Event: Astronaut Panel: Human vs. robotic exploration
Date / Time: Tuesday, July 5, 2005 7:30 p.m.
Location: Woodward Instructional Resource Centre, Lecture Theatre 2, 2194 Health Sciences Mall, UBC
Map & Parking: Nearest parking at Health Science Parkade, for map visit www.maps.ubc.ca
Web site: www.isu2005.ubc.ca
VANCOUVER — Five astronauts from around the world — with a total flight time of more than 490 days — will meet at UBC for a rare free public panel discussion on robotic vs. human space exploration, as part of International Space University’s (ISU) Summer Session Program.
Moderated by ISU dean Walter Peeters, the five astronauts — Russia’s Valery Korzun, Japan’s Chiaki Mukai, Canada’s Robert Thirsk, Jeffrey Hoffman of the USA and Reinhold Ewald from Europe — will provide insight into the pros and cons of human and robotic exploration based on their first-hand experience. Attendees will also have an opportunity to pose questions directly to the panelists.
“The panel discussion presents an unprecedented opportunity for the general public to access an enormous amount of space flight experience,” says Peeters. “For anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut, this is an event that cannot be missed.”
Born and raised in New Wesminster, B.C., Bob Thirsk , from the Canadian Space Agency, spent 17 days aboard space shuttle Columbia to investigate changes in plants, animals and humans under spaceflight conditions.
Valery Korzun , from ZPK Russia, spent a total of 382 days during two spaceflight missions, and ranks 17th among astronauts who have logged the most time in space.
Chiaki Mukai , from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), spent 23 days in space. She is the first Japanese woman to fly in space and the first Japanese astronaut to fly in space twice.
Former NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman became the first astronaut in the world to log 1,000 hours in space in 1993. He also helped repair the Hubble Telescope in the same year.
Reinhold Ewald , from the European Space Agency, spent 18 days on board the Mir Space Station in 1993 and carried out operational tests for the International Space Station.
NB: For more information, visit www.isu2005.ubc.ca. UBC Public Affairs’ radio and television studios are available to members of the media. Please contact Brian Lin for details.
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