Exploring Asteroid Worlds: Danger and Intrigue

I wasn't allowed to watch Star Trek when I was kid. I can "find something better to watch" my dad would say. Still, I was fascinated by space exploration, the planets, and far away galaxies. At one point while charting my career path - at age 7 or 8 - I even thought maybe I wanted to be an astronaut. I gradually realized that I did not have the right stuff to make it in life as a space traveler, but my interest in the extraterrestrial world has never waned.The recent meteor over Russia and other "close" asteroid passes by Earth remind us that we are frequently impacted by these smallest bodies in our solar system - sometimes with devastating consequences.

Over the years, our knowledge of these space objects has vastly increased. Asteroids have been studied and examined and we have learned that each one is a world of it's own with it's unique seasons and cycles. But what are asteroids really like? How dangerous are they?  What are scientists exploration plans of these fascinating objects?

The Museum of Western Colorado and the John McConnell Math and Science Center are hosting 'The Exploration of Asteroids - Our Close and (Sometimes) Dangerous Neighbors present by  Dr. Daniel Scheeres of the Space Engineering Department at Colorado University. Dr. Scheeres will talk about recent asteroid discoveries, what asteroids are like, and future plans for exploration.

The program is being presented Thursday, April 11th at 7:00 pm in the Whitman Educational Center  at 4th and Ute in Grand Junction. Admission is $10, or $5 for members of the museum or science center.