C2ST Speakeasy: “Playback from Pluto: Recent News from NASA’s New Horizon Spacecraft” with William S. Higgins

January 19, 2016

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Program Series:
Physical Science

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There’s a treasure at the edge of the Solar System. It’s a data recorder, aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, slowly sending to Earth several gigabytes acquired during last summer’s flyby of Pluto.  That information is still coming down.  At the mission’s home base in Maryland, William S. Higgins witnessed the excitement during the encounter.  Now he reviews results, downlinked in recent months, that are illuminating the mysteries of Pluto, its five moons, and its neighborhood.

Event Details

C2ST Speakeasy is held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Attendance is free, but registration is strongly encouraged. To register, click HERE or on the “Get Tickets” button below. Seating is first come, first serve, and registration does not guarantee a seat.

People under 21 are welcome at Geek Bar until 9:00pm. (See Geek Bar’s age policy)

Food and beverages are available for purchase. (See menu)

Featured Guests

William S. Higgins

William S. Higgins, a volunteer speaker in NASA’s Solar System Ambassador program, speaks and writes about spaceflight, astronomy, and other topics in science and technology.  He works as a radiation safety physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where he is involved in the transport of high-energy particle beams.  He plays baritone ukulele, if not skillfully, then with enthusiasm. Long active in Chicago’s science fiction fandom, he researches the history of SF, and often contributes science to SF convention programs.  In the past he wrote a monthly science column for the Lerner newspaper chain; today, he writes for the Vatican Observatory Foundation’s blog.