Critic of manned spaceflight to give lecture Feb. 2 at Morehead Center

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Alex Roland, an outspoken critic of the U.S. manned spaceflight program, will give a free public lecture Feb. 2 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.

Roland’s talk, "Let’s Sell the Space Station: the Future of Manned Spaceflight," will be held in the Star Theater at 7 p.m.

The former NASA historian will discuss his views on human space travel, a feat he argues is too dangerous and expensive with current technology.

"We should mothball the space station, stop flying the space shuttle and redirect the funding to the development of a safe, reliable and economical launch vehicle," Roland said. "That is our future in space."

Roland has criticized the current shuttle program during testimony before subcommittees of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives since the Columbia disaster on Feb. 1, 2003. He also was a leading critic of NASA following the Challenger explosion in 1986.

He also opposes President George W. Bush’s public goals to send a new spacecraft to the moon within the next 15 or so years, and to ultimately pursue sending astronauts to Mars.

"It is unlikely we will have men on Mars in the next 50 years unless we invent a better launch vehicle. If we do that, all things are possible," Roland said.

Roland worked as a historian for NASA from 1973-1981. He later chaired Duke University’s history department and currently teaches a course there on the history of technology and the military.

In addition, Roland is a former president of the Society for the History of Technology and has held the Dr. Leo Shifrin Chair of Naval-Military History at the U.S. Naval Academy. He has collaborated on numerous books, including 1985’s "A Spacefaring People: Perspectives on Early Spaceflight."

The lecture is co-sponsored by the UNC student group SpaceTalk. The Morehead Center is located on the UNC campus at 250 E. Franklin St.; for more information, click on www.moreheadplanetarium.org.

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Morehead Center contact: Jeff Hill, (919) 843-7995