Free Lecture to Focus on the 'Search for Life on Mars'

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton.

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is pleased to announce that our monthly lectures will continue on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. in Peyton Hall on the Princeton University Campus. 

Admission is free and the public is welcome.  Ample free parking is available across the street from Peyton Hall.

After three lectures on cosmology, we will return to the Solar System with a lecture by Dr. Ken Kremer entitled “Curiosity and the Search for Life on Mars in 3-D." 

Dr. Kremer will explain the latest discoveries of the Curiosity rover’s expedition across the surface of the red planet, and show his clean room and launch pad photographs, spectacular 3-D images of the Martian surface, and his new Curiosity photo-mosaics.  Also, he will have a selection of his space and Mars postcards and prints for sale.

Ken Kremer is a journalist, Ph.D. research scientist, speaker and photographer.  His space and Mars imagery and writings have been widely published on TV, magazines, books and websites. His mosaic of Opportunity at a Martian crater was selected as one of the 100 best space images of 2011 by Astronomy magazine and by National Geographic’s new “Exploring Space” - 2012 Special Edition. 

Dr. Kremer lectures on human, robotic and commercial spaceflight and science at numerous educational institutions, civic & religious organizations, museums, conventions and astronomy clubs.  He has reported first hand from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on space shuttle launches, program finale & museum retirement. Ken also covered many unmanned NASA and military space missions and rocket launches.  

Future public lectures will be on the second Tuesday of each month: Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9 and May 14. Speakers and topics will be announced when confirmed.

Every Friday from April to October, AAAP hosts public observing at our observatory in Washington-Crossing State Park, Titusville, NJ from 8 to 11 p.m., weather permitting. More information including directions is on AAAP’s website: www.princetonastronomy.org. 

About the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton:

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is an organization of over 80 members with interest in all aspects of astronomy and space science. Founded in 1962, the AAAP promotes a wide range of astronomy-related activities including: solar, planetary and deep-sky observing, astrophotography, star parties, lectures and education. The group owns and operates two observatories in NJ at Washington Crossing State Park and Jenny Jump State Park.

Members include avid observers, armchair investigators and complete novices. All share a common love of the sky. Complete meeting details and directions are found at the AAAP web site: www.princetonastronomy.org.  Sidereal Times, the association newsletter with information on club activities, is online at princetonastronomy.wordpress.com/  Friend us on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amateur-Astronomers-Association-of-Princeton/225112680910838