Out There

Thursday

February 21

7 PM

Michael Wall

Out There

A Scientific Guide To Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious)

Shout out to the cosmically curious!  Space.com’s Mike Wall is here for you.  In his new book, Wall explores the cutting edge of science.  Topics like extraterrestrial life, time travel, and space colonization might seem like the stuff of science fiction, but scientists are actively researching these areas and many, many more covered in Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious).  Wall traverses a lot of territory via an accessible Q & A format, and isn’t afraid to have fun with his subject matter.  Learning should be fun, so please come join Mike Wall for what should be an educational and entertaining exploration of what’s Out There.

We've all asked ourselves the question. It's impossible to look up at the stars and NOT think about it: Are we alone in the universe? Books, movies and television shows proliferate that attempt to answer this question and explore it. In OUT THERE Space.com senior writer Dr. Michael Wall treats that question as merely the beginning, touching off a wild ride of exploration into the final frontier. He considers, for instance, the myriad of questions that would arise once we do discover life beyond Earth (an eventuality which, top NASA officials told Wall, is only drawing closer). 

• What would the first aliens we meet look like?
• Would they be little green men or mere microbes?
• Would they be found on a planet in our own solar system or orbiting a star far, far away?
• Would they intend to harm us, and if so, how might they do it?
• And might they already have visited?

OUT THERE is arranged in a simple question-and-answer format. The answers are delivered in Dr. Wall's informal but informative style, which mixes in a healthy dose of humor and pop culture to make big ideas easier to swallow. Dr. Wall covers questions far beyond alien life, venturing into astronomy, physics, and the practical realities of what long-term life might be like for we mere humans in outer space, such as the idea of lunar colonies, and even economic implications. Dr. Wall also shares the insights of some of the leading lights in space exploration today, and shows how the next space age might be brighter than ever.

______________