Please Note: This program has a rescheduled date (originally November 9, 2022).
Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. NASA aims to build a habitable orbiting space station to coordinate lunar development and exploration, while European and Chinese space agencies are planning lunar villages and the mining of precious resources dwindling here on Earth. Powerful international and commercial interests are driving the race to revisit the Moon, but lunar infrastructures could also open breathtaking vistas onto the cosmos.
In a program in which he lays out a vision for the next 50 years, astrophysicist Joseph Silk stresses the importance of putting scientific discovery at the forefront of lunar exploration. Colonization of the Moon could usher in a thrilling new age of scientific research. With lunar telescopes of unprecedented size situated in permanently dark polar craters and on the far side of the Moon, we could finally be poised to answer some of the most profound questions confronting humankind, including whether we are alone in the Universe and what our cosmic origins are.
Addressing both the daunting challenges and the immense promise of lunar exploration and exploitation, Silk discusses how prioritizing science, and in particular lunar astronomy, will enable us to address the deepest cosmic mysteries and offers opportunities beyond our wildest imaginings.
Silk’s book Back to the Moon: The Next Giant Leap for Humankind (Princeton Press) is available for purchase.
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Patron Information
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
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- View Common FAQs about our online programs presented on Zoom.
