NASA/JPL-Caltech
ASDC has been organising regular online Space Community Calls over the last two years, bringing together space and astronomy public engagement colleagues to explore the latest space news and share ideas on engaging audiences on the most relevant space topics. The upcoming call on 25th March will be the last of these meetings under the UK Space Agency funding.
These community calls are open to all space engagement practitioners, so please share the details with your networks:
Join us for the final Space Community Call on 25th March at 12pm-1.30pm
This call will focus on bringing the community back together one last time, to reflect on what we have shared and to look ahead across the coming year for key points for public engagement with Space and possibilities for collaboration.
We welcome expert speakers who will share their insights and updates, followed by Q&A to give you the opportunity to tap into their wealth of knowledge and uncover those new and exciting 'best bits' that engage your audiences.
We are delighted to announce that we will be joined by Professor Lewis Dartnell, research scientist, presenter, author and professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster. Lewis will be delivering a keynote on searching for life beyond the Earth, delving into the field of astrobiology, looking at exoplanets and missions such as Europa Clipper and what they might discover.
The call will also include sharing hands-on engagement ideas and demonstrations from across the network.
Lewis Dartnell
'Astrobiology' is a brand new field of science, encompassing research into the origins and limits of life on our own planet, and where life might exist beyond the Earth. But what actually is 'life' and how did it emerge on our own world? What are the most extreme conditions terrestrial life can tolerate? And what would an alien actually look like - how realistic are the life-forms envisaged by science fiction novels and films over the years? Join Prof. Lewis Dartnell on a tour of the other planets and moons in our solar system which may harbour life, and even further afield to alien worlds orbiting distant stars, to explore one of the greatest questions ever asked: are we alone...?
Prof. Lewis Dartnell is based at the University of Westminster, studying how life, and signs of its existence, might survive the intense cosmic radiation on the surface of Mars. Alongside his astrobiology research he writes regular science articles in newspapers and magazines, and has appeared in TV shows such as Horizon, BBC Stargazing Live, and Wonders of the Universe. He has published five popular science books, including 'Life in the Universe: A Beginner’s Guide'. Two of his previous books, ‘The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch’ and 'Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History' were Sunday Times Books of the Year.
As part of this session there is also the opportunity to share engaging space demos relating to the topics covered and to discuss upcoming events and initiatives relevant to our space engagement community in 2025.
Please get in touch if you have a demo that links to astrobiology, exoplanets or an upcoming space mission, that you would like to share with the community.