Seriously, go meet an astronaut. They are insanely  interesting people. They have insanely interesting anecdotes because the ordinary things we do, like sneeze, is completely different in space. This event is pricey though. the lineup is deep and it’s all day long. I love how one of these guys is responsible for my NASA image of the day widget. Thank you kind sir.

Explorers’ Club Series: Space Stories

On Saturday, May 2nd 2009, the Explorers Club is holding a day-long series of presentations called Space Stories. This Explorers Club-sponsored event will concentrate on areas spanning from traditional space and aeronautical disciplines to emerging fields in space exploration.
The day starts with a continental breakfast and coffee followed by a series of six 45-minute, individual presentations by various speakers. There is a break for a casual lunch served at noon and a cocktail party beginning at five o’clock. Just prior to the cocktail party, each speaker will be presented with a certificate of recognition from a senior member of the Explorers Club. Also, the cocktail party provides a fun opportunity for speakers to connect with the attendees and with peers.

The speakers include:

Dr. Steve Squyres.  Dr. Squyres is the enthusiastic “human” face behind NASA’s latest robotic mission. As principal investigator, Dr. Squyres will be discussing his involvement in one of NASA’s most successful efforts – the “Mars Exploration Rover Project.” Dr. Squyres will discuss his responsibility for the scientific activities of twin robots Opportunity and Spirit as well as future projects;

Astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao.  A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Chiao flew as Mission Specialist on STS-65, STS-72 and STS-92, and was Commander and Science Officer on Expedition-10. Dr. Chiao has logged a total of 229 days, 7 hours – including 36 hours and 7 minutes of EVA time in six space walks. He is the recipient of four NASA Space Flight Medals and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal;

Space Participant Dr. Gregory Olsen. Dr. Olsen was the third private citizen to orbit the earth on the International Space Station (ISS). After training for five months at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow, Dr. Olsen launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket TMA-7 on October 1st 2005. He then docked to the ISS on October 3rd and returned to earth on Soyuz TMA-6 on October 11th . He performed more than 150 orbits of the earth and logged 4 million miles of weightless travel during his 10 days in space;

Craig Covault. The “Dean of Space Journalism” will be speaking on his nearly 37 years with Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine as well as his coverage of the world’s space programs including Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle and the International Space Station;

Dr. Thomas King. As President of the “International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery,” the world’s leading aviation archaeological foundation, Dr. King will talk about his organization’s efforts to find, save, and preserve rare and historic aircraft;

Jim Clash. Jim Clash, a 16-year veteran of Forbes Magazine, has been described as a “more extreme version of George Plimpton.” Jim will share with us his MiG-25 “edge of space” experience as well as his Zero-G flight. He will also discuss his book “To the Limits,” and his interviews with Buzz Aldrin, Bill Anders, Neil Armstrong, Brian Binnie, Steve Fossett, Joe Kittinger, Kathy Sullivan and Chuck Yeager. Jim writes The Explorers Journal “What Were They Thinking?” column;

Dr. Jerry Bonnell.  Dr. Bonnell is a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and co-creator of Astronomy Picture of the Day  (APOD), a website so popular that it draws well over one million hits each week. Pictures produced by earthbound and space telescopes and planet-roving satellites have captivated a vast audience and Dr. Bonnell will be sharing his favorites with us. Dr. Bonnell is coauthor of The Universe: 365 Days and will be doing a book signing for those in attendance.

Ticket sales are $55 for adults, $25 for students. This event is strictly run on a break-even basis and there is no profit-taking nor are speakers compensated.

For more than a century, members of the Club have traversed the earth, the seas, the skies, and even the moon, on expeditions of exploration. They were first to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon – all accomplished by our members. The Club counts among its members the giants of twentieth century air and space exploration; its present and future members are poised to leave humankind a similar legacy of discovery and achievement in the twenty-first century.