UAA offers FREE 'Curiosity Landing Party' in CPISB Aug. 5

Sunday, Aug. 5, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
CPISB, first floor lecture hall, Room 120

On Sunday, Aug. 5 at 9:31 pm AKDT, NASA's new rover "Curiosity" will conclude an eight month journey to Mars in dramatic fashion. During seven terrifying minutes, the spacecraft will use aeroshells, parachutes, hydrazine rockets and finally a tethered sky-crane technique to decelerate from 13,000 mph at the top of the atmosphere to a gentle touch-down on the surface. And, given a 14-minute signal delay from Mars, by the time we on Earth hear that atmostpheric entry has begun, the rover will have already been on the ground for seven minutes!

Come join us in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building (CPISB) first floor lecture hall, Room 120, from 7:30-10:30 p.m. on Sunday night. We'll be projecting the NASA TV broadcast up onto the big screens, allowing you to enjoy the excitement of the next Mars rover landing in a communal environment. Seating at this event will be first-come, first-served, but you can come and go as you please as long as there are available seats.

Please note that this webcast-viewing event is NOT being held in the planetarium theater, and it will NOT feature a live speaker. A separate presentation WILL be taking place in the planetarium that evening, but the limited seating for that presentation is being made available exclusively to our current planetarium members by invitation only.  The free public event advertised here will take place entirely in the first floor lecture hall, and will consist entirely of the NASA TV broadcast of the rover landing.