Mar 25
Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN
TicketsIan Maddox
Aerospace Engineer
andTracie Prater
Aerospace Engineer
Ad Astra— Per Aspera: Technologies to meet the challenges of deep space exploration
Program Description
This discussion between engineers Ian Maddox and Tracie Prater focuses on the technologies currently being developed to enable human spaceflight to the moon, Mars, and beyond. Communication delays, which will make Earth-based Mission Control slow to respond over the immense distances being traveled, will necessitate developing new AI machine learning to allow deep space crews to operate, make decisions, and troubleshoot independently of ground control
This event is part of our 2025 National Evening of Science on Screen.
Film Synopsis
An astronaut undertakes a mission to uncover the truth behind a mystery.
When a mysterious life-threatening event strikes Earth, astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) goes on a dangerous mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) — and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.
Overflowing with stunning cosmic visuals, a gorgeous Max Richter score and a deeply emotional core, director James Gray’s epic but intimate tale of one man’s journey through space in search of Answers was a minor flop at the box office on its initial release, but critical reappraisals in the years since have vindicated it as a humane masterpiece of 21st century science-fiction.
Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox
About the Speaker
Ian Maddox is an engineer at NASA with over 15 years of experience in human spaceflight. He has worked on every current program in the Artemis campaign and currently manages technology development efforts for a future crewed mission to Mars. Outside of work, he likes to cook, play Civilization VII, and hike in the Smokies. He has a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Tracie Prater has 13 years of experience in the aerospace industry, where she has supported efforts related to launch vehicle manufacturing, space habitation, in-space manufacturing, advanced materials, and crowdsourcing. She is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In her free time, she enjoys reading, film, traveling, and SCUBA diving. She has a B.S. in physics from Eastern Kentucky University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University.