South Atlantic Semi-Circumnavigation

South Atlantic Semi-Circumnavigation
March 4-25, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey C. Smith, Planetary Science/AI and Data Analytics

Topics:

• How Do Astronomers Find Exoplanets?: Thanks to NASA’s highly successful Kepler and TESS Missions, we now know that planets, even Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone, are common. Learn how scientists find these extraordinary planets, some as far as 600 trillion miles away from Earth.
• Yes, look up! Utilizing AI to Find Exploding Meteors and to Help Protect the Earth from Dangerous Asteroids: Funded by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, or PDCO (yes, it really does exist!), Dr Smith’s team studies weather satellite data searching for potential asteroid collisions with Earth. Learn how this incredible team of scientists conduct this very important work.
• Why do Scientists Love Antarctica so much?: Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth and is barely habitable by humans. So why do scientists love it so much? Find out about the potential for scientific discovery waiting on the White Continent.
• Will we ever really find E.T.?: SETI’s mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge with the world. In this lecture we’ll look at current evidence and how our world might respond to irrefutable evidence of ETs.

Gaze at amazing glaciers and icebergs as you sail from Ushuaia to the wilderness of the South Shetlands. Immerse yourself in the magnificent landscapes of Antarctica. Meet Adelie penguins and snow petrels on the South Orkneys. Explore South Georgia and encounter the world's largest macaroni penguin population. And observe some of the world's rarest animals on Gough Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha, before ending your trip in Cape Town.

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