*Every day would be "Asteroid Day" if we learned one was coming to clobber us.
http://resources.asteroidday.org/resources/notice-of-press-conference-9-february-2016/
DATE OF PRESS CONFERENCE: 9 February 2016
TIME: 15:00 CET
LOCATION: ESA ESTEC., Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, Netherlands
SPEAKERS: See below
ACCESS FOR MEDIA: In person at ESTEC or via the Internet:
Please fill out this form if you would like to attend ESTEC in person.
Media is also invited to tour the ESTEC facility: Tour begins at 13:00 CET
RSVP for ESTEC or remote attendance: PR@asteroidday.org
Questions: forward via email to: pr@asteroidday.org or via Twitter (#AsteroidDay)
Journalists requesting 1-1 interviews: contact Diane Murphy, pr@asteroidday.org
Press conference will be webcast: RSVP for access instructions. Online via esa.int and AsteroidDay.org. #SAVETHEDATE here (iCal and Outlook compatible). If you are using Google Calendar then click here.
Asteroid Day is a global movement to increase public awareness of potential asteroid collisions and the means to protect Earth. It was co-founded in 2015, by Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and lead guitarist for the rock band Queen, Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and German filmmaker Grig Richters. Asteroid Day is held on 30 June each year to mark Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history, the Siberia Tunguska event, which devastated over 2000 square km, the size of a major metropolitan city.
On Asteroid Day, people from around the world come together to recognise the collective responsibility to address asteroid impacts, the only natural disaster humankind can prevent through increased awareness and education. Events include lectures, films, expert science presentations and educational workshops, variously organised by museums, research institutes, government agencies, universities, astronomers, filmmakers and concerned citizens. In 2015, on the inaugural Asteroid Day, partners organised more than 150 events worldwide, educating millions of people and generating some 4 billion media impressions.
Press Conference Participants:
Host Emcee: Dr. Stuart Clark, Astronomy Author and Journalist
Dr. Brian May, Astrophysicist, Co-founder of Asteroid Day
Grig Richters, Filmmaker and Co-founder of Asteroid Day
Franco Ongaro, Director of Technical and Quality Management, European Space Agency (ESA)
Ian Carnelli, Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) Manager, European Space Agency (ESA)
Detlef Koschny, Space Situational Awareness – Near-Earth Object co-Manager, European Space Agency (ESA)
Richard Moissl, Rosetta Instrument Liaison Officer, European Space Agency (ESA)
Dr. Patrick Michel, Planetary Scientist, Sr. Researcher at CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), Leader of the Planetology Group at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (OCA)
Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, UK
Dr. Mark Boslough, Physicist and Planetary Defense expert; Sandia National Laboratories; Adjunct professor, University of New Mexico; Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Stephan Ulamec, Philae lander manager at DLR
Astronaut Dr. Ed Lu, Three-time Shuttle astronaut; Asteroid expert and Founder,CEO, B612 Foundation
Romanian Astronaut Dumitru Dorin Prunariu; Founding member, Association of Space Explorers (ASE) and liaison to the UN Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Space
Astronaut Dr. Tom Jones, Four-time Shuttle Astronaut; Planetary scientist, Chair, Association of Space Explorers (ASE) Committee on Near-Earth Objects.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut and first Canadian spacewalker
Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, first Indian to space
Bill Nye the Science Guy, American science educator, comedian, television presenter, actor, writer, scientist, and former mechanical engineer. He is the CEO of Asteroid Day partner, the Planetary Society.
Debbie Lewis, ADXP and Risk Crisis and Disaster Management at Axiom
David J Eicher, Editor-in-Chief at Asteroid Day and Astronomy magazine
Sir Crispin Tickell, British Diplomat
Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz, 7-time Astronaut.
Scott Manley, Youtube personality, science educator and imaginary space explorer
Alan Harris, NEOShield-2 Coordinator, DLR Inst. Planetary Research
Amanda Sickafoose, Astronmer and Head of the Instrumentation Division at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), Cape Town, South Africa
More Participants will be announced soon.
Additional information on Asteroid Day and the 100x Asteroid Declaration as well as photos and BROLL are available at http://asteroidday.org/newsroom. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @AsteroidDay or contact: PR@asteroidday.org
Media Contacts:
Asteroid Day: Diane Murphy: US: +13106588756, PR@asteroidday.org
European Space Agency: Ninja Menning: +31621437558, estecpr@esa.int
