Going to the Stars – Jan 9

The stars beckon. Alas, interstellar distances are fantastically challenging. (A lightbeam needs 1/7th of a second to go around the world, but over 4 years to reach our Sun’s nearest-neighbor star, Proxima Centauri.) Determined explorers at Breakthrough Starshot are developing miniature robot space probes — to be accelerated by laser light from Earth — whose cameras can reach Proxima Centauri in just 20 years! Among the wonders to be explored are Proxima’s three known planets, including Proxima b, which orbits in this red dwarf star’s “habitable zone.”

Our speaker, Dr. S. Pete Worden, is Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the Breakthrough Initiatives (of which Breakthrough StarShot is one program). Formerly, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA Ames Research Center.

Please REGISTER now.

 


Dr. Pete Worden

WHAT: Going to the Stars — Breakthrough Initiatives
WHO: Dr. Pete Worden, Executive Director, Breakthrough Starshot [https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/3]
WHERE: Castro Valley Library, 3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley, CA 94546
WHEN: 2023-01-09 — 7:00pm, Mon, January 9 (1.5 hr)
HOW:

This COVID-cautious FREE event will take place in the spacious Castro Valley Library. For your own COVID safety — and that of others — please consider wearing a protective mask.


Collaborators:
Castro Valley Education Foundation [https://www.cvef.org]
Castro Valley Science [https://cvscience.us]
REGISTER: Please register to help us understand our audience, and we will notifiy you when the event draws near.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/going-to-the-stars-the-first-mission-to-proxima-centauri-science-talk-tickets-483854280177?aff=wf