Presentation on March 7, 8:00pm PST
in the CSM Planetarium
Speaker: Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist
SETI Institute, Mars Institute, and
NASA Ames Research Center
The Moon & Mars: Amazing Places for Humans to Soon Explore
Free and open to the public. Free Parking in nearby lots.
The Moon and Mars are humanity’s destinations in space this century. Why and how will we explore these worlds? When will we go? Where will we land, what will we see, and what will we do? And who will go?
Dr. Pascal Lee is a leading planetary scientist working on planning the future human exploration of the Moon and Mars. He will guide us through current and emerging new plans to return to the Moon and journey on to Mars, the challenges we face, the wonderful opportunities ahead, and the amazing places humans will soon explore.
Dr. Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist affiliated with the SETI Institute, the Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. He also holds the position of professor of planetary sciences at Kepler Space University.
Dr. Lee earned an M.E. in geology from the University of Paris-Sorbonne and an M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy and space sciences from Cornell University, where he served as Carl Sagan’s last teaching assistant. His research focuses on the Moon and Mars, with a particular emphasis on planning future human exploration of these celestial bodies. Earlier this year, he made a significant announcement about the discovery of an ancient giant volcano on Mars, known as Noctis Volcano, which generated worldwide excitement.
Dr. Lee has led over 30 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica to study Mars through Earth-based analogs. He spent 402 days wintering over at an Antarctic base and also led the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition, an epic rover drive across the Arctic along the fabled Northwest Passage.
Dr. Lee is currently a member of the U.S. National Academies’ steering committee on “A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars.” He is the recipient of several honors, including the United States Antarctica Service Medal, the National Space Society Space Pioneer Award for Science and Engineering, the Space Frontier Foundation’s Vision to Reality Award, and the Sagan Prize for the Popularization of Science.
Pascal Lee enjoys flying and painting (but not at the same time). He is an FAA-certified helicopter commercial pilot and flight instructor, and an artist member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA). He lives in Santa Clara, CA, where he is walked daily by his Australian Cattle Dog, King Kong, son of Ping Pong.