March 2: To the Moon on a Budget

On Friday, March 2nd Columbia Professor Arlin Crotts discussed the history and status of the exploration of the moon. Starting with robotic and manned missions in the 1960's, Prof. Crotts explained how America's space program was a symbol of national pride and a major "battlefield" in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In the 1970's and 1980's, after the Apollo program was shutdown, there was a long lull in lunar exploration, leading to major scientific questions, which are only beginning to be answered now due to a resurgence over the last decade in the number of robotic missions to the Moon. Prof. Crotts proceeded to give the current status of NASA's investment into lunar science, as well as the status of some private ventures to send robotic missions to reach the Moon. The talk concluded with some of the ideas from Prof. Crotts's upcoming book on lunar exploration, about how future lunar missions may not only be scientifically beneficial but also profitable.

The lecture was followed by some excellent questions from the 85 attendees, especially by several keen younger audience members. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit observing with our telescopes, but we gave tours of our Rutherford Observatory, showed 3D movies with our 3D projector, and showed Cosmic Collisions, an astronomical movie put together by the American Museum of Natural History.

--Jeff