WHAT: Asteroid Day San Francisco

HOSTS: B612 Foundation and California Academy of Sciences

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, June 30, 10:00 am — 5:00 pm (PDT)

WHERE: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (Press should enter through the Academy’s business entrance at 75 Nancy Pelosi Drive.)

WEBCAST: http://www.asteroidday.org

June 30 is Asteroid Day at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) — a global day of awareness and education about asteroids. June 30 is the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska impact, the largest asteroid impact of Earth in recently recorded history. The asteroid destroyed 800 square miles of forest, the approximate size of a major metropolitan city today. This is the only natural disaster that we know how to prevent through early detection, yet less than one percent of asteroids of this size have been detected.

Asteroid Day at the California Academy of Sciences is for adults and children of all ages. Special presentations for youth will be held from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, with more advanced scientific discussions in the afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The public will also have the chance to meet five astronauts speaking at the event and sign the 100X Declaration showing their support for increased public education and early detection of asteroids.

SPEAKERS (partial listing, photos and bios of all presenters: http://www.asteroiddaysf.com)

* Anousheh Ansari, First Private Woman Space Traveler; CEO, Prodea
* Clark Chapman, Senior Scientist, SW Research Institute
* Zjelko Ivezic, Project Scientist, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
* Peter Jenniskens, Sr. Research Scientist, SETI Institute
* Tammy Jernigan, 5-time US Astronaut
* David Liddle, Partner, US Ventures
* Ed Lu, 3-time US Astronaut; CEO, B612 Foundation
* Scott Manley, Astronogamer
* David Morrison, Senior Scientist, NASA SSERVI
* Geoff Notkin, Discovery Science’s Meteorite Man and owner, Aerolite Meteorites
* Alexander Rose, Executive Director; Clock Project Manager, Long Now Foundation
* Rusty Schweickart, US Apollo 9 Astronaut; Founder, Association of Space Explorers
* Seth Shostak, Sr. Astronomer and Director, SETI Institute
* John Troeltzsch, Kepler Mission Project Manager, Ball Aerospace
* Ryan Wyatt, Director of Morrison Planetarium and Science Visualization, CAS

Topics during the morning session range from an introduction to planetary science and asteroids, asteroid hunting, to a tour of impact craters. During the afternoon, asteroid experts discuss potential impacts and look at the science and technological solutions that can provide advance warning and prevent impacts of Earth. We also will take a look at the science of asteroids “in the movies” and current asteroid games.

Events will be held live at the Academy and webcast online throughout the day with additional video from many of the more than 50 worldwide events at http://www.asteroidday.org

Contacts:
Diane Murphy
B612 Foundation
+1 310.658.8756
diane@b612foundation.org

Kelly Mendez
California Academy of Sciences
+1 415.379.5133
kmendez@calacademy.org

B612 Foundation’s mission is to enhance our capability to protect Earth from asteroid impacts. The B612 Foundation believes that humanity can harness the power of science and technology to protect the future of civilization on this planet, while extending our reach into the solar system.

The California Academy of Sciences is a leading scientific and cultural institution based in San Francisco. It is home to an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and research and education programs, which engage people of all ages and backgrounds on two of the most important topics of our time: life and its sustainability. Founded in 1853, the Academy’s mission is to explore, explain, and sustain life. Visit http://www.calacademy.org for more information.