainable development. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I was 17 when I chose my career.
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I was standing outside
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on a hot summer night in Florida
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and just a few miles from the ocean.
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I was waiting for a miracle to happen.
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That summer, I was privileged
to work as an intern
to work as an intern
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at NASA's Kennedy Space Center,
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and the miracle I was waiting for
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was the launch
of the Columbia Space Shuttle
of the Columbia Space Shuttle
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carrying the Chandra X-Ray Observatory,
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a telescope that would allow scientists
to peer into the edge of black holes.
to peer into the edge of black holes.
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The entire sky filled with light.
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And it was as if it was daytime
in the middle of the night.
in the middle of the night.
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Soon, we could feel the rumble
of the engines vibrating in our chests.
of the engines vibrating in our chests.
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And it wasn't a miracle;
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it was the combined effort
of a team of thousands of people
of a team of thousands of people
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who worked together
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to make was seemed impossible a reality.
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And I wanted to join that team.
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So I decided to apply to a university
where I could study aerospace engineering.
where I could study aerospace engineering.
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And the following year,
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I started at MIT
in my engineering training
in my engineering training
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and joined a student project
building space robots.
building space robots.
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And everything was going as I planned,
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except I was confused
about something important.
about something important.
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Now, my confusion arose
in my summer breaks.
in my summer breaks.
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I traveled to a school in Kenya,
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and there I volunteered
with girls ages five to 17,
with girls ages five to 17,
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giving them lessons in English
and math and science.
and math and science.
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And they taught me songs in Swahili.
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And mostly, I just spent time
getting to know the girls,
getting to know the girls,
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enjoying their presence.
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And I saw that these girls
and the leaders in their community,
and the leaders in their community,
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they were overcoming important barriers
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to allow these girls to have
the best possible chances in life.
the best possible chances in life.
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And I wanted to join that team.
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I wanted to be part of a team
that would help break down barriers
that would help break down barriers
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and improve the lives
of girls around the world.
of girls around the world.
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But I was worried that studying
aerospace engineering
aerospace engineering
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wasn't the most useful.
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I was worried this team in Kenya
couldn't use the technology
couldn't use the technology
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I was learning about space.
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But thankfully, I still learned
that I was wrong.
that I was wrong.
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I came back and interned at NASA again,
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and this time,
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a mentor taught me
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that countries like Kenya had been using
space technology for decades
space technology for decades
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to improve the lives
in their own countries.
in their own countries.
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And then I knew that I could have
a career in space
a career in space
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and in development.
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This idea is not new.
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In fact, in 1967, the nations
of the world came together
of the world came together
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to write the Outer Space Treaty.
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This treaty made a bold statement,
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saying, "The exploration
and use of outer space
and use of outer space
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should be carried on
for the benefit of all peoples,
for the benefit of all peoples,
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irrespective of their level
of economic or scientific development."
of economic or scientific development."
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We have not truly lived up to this ideal,
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although people have worked
for decades to make this a reality.
for decades to make this a reality.
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Forces such as colonialism and racism
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and gender inequality
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have actually excluded many people
from the benefits of space
from the benefits of space
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and caused us to believe
that space is for the few
that space is for the few
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or the rich or elite.
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But we cannot afford this attitude,
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because the world is engaged
in a vital mission
in a vital mission
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to improve life for everyone.
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Our road map for this mission comes
from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
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of the United Nations.
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All the member states
of the United Nations have agreed
of the United Nations have agreed
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that these are priorities
between now and 2030.
between now and 2030.
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These goals give us our key moments
and opportunities of our time --
and opportunities of our time --
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opportunities to end extreme poverty,
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to insure that everyone has access
to food and clean water.
to food and clean water.
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We must pursue these goals
as a global community.
as a global community.
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And technology from space
supports sustainable development.
supports sustainable development.
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In fact, there are six space services
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that can help us pursue
the Sustainable Development Goals.
the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Over the next few minutes,
let's explore these six services,
let's explore these six services,
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and see examples of just a few
of the goals they help support.
of the goals they help support.
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You ready?
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OK.
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Communication satellites provide access
to phone and internet service
to phone and internet service
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to almost any location on Earth.
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This is particularly important
during times of disaster recovery.
during times of disaster recovery.
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When Typhoon Haiyan
struck the Philippines,
struck the Philippines,
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the local communication networks
needed to be repaired,
needed to be repaired,
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and teams brought in inflatable
communication antennas
communication antennas
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that could link to satellites.
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This was useful during the time
of repair and recovery.
of repair and recovery.
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Positioning satellites
tell us where we are
tell us where we are
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by telling us where they are.
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Scientists can use this technology
to track endangered wildlife.
to track endangered wildlife.
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This turtle has been fitted with a system
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that allows it to receive location
information from positioning satellites,
information from positioning satellites,
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and they send the location
information to scientists
information to scientists
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via communication satellites.
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Scientists can use this knowledge
to then make better policies
to then make better policies
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and help determine
how to keep these animals alive.
how to keep these animals alive.
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Earth observation satellites.
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They tell us what's going on
in our environment.
in our environment.
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Right now, there are about 150 satellites
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operated by over 60 government agencies,
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and these are just
those observing the Earth.
those observing the Earth.
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And meanwhile, companies
are adding to this list.
are adding to this list.
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Most of the governments provide the data
from the satellites for free online.
from the satellites for free online.
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Some of these satellites
provide images like this,
provide images like this,
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that show what you would see
from a camera.
from a camera.
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This is an image showing
agricultural land in Kansas.
agricultural land in Kansas.
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However, the majority
of the Earth observation satellites
of the Earth observation satellites
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don't take pictures at all.
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They take measurements.
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And they combine these measurements
with complex computer models
with complex computer models
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and make beautiful,
global visualizations such as this one,
global visualizations such as this one,
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showing the ocean currents
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and the temperature
of the ocean, globally.
of the ocean, globally.
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Or we can look at the salt and smoke
and dust in the atmosphere,
and dust in the atmosphere,
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or the rainfall and snowfall, globally,
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as well as the annual cycle of vegetation
on land and in the ocean.
on land and in the ocean.
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Now, scientists can take this information
about the rainfall and the vegetation
about the rainfall and the vegetation
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and use it to understand
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what areas on Earth are in danger
of a famine or a drought
of a famine or a drought
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and provide that information
to aid organizations
to aid organizations
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so they can be prepared with food aid
before the hunger becomes severe.
before the hunger becomes severe.
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In space, we have an orbiting laboratory
on the International Space Station.
on the International Space Station.
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The vehicle and everything inside
are in a form of free fall
are in a form of free fall
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around the Earth,
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and they don't experience
the effect of gravity.
the effect of gravity.
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And because of this,
we call it "microgravity."
we call it "microgravity."
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When astronauts are
in the microgravity environment,
in the microgravity environment,
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their bodies react
as if they're aging rapidly.
as if they're aging rapidly.
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Their bones and muscles weaken,
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and their cardiovascular system
and their immune system change.
and their immune system change.
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As scientists study how to keep
astronauts healthy in space,
astronauts healthy in space,
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we can take the exercises and techniques
we use for astronauts
we use for astronauts
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and transfer them to people on Earth
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to improve our health here.
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Often, as we develop technology
for astronauts and exploration
for astronauts and exploration
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or for spacecraft,
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we can also transfer those inventions
to improve life on Earth.
to improve life on Earth.
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Here's one of my favorites.
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It's a water filtration system,
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and a key component of it
is based on the technology
is based on the technology
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to filter wastewater on the space station.
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It's now being used around the world.
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Space is also an infinite source
of inspiration,
of inspiration,
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through education,
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through research and astronomy
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and that age-old experience of stargazing.
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Now, countries around the world
are engaging in advancing
are engaging in advancing
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their own development
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by increasing their local knowledge
of engineering and science and space.
of engineering and science and space.
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Let's meet some of the world's
newest satellite engineers.
newest satellite engineers.
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This is Elyka Abello, from Venezuela.
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Elyka is training as a satellite engineer
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as part of her national
satellite program in Venezuela.
satellite program in Venezuela.
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She has designed a software tool
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that allows her team to better design
the power systems for engineering.
the power systems for engineering.
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This is Adel Castillo-Duran,
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from the Philippines.
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Adel is both a meteorologist
and a satellite engineer,
and a satellite engineer,
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and she uses data from satellites
in her weather forecasting.
in her weather forecasting.
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And finally, meet Hala.
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Hala is from the Sudan,
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and as she was studying electrical
engineering as an undergraduate
engineering as an undergraduate
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in Khartoum,
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she and several students decided
to build their own satellite.
to build their own satellite.
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And later, Hala earned a scholarship
to study satellite engineering
to study satellite engineering
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at the graduate level.
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These stories that I've shared with you
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all illustrate that space truly is useful
for sustainable development
for sustainable development
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for the benefit of all peoples.
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But we have more work to do,
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because there are still barriers
that exclude people from space
that exclude people from space
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and limit the impact of this technology.
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For many people,
Earth observation data is complex.
Earth observation data is complex.
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And satellite communication
services are too expensive.
services are too expensive.
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And microgravity research
just appears to be inaccessible.
just appears to be inaccessible.
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This is what motivates my work
as a professor at MIT's Media Lab.
as a professor at MIT's Media Lab.
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I've recently founded a new research group
called Space Enabled.
called Space Enabled.
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We are working to tear down these barriers
that limit the benefits of space.
that limit the benefits of space.
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And we're also going to develop
the future applications
the future applications
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that will continue to contribute
to sustainable development.
to sustainable development.
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We'll keep on this work
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until we can truly say that space
is for the benefit of all peoples,
is for the benefit of all peoples,
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and we are all space enabled.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Danielle Wood - Space engineer and development scholarDanielle Wood designs satellites and space technology applications that contribute to sustainable development.
Why you should listen
Dr. Danielle Wood has published extensive, novel research findings on emerging space activity in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia; advised senior leaders in the US government on technology policy and led teams of engineers and scientists to create satellite systems that contribute to public safety. As of January 2018, Dr. Wood directs the Space Enabled Research Group and serves as an Assistant Professor at the Media Lab in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The Mission of the Space Enabled research group is to advance justice in earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space. At Space Enabled, Wood designs innovative systems that harness space technology that support work toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Wood's research also develops systems analysis tools to improve decision making during the design of complex systems. Most recently, she worked as the Applied Sciences Manager within the Earth Science Division of Goddard Space Flight Center. Previously, she served as Special Assistant and Advisor to the Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Prior to working at NASA, Wood held positions at the Aerospace Corporation, Johns Hopkins University and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. She studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a PhD in engineering systems, SM in aeronautics and astronautics, SM in technology policy and SB in aerospace engineering.
Danielle Wood | Speaker | TED.com