How can we investigate space

What's responsible for this special connection? Stewart discovered a new kind of astronomical object -- a synestia -- and a new way to solve the mystery of the Moon's origin. Fred Jansen. In this fascinating and funny talk, Jansen reveals some of the intricate calculations that went into landing the Philae probe on a comet million kilometers from Earth -- and shares some incredible photographs taken along the way.

Jedidah Isler. Jedidah Isler first fell in love with the night sky as a little girl. Now she's an astrophysicist who studies supermassive hyperactive black holes. In a charming talk, she takes us trillions of kilometers from Earth to introduce us to objects that can be 1 to 10 billion times the mass of the sun — and which shoot powerful jet streams of particles in our direction.

Jeremy Kasdin. Astronomers believe that every star in the galaxy has a planet, one fifth of which might harbor life. Only we haven't seen any of them -- yet. Jeremy Kasdin and his team are looking to change that with the design and engineering of an extraordinary piece of equipment: a flower petal-shaped "starshade" positioned 50, km from a telescope to enable imaging of planets about distant stars. How do scientists explore planets? Telescopes on Earth and in orbit around Earth provide scientists with information about our solar system.

With each mission, scientists added new knowledge to our understanding of the solar system. Only one other body in our solar system has been visited by humans — the Moon! The Apollo astronauts brought back nearly pounds of lunar samples, which scientists continue to study today. Chunks of planets and asteroids sometimes land on Earth as meteorites, giving scientists the chance to study pieces of other worlds.

Orbiters circle around a planet or moon for an extended period of time. Why should we explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent researching something with apparently so few benefits?

Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? Perhaps the best answer lies in our history. What made our ancestors move from the trees onto the plains? Did a wider distribution of our species offer a better chance of survival?

Nearly all successful civilisations have been willing to explore. In exploring, the dangers of surrounding areas may be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, these dangers have the ability to harm us. With knowledge, their effects or consequences may be lessened.