Playback from Pluto: Recent News from NASA’s New Horizon Spacecraft at Geek Bar Chicago’s SCIENCE! Tuesday

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.

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.

Details: Tuesday, January 19, 7 pm to 9 pm, Geek Bar Beta, 1941 W. North Ave., Chicago. Free.

Registration is strongly encouraged. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/c2st-speakeasy-with-william-s-higgins-tickets-19999379683 Registration does not ensure a seat, so please arrive early.

Great food and drink available for purchase. Geek Bar Beta is open to all, including those 21-and-under, if accompanied by an adult, until 9 pm, and later if a special event such as this runs later.

Please refer to Geek Bar’s age policy for details.

This program is presented in partnership with Geek Bar Beta Chicago.

For more information, contact Andrea Poet at apoet@c2st.org or 312-567-5795.

About C2ST: Chicago Council on Science and Technology is a not-for-profit organization that brings researchers and scientists out of the lab, directly to you. We work with national laboratories, leading academic institutions and museums to educate the public on issues of critical scientific importance. In an age when barely one in four voting adults meet a basic level of scientific literacy, we aim to reignite an excitement and passion for science and technology, and remind Chicagoans of the quality and quantity of R&D that takes place in their backyard.