A free Royal Astronomical Society Public Lecture:

Since the birth of the Space Age in 1957 with the launch of the world's first artificial satellite, the discoveries made through the applications of space science and engineering have changed humanity's perspective of our position in the Universe. But what difference has space science and technology made to our everyday lives? Has it really been worth all of the money spent? Could space science save us from the mass extinction of life on Earth? What science did British astronaut Tim Peake doing on the International Space Station (ISS) during his six month mission in space? And is Mars always going to be a dream of future exploration or are we truly entering the era of humanity becoming a multi-planet species?

Professsor Anu Ojha is Director of the UK's National Space Academy programme and a Director of the National Space Centre. A member of the UK's Space Growth Partnership team, he leads the UK's strategic space education work with China and the Gulf States. He was Principal Investigator for the Astro Academy Principia educational experiment programme conducted by Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station and is a Co-Investigator on the University of Leicester's SPLIT planetary geotechnics tool concept. A current skydiver with over 1300 jumps, Anu was involved as an independent science analyst for the Red Bull Stratos stratospheric jump programme. Anu is a former Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) and National Lead Practitioner (Physics) for the UK Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and led the delivery of student and teacher programmes for the UK Space Agency, ESA and other organisations across the United Kingdom, Europe, UAE, the USA and China. He continues to teach physics on the National Space Academy's Space Engineering (A level pre-University) and Higher Apprenticeship (undergraduate) courses run in partnership with Loughborough College and the University of Leicester. In 2014 he was appointed OBE for services to science education and in 2017 was appointed as an Ambassador for the Lloyds' Register Foundation.

Doors open at 5.30 pm. Please be aware that there is no admittance once the lecture begins at 6 pm, as tickets will be reallocated to those queuing for no-shows. Thank you.

Space - so what!