Dr Buzz Aldrin and Anousheh Ansari join CNN Future Summit: World in Motion

Legendary astronaut Dr Buzz Aldrin and the world’s first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari are two members of an illustrious panel joining CNN’s Richard Quest for a landmark hour-long program from Singapore that takes viewers deep into the future and outer space.

Dr Aldrin, the second man on the moon and one of the world’s most iconic figures, and Anousheh Ansari, the world’s first female space explorer, join CNN’s unique discussion on how our lives are set to be dramatically changed by stunning advancements in the world of travel. Professor Lino Guzzella, Chair of Thermotronics at Zurich’s prestigious ETH and designer of the world’s most fuel efficient vehicle and Ian Pearson, a futurologist at the UK’s British Telecom, complete the distinguished panel.

Airing November 23 to more than an estimated 190 million households worldwide, the program sees Richard Quest and his eminent guests explore how close we are to the reality of a family vacation in space, in addition to looking at the possible benefits of a driverless car, hypersonic air travel and other areas which indicate that science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact.

“CNN is delighted and honoured that such a remarkable panel of history-makers is to join us for this second instalment of CNN Future Summit. ‘World in Motion’ is simply an unmissable event, exploring some of mankind's most extraordinary goals” said CNN International’s Senior Vice President Rena Golden.

After distinguished service as a fighter pilot in the Korean War, Buzz Aldrin gained a Doctorate in Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Manned Space Rendezvous. In October 1963, Aldrin was selected by NASA as one of the early astronauts. In November 1966, he established a new record for Extra-Vehicular Activity in space on the Gemini XII orbital flight mission. Then, on July 20, 1969, Dr Aldrin and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo XI moon walk, thus becoming the first two humans to set foot on another world. This unprecedented heroic endeavor was witnessed by the largest worldwide television audience in history.

Anousheh Ansari captured headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer. On September 18, she took off for an eight-day expedition aboard the International Space Station, earning a place in history as the fourth private explorer to visit space, and the first astronaut of Iranian descent. Anousheh Ansari is chairman of Prodea Systems.

Ian Pearson graduated in 1981 in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from Queens University, Belfast and joined BT (British Telecom) Laboratories in 1985 as a performance analyst, since working in network design and evolution, cybernetics, and mobile systems. He now concentrates on mapping the progress of new developments throughout information technology, considering both technological and social implications. As BT’s futurologist and a principal consultant, he lectures extensively on his futures views. In between conferences, current projects include machine consciousness, social trends and advanced computing technology.

Designing cars that are highly fuel-efficient and that reduce harmful emissions is the goal of Lino Guzzella, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. His team designed the PAC-Car II, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that won the Energy Globe Award in November 2005. Prior to joining the faculty he held several leadership positions in industry. From 2003-2004 he was the Honda Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University.

CNN Future Summit is a two-year multi-media program produced in association with the Singapore Tourist Board (STB), which aims to stimulate global discussion on new developments in travel, medicine and health, communications, the environment, new habitat and the implications of these changes for the future of mankind.

See other recent news regarding: Richard Quest, Anousheh Ansari, Singapore, CNN