I’m very much looking forward to being part of this panel discussion on Friday–with cosmonaut Aleksandr Lazutkin and the impressive philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs. I believe there are still tickets available if you care to join! The ‘Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age’ exhibition itself is also meant to be stunning (I’m going on Thursday) and there are a host of other events as well, so do look at the full website for details.
From the Science Museum website on “Are We Destined to Live in Space”:
Friday 13 November
IMAX Theatre, 19.30-20.30
The cultural roots of the Russian space programme were in cosmological and mystical thinking, and in the belief that humanity’s destiny was to colonise the cosmos.
In our own era, the motivations of nations and private companies to initiate and maintain space projects are just as varied and complex.
Geopolitical positioning and colonisation, the search for extra-terrestrial life, the pursuit of materials for mining, the desire for scientific knowledge and the simple, primal urge to satisfy human desire are all incentives to travel beyond Earth’s boundaries.
Join us for a philosophical discussion about the past, present and future of our drive to explore the cosmos, that addresses the question of whether we really are destined to live in space.
Participants include Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Lazutkin, who spent 184 days on the Mir space station, during which he experienced a collision, a power cut and a fire.
He will be joined by space law and colonisation expert Dr Jill Stuart, philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs and moderator Doug Millard, the Senior Curator of Cosmonauts.
Tickets
£26 (talk + Cosmonauts exhibition ticket at discounted price of £11)
£15 (talk only)
Further information
- The Cosmonauts exhibition has limited capacity, so if you’d like to see it on the evening of your talk you will need to book a timed slot.
- If you don’t pre-book an exhibition ticket, you may need to queue for the next available slot and won’t be eligible for the discount.
- Please allow at least 10 minutes to walk from the exhibition to the IMAX Theatre.
- The Science Museum is open until 22.00 on Fridays. Last entry to the Cosmonauts exhibition on Fridays is 20.45.
