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The Future of Planetary Exploration
Dr. Heidi B. Hammel, longtime Ridgefielder, planetary scientist and science educator extraordinaire, is sadly saying her goodbyes to Ridgefield as she moves to Washington, DC to become the Executive Vice President of AURA, Inc., a consortium of educational and non-profit institutions that operates world-class astronomical observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory.
As her final farewell she will give local enthusiasts the “inside scoop” on The Future of Planetary Exploration, with a visually stunning presentation at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m., as a benefit for the Campaign for the New Ridgefield Library. "My interactions with the Ridgefield Library -- as a presenter, a patron, and a mom of three kids who love to read -- have all been terrific. I strongly believe a library is the intellectual heart of a community, and I'm proud to be a supporter of the new library initiative," said Ms. Hammel.
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The National Academy of Sciences has just released its blueprint for the future of planetary exploration. "Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022" lays out an exciting suite of interplanetary missions, spanning the Solar System from Mars to Uranus. Dr. Hammel led the "Giant Planets" science panel for this hot-off-the-press study, so she will be able to give an expert’s perspective on what we know about planets today, and what we hope to learn in the decade to come.
Dr. Hammel was a member of the Imaging Science Team during the Voyager 2 encounter with Neptune in 1989. For the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in July 1994, she led the Hubble Space Telescope team that investigated Jupiter's atmospheric response to the collisions; in 2009, she was also the first science user of the refurbished Hubble to again image Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision.
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Dr. Hammel has won many national and international awards for her work and for her educational outreach. On a more local scale she was awarded the Ridgefield Library’s 2010 Paccadolmi Award. She was also the driving force behind the town wide celebration in 2009 of the International Year of Astronomy and she has been a popular fixture in Ridgefield classrooms for years. Don’t miss this one last opportunity for your whole family to be informed and inspired by this extraordinary woman.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. The program is suitable for everyone ages 8 and up! An intriguing selection of astronomy themed raffle prizes will also be available at the event and copies of Heidi’s biography “Beyond Jupiter” will be for sale thanks to Books on the Common. VIP tickets at $50 per person also include a “meet and greet” reception with Dr. Hammel at the Library following the program.
To purchase tickets and to find out more information visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282 x 1022. Purchase tickets online.
