good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with charles bolden, in charge of nasa, heading up the space program with its sights on mars. earlier this month the orion spacecraft of sent on its inaugural mission in preparation for flights that will transport astronauts to nearby asteroid and eventually to mars. then we'll continue our conversation about the future of science with freeman hrabowski, president of the university of maryland, baltimore county, who is committed to recruiting and nurturing people of all background and ethnicities to become future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math. we'll need those if we intend to excel in the 21st century. we're glad you could join us for those conversations coming up right now. ♪

>> and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. ♪ after years of taking a back seat to other endeavors, space exploration is again grabbing the country's imagination with the mission to mars. charles bowlen, former astronaut, spent 24 years in the

u.s. marine core, inducted into the thought is hall of fame. joining us from -- into nasa hall of fame. joining us from nasa. great to have you with us on this program. >> it's great to be with you. thank you very much. >> let's ask what the state of nasa is. i mentioned that after some years of a narrative going in one direction, there seems to be excitement again about this mission to mars. what is the state of nasa as we speak? >> i think if you measure the state of an agency based on what people say about it, we're for the third year if a rn a row tht place to work for large federal agencies. that speaks to how our people view us. and i think the american people and people all over because i just came back from visiting about five or six countries, people all over the world still look to us for leadership in space. >> and if they're looking to us for leadership into the coming years, what are we going to be leading on? >> we're already leading. that's what's important for everybody to understand.

i go out and tell americans they should be proud about the space program and sticking their chest out and saying how proud they are. we're leading an international effort with the international space station. for a kid who's 14 years or younger, they haven't lived one second of their life when human beings haven't been living off this planet about 250 miles above earth on the international space station. it's been operating without interruption. the partners, there are five partners involved. and it includes some people that some folk might wonder how in the world are we working with them. it's that we're focused on a mission on the international space station. it's our stepping stone to the rest of the solar system. there we're able to work quite well with partners from a variety of nations, up to 20 some o when you get to it. >> we're at odds with russia on any number of -- yeah.

>> believe it or not, it works very well. i am a big fan of -- i am a big fan of the international space station as a candidate for the nobel peace prize. when you look at the way that astronauts work on the international space station day in and out, while we have a difficult time politically and diplomatically maybe down here on earth, i think it speaks loads to how humanity can in fact work together in spite of having difficulty in some areas. just because -- just because you're having difficulty in one area doesn't mean that you can't cooperate and collaborate and do great thing in other areas. >> what do you think the primary takeaways are to this date at least from the international space station? >> i think the biggest take away from the international station is that when nations focus their efforts on achieving a mission that anything is possible. i like to tell people, you know, we have now left the space shuttle era.

i was blessed to have spent 14 years of my life as a part of the incredible space shuttle program. it was a 30-year era between apollo and now going into what i like to call the mars era. but people talk about the incredible technological achievement of the space shuttle. i tell them that i think space shuttle's legacy will be the fact that it opened up space to everyone. i would not be sitting here if it were not for the space shuttle program. when you look at the u.s. and our space program and mercury, gemini, and apollo, it was all white. it start out all test pilots. all male. and with the very first class of astronauts selected in 1978. those 3 5 brought in, six women, people of color, people of many religions. so that opened up the avenue of space exploration to the average man and woman. people who, never dream of it

before. a young man or woman now, the one can look at nasa and see somebody who looks like them. and they can say, you know, i can do that. >> you referenced how the space shuttle program opened it up to all of us. and i take your point -- there are a lot of people dreaming now, not kids per se, but dreaming that at some point in their lifetime they will get to devil rays on your set. that took a setback here in california, the mojave desert. the accidents -- what's your sense of where we are in this effort for citizens to travel into space? >> we're still moving along. we had double setbacks. we lost a robotic vehicle right here on the east coast when we lost orbital sciences antares with our cargo module.

days later we lost spaceship 2 with one of the crew members. those are tragic things that happen in our line of work. but they are things that those of us who live in this business that's a part of the risk that you take. it's a risk worth taking because of what it's going do to advanced society. i still believe, as does sir richard branson. i think if you talk to him, within a reasonable amount of time, and it could be a year from now, two years from now, he and his son are going to get aboard spaceship be and will be among the first private citizens to go to a -- you will get an incredible vantage point that only people going into space can do. we'll give you the chance to live and work in space if they want as we do today on the

international space station. i will hope that everyone understand that we have setbacks now and then, but it makes -- i think the future is bright for people who want to have an opportunity to travel in space someday. >> let's talk about the mission to mars. where are we, and how are we advancing? >> you know, we are far best off today than we've been in the history of humanity when you talk about going to mars. if you go back and look at science fiction writers from 100 years ago, people always talked about going to mars. previous administrations have always talked about going to mars. but it was not until president obama went to the kennedy space center in florida in 2010 and gave what i consider to be a major space policy address. when he told the people of the nation and the world that he was challenging nasa and by 20,

humans to mars. it's easy to talk about it and talk about it w-- administratio have talked about moon, marks and yawn. moon, mars, and beyond. president obama is the first president who's come in and said, okay, we are going to mars. i'm saying nasa's going to do this, we're going to go an asteroid and use it as a proving ground in the vicinity of the moon. i said that, and then we'll go to mars with humans. we are so much closer than humidity has been in anybody's lifetime to be quite honest. >> what do we expect to fine there? >> we are already fining things. we've been -- finding things. we've been exploring mars for years with robotic rovers and landers and orbiters. so when we learn something about mars we learn about our own planet earth. when we start to learn about a comet or asteroid, we're learning something about the

history or legacy or the foundations of earth. we are continuing to learn about mars. the fact that it has an abundance of water. the fact that it has the basic elements necessary for human life. we now have evidence that it once probably was very much like earth to. very green and fertile. something happened in its history that made it the barren planet that it is today. we don't want to see it happen to our own planet earth. that's why we look at the environment much more to than ever before because we can see from other planets ways that we do not want -- and how does this end up here? you mentioned president obama and the speech he gave. it's all about funding and how big a party is this on capitol hill? >> if you talk to anybody on

capitol hill, any member of the house or senate who follows the space program, particularly those who work with us, they talk about humans to mars. i don't think there is very much difference of opinion. there always wye be -- if there's an issue that the congress and everyone is in agreement with, we're going to get humans to mars. there's is no difference of opinion. the president will sign if he hasn't already done it the 2015 appropriations bill. rye a continuing resolution for the whole year. and great for nasa. it says, we're okay with the budget you submit, but we're going to give more money than the president. to continue to be the world leader in aeronautics and

development of aircraft and aircraft systems. continue us to be the leader in the yield of. whether it's looking at other planets and planetary science or how did we get here and are we alone. you know, in -- in the other areas of our science mission directora directora directora directorate. >> i'm always honored to be here with you. thank you for the time. happy holidays to you. >> thank you very much, hopefully i'll have the opportunity to sit and chat with you one of these days. >> i would love it. take care of yourself. coming up, university of maryland, freeman hrabowski, in charge of the next science, technology, engineering, and math engineers. stay with us. nasa's ambition to take us to mars and beyond would never be fulfilled without a new generation of leaders in science

and technology, neeshmeteorologg and math. dr. freeman hrabowski is working to make sure that we will have that effort by recruiting and thur touring the career choices of a wide range of students, continues -- on the ten best college presidents. good to have you back. >> thank you, tavis. >> doing good? >> doing great. thank you. >> we talked to administrator bold bolden who whispered in my ear, ". >> i am always excited about the fact. i think for me, the mission to mars is a metaphor for what we have in laugh. the question is -- one of the questions we're not even asking net as we so how do we create

the scientific workhorse that will complicate inst. louisive evidence and answer that kind of question. there is the question -- how help to, how do we achieve that without a stem. s. it. it -- we are concerned about your future given how short we are falling in those areas. >> i am turned that we need to do more than ever. i'm a strong believer this taking an optimistic appro. i'm a management maetition, i yet goosebumps saying to stem. is that when -- just book.

"i can reach her, i can teach her to solve management b-- the first challenge we face as we think about helping more children to do well this science, technology, engineering, and is to teach them to be good thinker and readers. this is at the heart of what we need to do. with that, how do we give a sense of the part? how you can use math. you can be a doctor or engineer. so the idea connecting disciplines not just in s.t.e.m. but across the board is what we do. they are students who are excellent in technology and who also understand how the humanities should be playing a very person role as we work to influence what happened in stem.

not's in -- it ae'sit's -- why certain students have an aversion to or are directed away from, are scared of, you -- keep in mind that i'm the president of a group that's seen if over 250 countries. think of the race, math, science, learning. and i can unfortunately, in our country, we send the message that math and science are for a few people. we tend to think, well, if i ask an american audience, how many of you know by the time you were in the, everybody will raise their hand. how did you know that? >> yes, i did. >> who i --

>> we ten to say to a child who's not doing it well. other country say we've got to work with you more so we get high expectations, clarity of what need to be done. many more people can be -- we call the first year of science and engineering in american colleges and universities weed-out what has made my campus different and what we've worked on is to if you come here wanting to be a rarity -- we have redesigned the way we teach. the elementary school kids are running in groups. the closer they get to school, the more structured, they're at the table, by themselves, not working with other people. we have to teach children how to

work with each support in order to support each other in getting ma . >> how much of our falling behind -- my phrase, not yours -- has to do with the fact that we don't get that students learn differently. has tov1 earlier, the way we teach. >> there are so many excellent teachers in america of all races. i will tell you there's been a constant drop in minority teachers. we need to get going. we give them credit. i am talking about -- raising smart for boys or girls. we need to support families as they support teachers. it's not just what i teach you in the classroom. it's what happens after school.

it's important that we give kids much more support in their work, after school, and it's amazing that the way you realize is by -- it's what people are looking for. is's what advantage families and their kids have always gotten. the skmcommon core standard is better than what the best in that and it's kids who are bored in high school and college. for boys, who example, who don't want to sit there. we need more physicalyist. -- we need more. we need to think of ways of giving our families support so they know it what they can do to help that teach and community to

village to create more children who can -- >> with you went to the iraq. you can help your child with math. there are questions. where are the nodes you took from to? what problems do you have to have? >> tomorrow i want you to write down the question you're going ask your treep. come back, show me -- your teacher. come back, show me, help me not it. showing interest in the world make all the difference in the world. moment people have not been taught that. it's -- people love their children. the more interest they show in the work, they don't have to do the work, just showing the interest. the more they turn the tv off, selective working so they can read and study, the better they would do in school.

>> you grew up in alabama? birmingham. >> what happened? >> the community. hard-working christian people who will this is jim crowe era. >> didn't matter. the fact is in our community and people from the deep south we had no 47bs. you must be embowyered. the new book i've -- empowered. the new book i've written is on empowering youth. based on myflictions on having had the -- based having the marching and people based in jail. and how the experiences taught me that a child can be empower to be her best, his best. a child can be told no time to be a victim, let's get on it. and we have to give the child the support and a number of

challenges that doesn't see me as a child, being a child of work. >> everything you said, i was why. there's still institutional barriers. i don't argue that just because obama's president my child can do or be anything. that's -- the content is not situated proper in the context. >> i think several things. i think we should be inspired when peop-- we are proud of the president. we need to say we -- we need to not what is not right about society and work to change that. at the same time, we want to look in the mirror itself and see how we can be better. >> uh-huh. >> and somebody of saying to me a fuma few minutes ago, how do approach the children? it is so important for adults to learn how to connect to children. on my campus we have smart kids from all over, and children,

young people are all insecure, worried about their future. they want to know will i be okay. it's important that kids from other countries are told -- they can see how much we work. you get the kid from barbados, jamaica, china, india, they come over and work, work, work. some kids are given all of what they need to do what they need do. we have to find way to help all of our children have the. support that they need. unbc is some of the highest numbers. we work with first-time offenders of nice. between $8 and $13. now you don't need to. 2 hours a day/seven days a week. we make sure they're up in the

morning, bring it in at the interstate monday. my campus was at the airport. here's the point i would make to you -- when the children start, they seem mean, they seem hard, tough, because they've been through so much. the more attention we give them, the more my skptudents and the young people working with them, the more they become children again. the point i'm making is this -- we have to find ways -- for those of us who are advantaged to do far more to give support to children. even as we fight all the problems that we have in our society. in 1963, only 2% to 3% were blacks were educated. only 11% of whites. today we have much more, professionals challenges with challenges for people of all races. how do we get people connected to children who need that support? and finally for those of you who are wondering, and i wondered

that when we game heights, how did you get a designees with -- >> polish, polish. and the -- now you see why "time" magazine has him lifted as a tough for him to go to school, any school, where thr freeman hrabowski is here. >> you are run the show. >> thank you. >> that's our show. thanks for watching. as always, keep the faith. snoent auto ♪ >> for more information, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. joining me next time for a e talk about god. that's next time. see you then.

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> charlie: welcome to the program. we begin in evening with president obama's final press conference in 2014. >> we are better positioned than we have been in a very long time, and the future is ready to be written. we've set the stage for this american moment, and i'm going to spend every minute of my last two years making sure that we seize it. >> charlie: we continue this evening with joel klein, former chancellor of the new york city school system, who's written a book called "lessons of hope: how to fix our schools." >> if you give people choice, two things follow -- parents get more involved in their kids' education and, second of all, you begin to create a competitive environment. that's why the 650 schools mayor bloomberg opened were so critical. they were all schools of choice. people had to choose them. nobody had to go there, and