On the Shoulders of Giants
Activities and Events
Jan. 24, 5:30 p.m., exhibit opening and debut of WEIU documentary, “To the Moon and Back: An Oral History of the Lunar Landing,” a one-hour oral history on the lunar landing that took place on July 20, 1969; West Reading Room, Booth Library.
Feb. 5, 8 p.m., WEIU-TV airs “To the Moon and Back: An Oral History of the Lunar Landing” documentary.
Feb. 15, 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. (two sessions), “Biological Effects on the Human Body During Spaceflight,” presented by James “Joel” Knapper, NASA Solar System Ambassador, sponsored by EIU Department of Biological Sciences; Room 3080 of Life Sciences Building.
Sending astronauts to explore the solar system has been a topic of science fiction writers for over a century. Fifty years ago, mankind took the first small step in the exploration of another world when Neil Armstrong explored the surface of the Moon. Today, mankind is poised to venture further into deep space with the goal of exploring Mars. There are many technological challenges to travelling the 140 million miles to Mars; however, perhaps the largest obstacles to overcome are the biological challenges to the human body. NASA Solar System Ambassador James Joel Knapper will be presenting an overview of these biological hurdles as well as our current human Mars exploration plans.
A dedicated and active NASA Solar System Ambassador, James “Joel” Knapper has been hooked on NASA and space exploration since grade school. James earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in English Education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. James is an officer of his local amateur astronomy group, the Kankakee Area Stargazers, where he presents monthly updates on NASA programs. He also hosts many other NASA events in the Chicago area. Joel, his wife Dawn and his three children live in Bourbonnais, IL.
Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m., “Baby Steps to the Moon,” presented by Steve Daniels, chairman, Department of Physics, Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library.
On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped off of the Lunar Module and onto the surface of the Moon saying “One small step for a man”. That was during the Apollo 11 mission. But many small steps occurred during the previous Apollo missions to get to that point. I will discuss the Apollo program and the many steps that had never been taken before as we reached for our goal. Each of these steps were necessary preparation for Mr. Armstrong’s grand finale.
Feb. 21, 7 p.m., “Hidden Figures” film screening, co-sponsored by EIU iSTEM group; West Reading Room, Booth Library.
Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m., “Orion: Back to the Moon and Beyond,” presented by Ann Over, 35-year veteran of NASA, deputy manager of European Space Agency Service Module for the Orion Project at NASA Glenn Research Center; Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library.
Over will discuss the Orion Program, as well as some details on the other NASA sponsored activities like the Dragon crewed flights. In general, a significant difference regarding the future of the moon missions today is the great interest beyond NASA. Critical investments from international and commercial partners are a tipping point for sustainable exploration.
March 3, 4 p.m., “One Giant Leap: A Musical Celebration for the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing,” presented by the Eastern Symphonic Band and Concert Band, Dvorak Concert Hall, Doudna Fine Arts Center, $6/$6/$5.
March 21, 3:30 p.m., “How to Find Killer Asteroids,” presented by Tyler Linder, astronomer at Linder Research and Development, Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library.
Protecting the Earth and Moon from asteroids and comets is critical to the survival of mankind. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) has been tasked with this job. The Astronomical Research Institute (ARI) which is partnered with EIU is funded by NASA's PDCO to operate seven telescopes in two hemispheres to build and refine orbits of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) to assists NASA's goal to identify and track 90% of all NEAs larger than 100m. Mr. Linder will discuss ARI's role and responsibilities to protect mankind.
March 27, 2 p.m., “Celestial Suite,” presented by EIU Faculty Brass Quintet, Booth Library Atrium.
The Celestial Suite reflects upon and comments on the relationship between astronomy and sacred music. It is a piece in five movements, with each movement highlighting one of five astronomers/physicists, and each being represented by a member of the brass quintet:
Copernicus – Trumpet (Dr. Jenny Brown, Assistant Professor of Trumpet)
Galileo – French Horn (Dr. Jessica Pearce, Adjunct Professor of Horn)
Newton – Tuba (Dr. Evan Kelsick, Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium)
Hubble – Trombone (Dr. Will Porter, Instructor of Trombone)
Hawking – Trumpet (Keven Lewis, Invited Guest Artist)
Each movement relates, for the most part, to the sacred music of the individual’s time period in history. For the most part, this collection of individuals is more a look back at the history of space exploration. However, the final movement does leave us pondering the question of how and why we are here, which ends the piece in the present and looking toward the future.
In between each movement, the performer who is about to be featured will introduce their movement by speaking about the astronomer/physicist represented, sacred music of that time, and how this is explored in the music.
POSTPONED, date and location TBA, Model Rocketry Day, sponsored by School of Technology.
