Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The Exploration of Space: Astrobiology and Asteroids
Speaker
Professor Neil Farber
Coordinator
David Guggenheim
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.
May 13: Astrobiology: The Search for Life
People have often pondered whether we are alone
in the universe. The question is not merely about
the possibility of intelligent life other than on earth.
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 27: Asteroids: The 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.
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.
May 13: Astrobiology: The Search for Life
People have often pondered whether we are alone
in the universe. The question is not merely about
the possibility of intelligent life other than on earth.
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 27: Asteroids: The 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.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Neil Farber is a retired internal-
medicine specialist from UC San Diego Health.
He retired from practicing 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, as a child, he watched the first
astronauts orbit the earth. He became a NASA
Solar Systems Ambassador in September 2022,
lecturing locally and creating YouTube videos on
a wide variety of space topics. Farber has an M.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania Perlman
School of Medicine.
medicine specialist from UC San Diego Health.
He retired from practicing 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, as a child, he watched the first
astronauts orbit the earth. He became a NASA
Solar Systems Ambassador in September 2022,
lecturing locally and creating YouTube videos on
a wide variety of space topics. Farber has an M.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania Perlman
School of Medicine.
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