INSPIRING THE MARS GENERATION

Friday, May 14, 2021 at 7 p.m.
via ZOOM
“Doors open” at 6:30 p.m.

Cochrane Ideas Group will gather this May for our second ever Zoom gathering:
Zoom link: expired

At our next gathering of the Cochrane Ideas Group, popular “CBC Starman” Don Hladiuk will take us on a journey to Mars! In addition to being Calgary’s eye on astronomy and space science news, Don has a passion for encouraging students to consider a career in the space sciences, careers such as engineering, planetary geology, exo-biology, physics, computer programming, PR, space chemistry, construction and so much more!

DON’S PRESENTATION:

There is a child in school today who will become the first astronaut to land and walk on the Red Planet. To inspire and prepare this “Mars Generation” for the challenges of space exploration, Don has been running a Mars landing activity.

In his presentation, Don will share some of the latest exciting news and discoveries from robotic explorers currently on the Red Planet. After the Mars exploration update, Don will describe the Mars simulation activity he has developed and discuss how it all started and evolved into the popular Mars Day experience. If time permits, he will also mention a few upcoming events to watch for in our Night Sky in the months ahead.

Don’s presentation will be followed by a Q & A session with Ideas participants.

OUR SPEAKER:

Don Hladiuk has been interested in astronomy and spaceflight for as long as he can remember. He has twice been President of the Calgary chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). Since 1984, Don can be heard on the CBC morning show, the Calgary EyeOpener, where he shares his passion for space exploration.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Don was one of the enrichment lecturers for Road Scholar’s “Astronomy Above the Arctic Circle” program. He has also been a leader on several solar eclipse tours all over the globe and has seen 15 Total Solar Eclipses, three annular eclipses and two rare Venus Transits. Don is an active volunteer with several organizations and even has asteroid 73704 named after him for his many years of community service!

In November 2020 Don was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.