Reservations are now open for the Denver Astronomical Society’s Annual Holiday Banquet
When: Saturday, December 14th, 2024, 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Where: Embassy Suites DTC
This year’s DAS Holiday Banquet Includes:
- Social/cocktail time – cash bar from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Presentation of Doveed Levy Youth Service Award at 6:45 p.m.
- Banquet-style dinner (see menu below) at 7:00 p.m.
- Astronomy presentation at 8:00 p.m.
- More social time after the presentation until 10:30 p.m.
MENU
Chef Salad
Choice of one entrée:
Roasted Herb Salmon
Maple Brined Chicken
Mushroom Ravioli (vegetarian)
Dessert:
New York Cheesecake
Self-serve coffee, tea and water
Cost: $35 per person
Here’s a link to the Holiday Banquet reservations page:
https://members.denverastro.org/event-5938838
New this year: We have blocked a small number of rooms for those who may desire to spend the night at the hotel after the Holiday Banquet ends. Details can be found on the reservations linked above page.
This year’s Holiday Banquet guest speaker:
Dr. Robert Zubrin – Founder and President of the Mars Society
Topic: “The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle to Red Planet and Why We Must”
Presentation
The first human explorers may reach Mars within a decade! Astronautical engineer Dr. Robert Zubrin will explain how it can be done and why it is critical for the human future that we do it.
Dr. Robert Zubrin is the President of the Mars Society. In 1996, he founded Pioneer Astronautics, an aerospace R&D company he led for 27 years until selling it in 2023. He holds an M.S. in Aeronautics and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Washington. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Space Society.
Zubrin is the author of 20 patents and over 200 published papers in space exploration and technology. Dr. Zubrin authored twelve books, including “The Case for Mars: How We Shall Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must,” (1996) “Merchants of Despair,”(2012) “The Case for Space,”(2019) “The Case for Nukes,”(2023) and “The New World on Mars.” (2024).
As President of Pioneer Astronautics, Dr. Zubrin led over 70 research and development projects in spacecraft and launch vehicle propulsion systems, in-situ resource utilization technology, EVA, and robotic exploration systems. As leader of the Mars Society, he led the construction of two Mars analog research stations – one in the Canadian high Arctic in 2000 and the other in Utah in 2001 – and has since overseen over 290 simulated Mars exploration missions at those stations. Before founding Pioneer Astronautics, he worked as a Senior Engineer at Lockheed Martin in thermonuclear fusion research, nuclear power plant safety, and as a high school science teacher.
