50th Anniversary Event for Tektite II Mission 6

Tektite2020 is a mix of live central-stage presentations with Sea Space professionals and artists from around the globe. On July 17-18, 2020 your host Dr. Sarah Jane Pell with co-hosts Dr. Tierney Thys and Joe Grabowski pay special tribute to the Tektite II Mission 6 all-women Aquanaut crew. Web content includes a Keynote panel with the original Aquanauts, reporting on the State of the Art in Sea Space exploration, hearing the calls for action, and discussing recommendations for the next 50years. Attendees share in knowledge, new perspectives and tools to transform the ocean world for a better future!

WHERE
Streaming LIVE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1CwlvGvJsObBKoFbU5fbqw/ & Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/tektite2020/
Archived on Youtube

WHEN
Friday to Saturday
July 17 to 18, 2020 (EST)

MAIN STAGE


Tektite II Mission 6

Celebrating 50 years

Since time immemorial, outer space and the ocean have been sources of mystery and intrigue. We have long wondered what lies beyond our planet in the stars above and what lies below within the salty ocean waters. This quest brings together artists, scientists, engineers and visionaries. For the first time, on July 20, 1969, astronauts walked on the moon and looked back on Earth with new eyes. One year later in July 1970, an intrepid group of four scientists and an engineer became the first all-female team of aquanauts to live undersea for 10 days. 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the momentous all female mission Tektite 2 Mission 6, the 51st anniversary of the Apollo landing, and the first time that a woman has reached the full ocean depth. We invite you to join us on 17th and 18th July in celebrating where women in sea and space have come in the past 50 years and where they are going in the next 50. With a phenomenal line-up of presenters, including the original Tektite all-female Aquanaut Team, and NASA Astronauts this event is not to be missed.


Deep below and far beyond

The next 50 years

On June 6th 2020, the first woman to walk in space also became the first woman to make a round-trip voyage to the Challenger Deep—the deepest part of the ocean. From Leonardo da Vinci’s sub sketches to later day diving bells and modern-day subs, our designs for diving deep have continually evolved. We haven’t just wanted to visit the depths: we have wanted to stay! We’ve wanted to persist long enough to experience and explore the undersea world. Eventually in the early 1960s, scientists began conducting saturation diving experiments. They wanted to test human ability to live in specially designed submerged habitats for days, even months, at a time. This research would lay essential groundwork not only for extended undersea living but also for extended living in outer space. We celebrate the work of these pioneering men and women. Their work inspires us to look to the future and ask what can we learn?


Conference Schedule

50 Speakers celebrating 50 Years

  • July 17, 2020

    Splash Down! The deep dive and immersion

  • 08:30 - 09:00
    'Hope for the ocean lies in the marriage between a deep respect for our dependence on nature and a desire to create innovative ways to use the ocean without using it up.’ - Professor Jane Lubchenco delivers a heroes welcome for our Honoured Guest Aquanauts of the 1970's Tektite II Mission 6 first all-women crew, distinguished Pioneering Women of Sea and Space, and global community gathered in celebration across planet Earth.
    Business
    Engineering
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    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 09:00 - 10:30
    Between 1969-1970, a landmark human experiment took place in a small, four room habitat, submerged 15m (50 ft) in Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands. Called Tektite, this unique government-industry-university collaboration became the first United States seafloor laboratory offering dozens of scientists and engineers the chance to live and work on the seafloor for periods of two to four weeks. The most famous of the aquanauts were the all-women members of Tektite II’s Mission 6. In the strongly male-dominated world of diving, the fine performance of these women paved the way for the inclusion of other women in future undersea and space missions. We launch this session with a preview of an upcoming Tektite documentary presented by team of accomplished documentary filmmakers bring together six pioneering Tektite aquanauts, including four original Mission 6 team members, previewing reflect on the significance of the Tektite Project, the momentous Mission 6 and its continuing influence on the world of exploration today.
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    Engineering
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    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 11:00 - 12:30
    From the depths of the ocean, to the hostile realms of outer space, our species has yearned to explore and push the boundaries of our knowledge. The Tektite project joined the normally siloed communities of sea and space to work together and its influence carries through to today. In this session, world-renowned astronauts, astrophysicists and aquanauts discuss their ground-breaking synergistic projects. From field studies in the ocean that are informing deep space travel, to stratospheric flying laboratories, to deepsea exploration and habitat missions, our panelists share their projects, passions, hopes and dreams for the future.
    Business
    Business
    Engineering
    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 12:30 - 13:00
    Join Dr. Leah Barclay, the brilliant leader of the Biosphere Soundscapes Project, for a dive into the world of eco-acoustics with Sonic Reef--a call to action to protect one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. This immersive sound installation uses scientific reef recordings to showcase the value of sound in understanding overall ecosystem health. Launched at the World Science Festival in 2017, Sonic Reef was developed in collaboration with the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Australian Marine Conservation Society, JASCO Applied Sciences and a team of passionate artists, scientists and conservationists.
    Platform
    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 14:00 - 15:00
    Stories drive our understanding of the world and allow us to intimately share our connections to place in both time and space. Join these scientists and artists who are using new weaving together wildly creative ways to tell the diverse stories of the sea. With fresh perspectives and new technologies, each tale offers a new and intimate way to connect with the natural world and illuminates a pathway to understanding of our place on Earth and our far-reaching impacts.
    Engineering
    Platform
    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 15:00 - 15:30
    Jodi Lomask, director of the renowned San Francisco dance troupe, Capacitor, created an visceral sensory portrait of the ocean through Okeanos: A Love Letter to the Sea. Described as Cirque du Soleil meets the ocean, the dancers of Okeanos embody the dynamic interplay of sea creatures, the force of waves and the loss of beauty and vitality through overfishing and other human impacts. Lomask shares excerpts from the hour long performance that underscore both the strength and fragility of the ocean and bring to light our utter dependence on the ocean for our survival.
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  • 15:30 - 16:45
    Panelists consider the observations of Pierre Auger, the first President of the French Space Agency (CNES) : Many scientists, he wrote, would like to call for a sort of moratorium of science fiction, and tell science fiction writers: 'Hold it right there, stop giving away what we're going to do'. Every time the scientists make a fresh breakthrough, the public are already used to the idea. They don't find new discoveries astonishing any more, and it's a pity? Is there really a future for space exploration or should we see the 1960's as a space oddity?
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  • 16:55 - 17:00
    Space Artists Daniela de Paulis has developed 'COGITO in Space' in collaboration with Frank White, author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, a pivotal book that explores the shift in worldview experienced by astronauts when they see the Earth from space and in space. The piece exists as an interdisciplinary hybrid narrative sending thoughts into outer space as radio waves. The project is staged at the Dwingeloo radio telescope in The Netherlands.
    Engineering
    Platform
    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • July 18, 2020

    Splash Up! The ascent to the new world

  • 09:00 - 09:05
    HOLOSCENES is a suite of multi-format artworks that manifest states of drowning — both in water and the larger systems of our own devising — in order to directly connect the short-term, everyday behaviors of individuals to the long-term patterns driving global climate change. Holoscenes re-imagines historical antecedents of public spectacle and gathering, and simultaneously translates related streams of scientific investigation into a visual, visceral, and public address in urban communal space that challenges our personal and collective capacities for long-term thinking and empathy.
    Business
    Engineering
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    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube

  • 09:10 - 10:30
    With space applications and technologies we can monitor climate change and pollution, survey oceans and marine life, observe coastal erosion and weather patterns, respond to disaters and public health emergencies, connect remote communities, and enable smart systems from transportation to communication, towards sustainable economic and social development, and ethical environmental custodianship.
    Science
    Engineering
    Live Online
    Zoom 2, Keynote Panel

  • 11:00 - 11:05
    Jason deCaires Taylor has devoted two decades to underwater life and its conservation along with his work as a sculptor and photographer. He is best known as the creator of MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte), the largest aquatic museum in the world, located near Cancun, Mexico, One of the many submerged sculptures featured in the 2020 World Ocean Day video from Jason deCaires Taylor and shared with us for Tektite2020, is the inaugural sculpture in the Southern Hemisphere’s first Museum of Underwater Art, is the 'Ocean Siren' which is installed alongside North Queensland’s iconic Strand Jetty in Townsville...
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    Livestream Here
    Facebook LIVE & YouTube
    Live Online
    Zoom 2, Keynote Panel

  • 11:05 - 12:30
    In the age of planetary-scale pandemics and long-term environmental impacts, we are realizing more clearly than ever the full ramifications of being a global species traveling on Spaceship Earth. With that realization comes immense responsibility and unprecedented opportunities to make positive changes for a better future. From demystifying and democratizing science learning, to empowering girls and people of color, to creating technology businesses and hackathons that can solve global problems, this rockstar can-do team of panelists is inspiring actions across the globe.
    Business
    Platform
    Live Online
    Zoom 2, Keynote Panel

  • 14:00 - 14:30
    Sue Austin's artistic mission is to challenge ideas around what is enabled for the disabled. She has invented and patented an underwater wheelchair to perform undersea. “People say about diving, it's like flying. But this — it's in another dimension altogether. NASA has been in touch. I'm now on the opposite side of the globe, about to create a new version of the underwater wheelchair — the fly dive wheelchair — a new version of the wheelchair that can also fly.”
    Engineering
    Platform
    Live Online
    Zoom 2, Keynote Panel

  • 14:30 - 16:00
    In 1970, the first all-female team of aquanauts lived underwater for 10 days for Tektite II: Mission 6 in Lameshur Bay US Virgin Islands. Today the only fully operational underwater habitat and saturation laboratory is the Aquarius Reefbase Habitat run by Florida International University in the United States. Join seasoned female aquanauts and astronauts discussing the humans factors and technology readiness pathways of three systems - refined over several decades, at multiple sites, across several missions with teams including these panelists contributing to multiple aspects of the mission as researchers, research subjects, research technicians, engineers and operators. Accumulatively, these Ocean Earth-analogue simulations serve as tools to: Test new hardware and software Study human behavior; Conduct habitability and human factors research; Develop procedures and protocols; Devise experiments for mission science; and Develop physiological and psychological countermeasures in preparation for real missions in the future.
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  • 16:00 - 16:30
    Join us for our closing panel discussion where we reflect and recap the influence of the Tektite II: Mission 6 and where we’ve come since the 1970s. We look ahead to where we hope to be in the future and highlight the innovative technologies, global collaborations, diverse voices and stories we’ve learned about over the course of our two day event. And we end with an exciting announcement that you won’t want to miss.
    Business
    Growth
    Platform
    Live Online
    Zoom 2, Keynote Panel

  • 16:30 - 17:00
    We start the next 50 years with the voice of accomplished women in sea and space and their champions in 60-sec Video messages of congratulations and encouragement for future generations.
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Honoured Speakers

Original Subsea Habitat Pioneers
Aquanut_Dr_James_Woodell_Miller

James Woodell "Jim" Miller

Tektite Program Manager
Aquanaut_Peggy_Lucus_Bond

Peggy Lucus Bond

Tektite II Engineer Aquanaut
Aquanaut_Sylvia_Earle

Sylvia Earle

Tektite II Lead Aquanaut
Aquanaut_Alina_Szmant

Alina Szmant

Tektite II Scientist Aquanaut
Aquanaut_Ann_Hurley

Ann Hurley

Tektite II Scientist Aquanaut

Speaker-bill-todd

William Laurence "Bill" Todd

NASA-NOAA Aquanaut
Prof-Jill-Tarter-SETI

Jill Tarter

Astronomer SETI Explorer
Speaker-ian-koblick

Ian Koblick

Tektite I & II Aquanaut
Her-Honourable-Dr-jane-lubchenco

Jane Lubchenco

Former NOAA Director
Aquanaut_Ed_Clifton

Edward "Ed" Clifton

Tektite I & II Aquanaut

Joe-Grabowski-National-Geographic-Emerging-Explorer-2017

Joe Grabowski

Educator Explorer (Co-host)
Artist_Sarah_Jane_Pell

Sarah Jane Pell

Artist Explorer - Tektite2020 (Host)
Nat-Geo-Explorer_Tierney_Thys

Tierney Thys

Marine Explorer - Tektite2020 (Host)
sspeaker-meghan-ohara-2.jpg

Meghan O'Hara

Tektite Revisited Documentary (Co-host)
speaker-james-merle-thomas-2.jpg

James Merle Thomas

Tektite Revisited Documentary (Co-host)

Aquanauts, Astronauts, Explorers, Scientists, Technologists, Artists, Educators, Communicators, Operators, Producers and Perfomers - professionals of the Sea and Space.