Join us for a discussion on 'The Gravity of Us' by Phil Stamper and the advancements and intricacies of 'Space' travel and research.
Join us on 4th October from 17.00-18.30 in the Town House Courtyard for an exceptional event.
Our final talk in the 2022 KU Big Read Book Club offers a fascinating opportunity to explore space – both what we can now see and know is there, and the business opportunities likely to open to us in future.
Dr. Neill Reid, will join us in person, over from Baltimore US. Associate Director for Science at the Space Telescope Science Institute, The Science Operations Center for the Hubble Space Telescope, The James Webb Space Telescope and the future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, his unique access to the James Webb telescope, enables us all to share the latest images of space, from space.
Dr. Pauline Parker, Director of KU’s MBA and Executive Education Portfolio, and currently working with colleagues in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment around business and space, will consider likely future advancements in business and its relationship with space. How the world can, should – and if so how – benefit from the new scientific advances and resulting understanding.
The link is our 2022 KU Big Read book, The Gravity of Us, by KU alumnus Phil Stamper. The book features Cal, whose dad has just been selected by NASA to become an astronaut on an expedition to Mars. This is a hugely prestigious status, but also impacts significantly on the future lives of his wife and son – and their relationships.
We will be considering:
- What do the vistas we can now see in space tell us about the age of the universe – and whether other universes exist? How much more is there still to know about space?
- Why is space so uniformly fascinating, whether or not you understand science?
- Who owns space? And who is best placed to benefit from the commercial opportunities opened up by these new frontiers?
- How can we best convey our sense of wonder at what we are seeing?
‘Space hooked me in many ways – beauty, scale, observing, access, and structure, with the aesthetic pleasure of viewing the night sky, whether that’s from your back garden or via Hubble. Then there’s the distance and scale of what we’re viewing. Planning and making observations is satisfying and fun, whether trying to catch a stellar occultation with my backyard telescope or using the 200-inch version on Palomar.' Dr. Neill Reid, 2022
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