Drifting on Alien Worlds: Exploring the Skies and Weather of Other Worlds

Mr. Michael Carroll

TUESDAY: July 12, 2011 2:00 P.M. in the H.J.E. Reid Auditorium
(video) within the Langley firewall only

Abstract

Popular writer, artist and lecturer Michael Carroll explores the bizarre weather of alien worlds, from the blistering hurricane-force winds of Venus to the gentle methane rain showers of Saturn’s moon Titan. Late-breaking scientific discoveries from spacecraft, observatories and laboratories reveal the mysteries of weather across the solar system. Carroll will survey designers’ most creative ideas for voyaging through distant skies, from small Soviet Venus balloons to advanced studies of blimps and airplanes for Mars and Titan. With spectacular spacecraft images and original paintings by the author, Drifting on Alien Winds will be a feast for the eyes as well as the mind.

Speaker

Michael Carroll is an astronomical artist and science writer, with over 20 books in print. He has done commissioned work for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His art has appeared in several hundred magazines throughout the world, including National Geographic, Time, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Smithsonian, Astronomy, and others. One of his paintings is on the surface of Mars-in digital form-on the deck of the Phoenix lander. Carroll is a Fellow of the International Association for the Astronomical Arts, and has written articles and books on topics ranging from space to archeology. His articles have appeared in Popular Science, Astronomy, Astronomy Now (UK), Sky and Telescope, and a host of children’s magazines. In 2007, he was awarded the Lucien Rudaux Award for lifetime contribution to the astronomical arts.