Cross asking an astronaut a question off my bucket list. In the video above, science YouTubers got the opportunity to ask astronaut Scott Kelly — Kelly is currently spending a whole year in space as a part of a year-long study with his twin (and fellow astronaut) Mark Kelly — anything they wanted. It features questions from Hank Green of Vlogbrothers, Louis of FunForLouis, Emily Graslie at the Brain Scoop, Henry Reich from MinutePhysics, Destin from Smarter Every Day, Michael from VSauce, and yours truly.
At 3:12, I asked the astronaut what he thinks will inspire the generation of men and women that will end up being the first humans on Mars. Floating there roughly 400 kilometers above our heads, Kelly noted that everything around him would hopefully be that inspiration. He and the other astronauts aboard the International Space Station were communicating about science to us from freakin’ space! Being able to see our space program in real-time, with unprecedented access and documentation (especially on social media), should go a long way towards keeping the dream jobs of children between princess, rockstar, fireman, and astronaut.
What would you ask an astronaut if you had the chance?