Astronomy on tap: Next generation space exploring (online from Leiden, in English)

The Leiden branch of Astronomy on Tap is back online for a series of exciting talks about the next generation space exploration featuring spaceEU. The informal evening with astronomy, fun games, and a chance to win cool prizes starts at 8:00 pm on Monday 26 October.

This event will feature four small talks about various aspects of space exploration as well as some exciting games. Read the information about the speakers and their talks below the embedded YouTube frame.

Bethany Downer: "Astronauts: The Next Generation"

Bethany works in the domains of outreach and public engagement for the space industry in various roles for multiple organizations and agencies around the world. She serves as the Chief Communications Officer for the Hubble Space Telescope for the European Space Agency, Communications Coordinator for the annual International Day of Light, Project Coordinator for the Space Scoop initiative, amongst others. Her goal is to make space, particularly astronomy, more accessible to the general public. She is also the first scientist-astronaut candidate from Atlantic Canada and hopes to complete her first suborbital spaceflight within the next decade. In her talk, Bethany will give a short discussion of how the term "astronaut" has evolved since its conception, and how the next generation of astronauts will be characterized. Can everyone go to space?

Shahrzad Timman: "Human & robot interactions for space exploration"

Shahrzad is a Dutch Aerospace Engineer with a passion for human spaceflight. The movie Apollo 13 inspired her for spaceflight at a young age. She studies at Delft University of Technology and started working at the European Space Agency as an intern. After her Master's degree, she did her Ph.D. in human-robot interaction at ISAE SUPAERO in Toulouse and worked on the problem of time-delay in tele-operations.

Zsolt Keszthelyi: "Revealing the secrets of stars"

Zsolt is a postdoctoral fellow at the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on several aspects regarding the structure and evolution of massive stars. In particular, he computes and analyses stellar evolution models, using the MESA and Geneva stellar evolution codes. In his talk, Zsolt will tell us about upcoming instruments and the prospects of gravitational-wave measurements, seismology, and magnetometry.

Guillem Anglada: "Why do we need sustainable off-world cities?"

Guillem Anglada-Escudé is an astrophysicist mostly known for his work on extrasolar planet detection. He was the leader of the team that reported the discovery of Proxima b, the nearest exoplanet to the Earth. He has a background in physics and space sciences; and he is interested in developing a space-based economy that allows long term sustainable operations and science from space. In this sense, he is the founder of the Sustainable Offworld Network, which is a multidisciplinary group of academics and professionals from different sectors thinking and planning on how to start an economy beyond Earth. He is currently a Ramon y Cajal Research fellow at the Institute for Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain. In his talk, Guillem will introduce the SONet/Nüwa concept for a sustainable city on Mars.

About spaceEU
SpaceEU (www.space-eu.org) coordinated by Leiden University encourages young people to choose careers in science and technology on the one hand and stimulates a sense of European and global citizenship on the other. An exhibition and a wide range of engagement programmes use the excitement of space and the beauty of the Earth in order to convey these stories. spaceEU's main target audience are youth and families with a specific focus on girls and youth from underprivileged communities as well as professional stakeholders. It is funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement No. 821832.