7 PM at the Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, Colorado
A special presentation by Dr. Alan Stern, American engineer and planetary scientist. He is the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto.
During the Titan submersible’s last successful dive to the Titanic in July 2022, mission leader Alan Stern, the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and three NASA mission specialists collected water samples and photographed the sea life, and the Titanic itself. They brought back mud and water samples from the bottom, including the metal content of what’s coming off the Titanic as it degrades. In June 2023, Explorers Club members British explorer Hamish Harding, 58, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, a French deep sea explorer and Titanic expert, both perished aboard the Titan along with three others: OceanGate co-founder and CEO Stockton Rush, 61, and Pakistani business executive Shahzara Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19.
Commercial submersibles are now carrying scientists and explorers to the deepest points in all five oceans. On the whole, it’s getting cheaper, safer, and more available. Such exploration certainly offers thrills, but its basic aim is to advance humankind through meaningful science. Still, is it worth the risk? What have we learned since the Titan disaster? The one-hour talk, moderated by Explorers Club chapter chairman Jeff Blumenfeld, editor of ExpeditionNews.com, will be followed by a Q&A session. Dr. Stern will be showing stirring images of both vessels – the ill-fated Titan and Titanic. Dr. Stern will also talk about his planned trip to space on Virgin Galactic as a research astronaut.
Admission: $10 (plus online service fees), Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Open to the public. Seating is limited. Advance purchase of tickets is recommended. Use this link: https://thedairy.org/explorersclub
Proceeds to benefit the Rocky Mountain chapter’s continued efforts to promote exploration on air, sea, space, and land. Please spread the word.