A half-century after the Apollo Moon landings, humankind ventures deeper into space with the Artemis missions and the first women to step foot upon the lunar surface.  Mark Bishop will be sharing a short discussion of this wonderful new adventure, allow you to touch a small piece of the moon (and Mars) and, if the weather permits, view the Moon through a small telescope later in the evening. 

Mark was extremely fortunate to be a child of the sixties growing up in the goldfields of country Victoria and being captivated by dark skies and the Apollo Moon landings.  These events inspired him to follow a life’s path that led to working at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona studying the comparative geological histories of the planets.  Mark will introduce current ideas about, and reasons for, studying the solar system and those elsewhere, and why it is important that humankind explore beyond the ‘pale blue dot’ we call home.  As a science communicator he hopes that he can spark your imagination about our nearest neighbour, the Moon, the key roles that women play in this exploration and why it is now a giant but tenable leap to return to its surface and eventually move towards Mars and worlds beyond.  

Mark encourages all to cherish our dark rural skies, free from light pollution, and to support the next generations to share the wonderment about our place in space.  

Participants need: warm clothes if it is a cool, clear night