Members Only Event
Introduction to the Universe - a monthly astronomy talk.

An additional night for members, second Wednesday of each month.
For Hamilton Astronomical Society members only.

Tonight (November 9th):
Topic: Hazards of Human Spaceflight to Mars. Things You Need To Know
Speaker: Dr Chris Benton, MBChB, MSc (Astronomy)

NASA, China and Elon Musk’s Space X recently announced their intention to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s. Why go to Mars, and what are the challenges to the human body and mind with this pioneering journey? Dr Chris Benton will discuss these questions and outline the physical and psychological hazards of human long-duration spaceflight, proposed countermeasures and current research in this field.

It could be your close relatives or friends travelling on these pioneer missions. Come along and discover what you need to know for spaceflight to our neighbouring planet and possibly humanity’s second home.

Dr Benton worked full-time as a medical physician from 1986 until semi-retiring in 2014 to return to university for a Master’s Degree in Astronomy. He is interested in spaceflight’s hazards on the human body and mind, researching this as part of his university studies. Chris completed this degree in 2020, fully retired in 2021, and now enjoys writing articles and discussing medical- and astronomy-related topics.

**Masks are no longer required, however you may wear a mask if you would like to. We respect anyone’s right to wear a mask if they wish to.