The Exploration of Space

Featured Speaker: Professor Neil Farber

For as long as man has looked up to the sky, there have been questions about how it all started, what it is now and what it will be in the future. Based on work that has been done by NASA, this series sheds some light on these questions.


April 10: Lunar Exploration: What We Did, What We Saw, What We Learned

Many people are not aware of the extensive investigation, both manned and unmanned, that NASA conducted of our nearest neighbor, the Moon. This talk will explore the unmanned landers and orbiters of the 1950s and 1960s, the six manned landings of the Apollo program, and the orbiters of more recent years. It will discuss what was seen and what we have learned about our Moon and our Solar System from these explorations.

April 24: Astrobiology: The Search for Life

People have often pondered whether we are alone in the universe. This is not merely about the possibility of intelligent life. The more fundamental question is whether life of any form exists on other planets or moons. This talk will examine how NASA is exploring the possibility of life on other worlds — from planets that orbit other stars, to planets and moons in our own Solar System. The answers may also help us understand how life emerged on Earth.

May 22: Asteroids: Fossils of the Universe​

Just as fossils on Earth are remnants of past beings, fossils in the Solar System may hold answers about how the Solar System and life itself came to be. NASA is conducting a multitude of missions looking at asteroids to aid understanding of the Solar System, as well as to identify opportunities they may present and to ameliorate any risk they may pose of collision with Earth.

Presenter Biography

Neil Farber is a retired internal- medicine specialist from UCSD Health. He retired from medicine in 2019, at which time he joined the San Diego Air and Space Museum as a docent. He has had an interest in space since childhood, when he watched the first astronauts orbit. After a lengthy application process, he became a NASA Solar Systems Ambassador in September 2022, lecturing at the museum, in local communities, and at schools, and creating YouTube video- recordings on a wide variety of space topics. He receives training and graphics materials from NASA/JPL. Farber received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania Perlman School of Medicine.

Coordinator: David Guggenheim