Retire physics professor, Mike Stafford, returns to the observatory to deliver his talk, "The Future of Space Flight." Stafford will embark on his cosmic journey with a brief introduction to the history of space flight. He'll then bring us up to speed with current and proposed space missions to bodies within our solar system, using technology of the next few decades. He will then expand his talk to interstellar travel, discussing how we might achieve it. This part of the talk will become highly speculative.
As is Stafford's custom, his narrative will be interwoven with accessible physics instruction, illuminating the fundamental principles of space flight. All of it will be rendered digestible and fascinating, leaving the audience intellectually enriched and utterly pain-free, with not a single mathematical equation in sight.
Mike Stafford initially taught at Penn State Behrend and later spent 37 years as an adjunct instructor of physics at Gannon University. His passion lies in classical mechanics—the branch of physics dealing with forces and motion, essentially the stuff that explains how everything moves. Beyond the classroom, Mike is also an accomplished aviator, holding licenses as a single- and multi-engine land airplane pilot. And if that's not adventurous enough, he's a licensed parachute rigger and an expert skydiver with an incredible 3,700 jumps under his belt! He's even been known to joke that he is "able to speak on any subject, sometimes coherently," which also tells you he has a great sense of humor.
This presentation will be live at Martz-Kohl Observatory and available online via Zoom. You are encouraged to come to the observatory to meet Mike and the astronomy team at MKO. We’ll have Q&As after his talk and then provide tours. Dress like you’re outside because the domes aren’t climate-controlled. If the weather cooperates, we’ll have public viewing through the observatory's large telescopes. For more info:
https://martzobservatory.org.
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