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The space enterprise is changing dramatically. Entrepreneurial space has increased dramatically, as has international space activity. The talk will review the critical space policy issues based on a recent class in this area. Next, it will outline the issues in space technology and architecture from the perspective of the AIAA and then turn to what research work in space is going on in the MIT AeroAstro Department. The talk will finish with some of the demographic challenges for the space enterprise.
Jeehwan Kim Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Principal Investigator, Research Laboratory of Electronics
Panelists: Elisabeth B. Reynolds Former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development Former Executive Director, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future and IPC Â Professor of the Practice, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Ben Armstrong Executive Director, MIT Industrial Performance Center
Aurora Kennedy TECH Recruiting, Training, and Development Manager, SLB
Cyrus Shaoul CEO, Leela AI
Significant changes in global climate patterns and increasing ocean acidities with their negative impacts on the health of our planet have been ascribed to the ever-increasing rise in atmospheric CO2 levels, primarily attributed to anthropogenic sources such as the combustion of fossil fuels. The mitigation of these acid gas emissions is a daunting task, both because of the scale of the problem and because of the economic ramifications associated with the capture of the greenhouse gases and their subsequent utilization or subsurface storage. Effective means for the direct treatment of emissions with CO2 concentrations of 5 to 15% (or higher), from a wide range of sources, such as in the power industries, at industrial facilities and from on-board vehicle exhausts, are sorely needed. Of late, there has also been some interest in the capture of CO2 directly from the atmosphere, at concentrations close to 0.04%, which offers its own challenges for implementation.
The traditional means for CO2 capture and release generally rely on either chemical or physical absorption in solvents at temperatures well below those at which the acid gas is generated, with subsequent heating to release the captured CO2 and regenerate the sorbent. The captured CO2 can then be compressed for injection and sequestration in subsurface geological formations, or used as a feedstock for the synthesis of fuels and chemical products. These capture processes require significant energy integration with the process plant which adds complexity and cost to the overall capture operation.
We will describe a number of approaches for the treatment of gas streams under ambient conditions (isothermal electrochemically mediated capture and release) and at very high temperatures (temperature and pressure swing with solid and molten metal oxides) that cover the spectrum of CO2 capture needs including direct air capture, power generation, and a range of industrial processes. The general principles underlying these acid gas separation processes will be outlined, with an emphasis on the thermodynamic and transport considerations required for their effective implementation in carbon capture.
From Innovation to Impact: Entrepreneurship in 2025. Michael Kearney, General Partner of Engine Ventures, will discuss progress in the MIT innovation ecosystem since the inception of the Engine system in 2017, how the innovative landscape has evolved during that time, and how entrepreneurs and investors are managing through today's economic uncertainties.
MIT ARCLab focuses on space traffic management, space situational awareness, and space sustainability. This talk will analyze space security issues related to space management and orbital debris. It will also cover topics in space awareness, including behavior estimation, behavior characterization, and learning. Furthermore, the talk will discuss the Department of the Air Force's AI Accelerator, which has a focused project dedicated to space awareness and the development of AI techniques to address space security issues.
Michael Schrage Research Fellow, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, MIT Sloan School of Management Elisabeth B. Reynolds Former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development Former Executive Director, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future Principal Research Scientist Lecturer, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning Suzanne Berger John M. Deutch Institute Professor of Political Science, MIT Political Science Simon Johnson Ronald A Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship, Professor of Global Economics and Management, MIT Sloan School of Management