al-mofhariz

SPACE SCIENTIST ED BELBRUNO LAUNCHES INTO ORBIT AT 8 PM
Don’t miss this wild trip . . . get into your rocket and ride!

In 1990, astrophysicist Ed Belbruno was fired from the prestigious Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He and his ideas—unstable chaos, low-fuel space travel, and “fuzzy boundary theory”—just seemed too far out. But then a JPL colleague unexpectedly came knocking on Belbruno’s door. A lunar spacecraft named Hiten had gone off course. It had barely any fuel left. Could Belbruno help? His “far out” theory was then used to guide Hiten safely to the Moon and rescue the entire mission.

Today, Belbruno is planning new routes into the cosmos. A visiting research collaborator in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, the president of Innovative Orbital Design, and the author of Fly Me to the Moon: An Insider’s Guide to the New Science of Space Travel, Dr. Belbruno will discuss the future of space flight, Lagrangian points, and how painting a picture in the sty…

BIOLOGIST DARCY KELLEY LECTURES ON FUNKY FROG CALLS AND ANIMAL COMMUNICATION, 8 PM
Birds do it, bees do it—even frogs with claws in South Africa do it! Take a wild tour of brain science with Columbia University neurobiologist Darcy Kelley as she probes the courtship songs of Xenopus frogs—including “rapping.”

Have you ever wondered how male and female animals find each other, and what pick-up lines they use? Kelley’s research examines sexual strategies and the fascinating (and feisty!) world of animal communication.

SOUND ARTIST KATIE DOWN AND HER GLASS MENAGERIE, 9:15 PM
Composer and improviser Katie Down creates a sight-and-sound sensation. Echoing, ringing, buzzing, and tinkling, her silica-based instruments include a crystallophone made of wine goblets, glass tubes and bells, fish bowls, and an all-glass glockenspiel. Katie Down will be joined by artists Caleb Burhans on viola and voice, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, and dancer Rachel Bernsen.

--Before: Groove to tunes inspired by bullfr…