Montreal to host first Interstellar Symposium in Canada

Montreal will be ground zero for the eighth Interstellar Symposium, the first time it is being held in Canada.

Former astronaut Julie Payette spoke with CTV News anchor Mutsumi Takahashi about the symposium and topics ranging from vanquishing dark skies to colonizing interstellar space.

-- Watch the full interview above.

Here is an excerpt from their conversation.

MUTSUMI TAKAHASHI

I was looking at these topics: searching for extrasolar life, interstellar travel. Who is the symposium for?

JULIE PAYETTE

Well, these are actually two really hot topics. Searching for extrasolar or intrasolar life really is an ongoing question that we have not solved yet. The only place where we know that life exists is right here on this planet. So we cannot answer the question: "are we alone?" But it's an important question.

What we do know, however, and that's an indisputable fact, for anyone that looks through a telescope, is that there are billions of galaxies out there and billions and trillions of stars in that immense universe of ours.

So there's probably something else out there. Do we know? We don't have that answer.

As for travel, we haven't been anywhere. Fifty years ago, a few people went to the moon. But otherwise, we haven't been anywhere.

However, we've sent probes all over this solar system, and two of them, Voyager I and Voyager II, are currently travelling in interstellar space, which is the space between two stars. So this is no longer science fiction. It's happening now.

TAKAHASHI

I was looking at one seminar, and it says, 'How would you select a crew of 100 people for the first interstellar mission?' It's an interesting question. Who will these people be? Are we looking at further divisions in society between those who get to go to space and others who don't?

PAYETTE

This is a basic research seminar. This symposium, which is being held in Canada for the first time, is particularly interesting because it's not only interested in solving technical aspects of exploration, missions, propulsion, power, generation materials, logistics, things like that but also in the human social factors, and the ethics of it all: sociology, law, governance, cultural aspects. So, these questions are being asked now, but it's preparing for the future.

TAKAHASHI

But people are bound to ask, given the heatwave that we're facing, and the forest fires here on Earth, why be concerned about what's happening out there? Shouldn't we be making Earth the priority?

PAYETTE

Well, clearly, climate change is making us feel the heat right now, not only in Montreal, but all over the planet. We've registered the hottest day ever since we've been recording temperatures. So yes, absolutely.

The Earth, the people, and all its ecosystem are the priority, but that does not prevent researchers in any field, whether it's social science, or public health or astrophysics, to just name a few, from continuing and conducting their research is not preventing anyone to put priority on serious global issues.

On the contrary, often that basic research yields invention, advancements and benefits right here on Earth.

For example, a colleague from NASA is presenting at this symposium. She's an expert in synthetic biology, which is using new material for the benefit of people, but she's also working on a new idea of doing laundry with little or no water using ozone or carbon dioxide. And if that works, this will be truly beneficial. Now that water is becoming a scarce resource.

TAKAHASHI

Beneficial research, yes, but these people are going to be talking about our future, which I guess is very exciting for a lot of people. But it's also a little disturbing for others, right? Will they be looking at the greater good? I guess I'm wondering, can we trust these people to always be looking out for our best interests?

PAYETTE

In all science, and in all discovery, it's not the research, it's not the scientists, it's not the technologists that make use of the invention or the development. It's the society that we live in.

Right now, space travel has been, and still is, a very international endeavour. In general, scientific research is, and this symposium really fits in. I find it very reassuring that we are in a society where we can debate ideas and prospects and progress right there in the open for everyone to see.

Now, can we trust them? Well, we can trust, and we can still have critical thinking.

Could we trust Leonardo da Vinci when six centuries ago, he was drawing flying machines, or Galileo who was put under house arrest until the end of his life for telling the evidence that yes, we rotate around the sun and not the contrary?

We need to continue to talk facts rooted in solid science and to have it accessible to all people. So, I would invite people, especially if they're curious about space exploration and space travel, to attend this symposium's main public event on Monday night, July 10 at McGill University.

For the symposium's full program click here.