SAN DIEGO >> Science fiction and science fantasy have always had a place at San Diego Comic-Con International. Fans of “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Battlestar Galactica,” among others, flood the San Diego Convention Center floor year after year.
Attendees of this year’s convention were able to meet real-life space cowboys, including Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, and NASA’s Mohawk Guy, Bobak Ferdowsi. The two brought plenty of science fact to the convention with a panel celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission on Thursday.
“I really like space exploration and came here for this,” said Michael Diaz, who traveled from New Mexico, as he pulled the visor of his replica astronaut space suit down to take a picture with the Aldrin’s name card.
Diaz works for the New Mexico Museum of Space History and was encouraged to attend the convention by his co-workers.
“When I told them about the panel they told me I needed to come,” he said, laughing.
His co-workers even lent him the replica suit the museum uses at events.
“Don’t worry though, it’s not an actual artifact,” he added.
The room quickly filled with fans of the space program eager to hear about the next step for NASA. They cheered when the panelists and moderator, actor Seth Green, said it was like stepping on Mars — which is apparently going to happen someday.
“I have a plan that puts people there in the 2030s,” said Ferdowsi. “There are a lot of assumptions within that plan including funding. It’s a very really reasonable plan.”
The panel, NASA’s Next Giant Leap, was hosted by Green, and featured NASA’s division director of Planetary Science Jim Green and astronaut Mike Fincke along with Aldrin and Ferdowsi.
Attendees learned about the historic Apollo 11 mission from Aldrin, who became the second person to set foot on the surface on of the moon on July 20, 1969, after Neil Armstrong.
Although Ferdowsi, flight engineer for the Mars Rover mission, has become a celebrity himself and Internet sensation following the landing of the Rover, he says he still becomes a bit star-struck when meeting Aldrin.
“It’s not every day you get to talk to someone who has been on the moon,” he said. “It is one of the rare times I will fangirl a little bit.”
Green didn’t hide his excitement about the program and the thought of possibly one day being able to see someone land on Mars.
“That’s just amazing,” Green said.
When Green asked the panel, why NASA should continue space exploration and why try to get to Mars when “Earth rocks,” Ferdowsi responded that exploration “helps us be better citizens of out own planet.”
“Today, at NASA, we’re working on the next giant leap — a human mission to Mars, standing on the shoulders of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins,” said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, in a recent blog post.
While this is the first time NASA has ever held a panel at the convention, Ferdowsi is no stranger to the massive event.
Last year, Ferdowsi served as an expert on a panel tackling the questions of which spacecraft would overpower another in an intergalactic fight. The group spent hours debating the strengths and weaknesses of 16 different crafts.
Ferdowsi said it’s great to be surrounded by people who are passionate, or geeky, about something be it comic books, space, television or science.
“It’s an amazing time,” he said. “It’s really fun to be around people who are excited about things as I’m excited about things,” Ferdowsi said of the convention.
For updates from this year’s Comic-Con, visit www.dailynews.com/topic/comic-con-2014
