Edward Belbruno
Describe your latest book/project.
This book, entitled Fly Me to the Moon: An Insider's View of the New Science of Space Travel, features the rescue of a Japanese spacecraft using a revolutionary route to the Moon. This route was discovered by the author shortly after being let go from his position at a NASA center since it was felt his ideas on space travel had no applications. The route spectacularly vindicated his work. The book is about this process of discovery, and about the entire subject which grew out of this on the use of low fuel pathways in space — not just for spacecraft, but also for comets and asteroids. Current discoveries in astronomy and new missions to the planets are also discussed. The book is part memoir and part mathematics and science book also explaining the ideas behind the theory in a very accessible way for the general audience.
What inspires you to sit down and write?
The thrill of sharing my experiences and sharing knowledge.
Describe your favorite childhood teacher and how that teacher influenced you.
My favorite teacher was Mr. Donnellan, a calculus teacher, who I had in a junior college (Mitchell Jr. College) in my first year. Prior to him,
my grades in math were not high, but he inspired me a great deal.
Have you ever taken the Geek Test? How did you rate?
No — never took this test.
What do you do for relaxation?
Oil painting, boxing, movies, restaurants, enjoying being with my girlfriend.
What was your favorite book as a kid?
Outside the Universe by Edmond Hamilton.
What new technology do you think may actually have the potential for making people's lives better?
Using electric cars that don't require gasoline.
If you could be reincarnated for one day to live the life of any scientist or writer, who would you choose?
Leonardo da Vinci.
What was your best subject in high school? Your worst?
Science was the best, music was the worst.
What are some of the things you'd like your computer to do that it cannot now do?
Talk and have a nice conversation.
Describe the best museum of science and/or industry you've ever visited and what made it great.
Museum of Science: American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium in NYC. Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
All these museums have fabulous exhibits on everything — rocks, gems, meteorites, nice views of the stars. The Hayden has fabulous simulations of black holes and flying through the universe as we know it. These museums transport you to another world.
By the end of your life, where do you think humankind will be in terms of new science and technological advancement?
I would not dare to try and answer too seriously because things change so fast. Currently, we don't know where 98% of the universe is (dark matter and energy), so we don't know very much about our universe at all.
I think in terms of science, we will find that the universe is far more complex and mysterious than we ever imagined. It is likely we will be contacted formally by another extra-solar civilization to have discussions about how our civilization fits in to a much bigger galactic group of civilizations.
In terms of technology, our technology may have intelligent computers and robots that can help us out. Wireless electricity and communication will be everywhere and wires will be gone. Cars will not use gasoline. Space travel will be commonplace. Video screens will be paper thin and everywhere for walls, floors, etc. Computers, celphones, ipods, cameras, DVD players will be in one device that will be tiny and probably be under our skin — under voice control. Cities will probably have to be built under huge domes to provide a clean and normal atmosphere.
Which country do you believe currently leads the world in science and technology? In ten years?
The U.S. leads with discoveries and innovation. A measure of that are the Nobel prizes awarded. However, China is advancing rapidly, and in ten years will likely pose a serious competition.
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