London Calling!

Debbie Lewis, one of the experts of the Asteroid Day Expert Panel (ADXP), has been involved in Asteroid Day since the beginning. Deeply committed to the cause, she is the driving force behind the organisation of an Asteroid Day UK event at the Imperial College in London.

London Programme

Asteroid Day at the Imperial College will kick off at 10 AM BST.

10.15 AM – Taking the Hit

After a short introduction by Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, Debbie Lewis will take the stage with a presentation title on the need for effective civil protection strategies to better respond to asteroid impacts.

10.50 AM – Asteroid Post Discovery Information  For Hazard Mitigation

Clemens Rumpf gives a talk on what sets the asteroid threat apart from other disasters: Its predictability and preventability. After an asteroid is discovered, information on it can help to minimise and mitigate its threat.

11.25 AM – AIDA – The First Asteroid Impact Mitigation Test Mission?

Listen to Simon Green talk about the joint NASA/ESA mission AIDA projected to test a kinetic impactor in 2022. Learn all you need to know about spacecraft used, the mission status, motivation behind it, and its importance for planetary defence.

12.00 PM – “We’re All Going to Die!”

Jerry Stone on the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and what humanity can do to escape the same fate.

2.00 PM – Dr. Brian May’s Astro Stereo Photography – Illustrated with full screen 3D Projection

After a lunch break, Denis Pellerin takes over, presenting an annotated stereoscopic picture gallery of astronomical 3-D, using a new full screen 3-D projection system. The presentation features images from the earliest lunar stereos to the most recent data from NASA and ESA mission.

2.35 PM – Amateurs and NEO Follow Up

Amateurs astronomers have been essential to confirm observations and measurements of asteroid orbits. Peter Birtwhistle explains what ever-improving professional surveys and technological advances mean for today’s amateurs.

3.10 PM – Spaceguard Centre – National Near-Earth Object Information Centre

Jonathan Tate will focus on UK-specific aspects of NEO information and observation. While Spaceguard UK and the Spaceguard Centre are established actors in the field of asteroid mitigation nowadays, it took a long political battle to get there.

3.45 PM – How to Survive an Asteroid Impact Event

Prof. Lewis Dartnell gives a lecture on the societal effects of an asteroid impact. How would society rebuild in the aftermath and what role would science play in preventing humankind from falling back into the Dark Ages?

After a Plenary Session at 4.20 PM, the Imperial College event finishes at 5.00 PM.

For more information on the speakers and individual programme points of Asteroid Day UK at the Imperial College, please have a look at this document detailing the event and its outline.

The event will take place at the Imperial College, London on Friday, June 30th from 10 AM – 5 PM BST, at the following address:

Lecture Theatre 1
Blackett Laboratory, Physics
Prince Consort Road
Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ

If you’re outside of the UK and would still love to attend an Asteroid Day event, please consult our Events section and map for more information on events near you!

If no event is taking place in your vicinity, why not tune in to Asteroid Day LIVE on June 30th? Find all the related information below:

• Complete 24-hour programme
• How to watch our 24-hour broadcast
• Complete list of speakers for Asteroid Day LIVE from RTL City in Luxembourg, presented by Brian Cox.
• Asteroid Day Live page for the stream