I have exciting news from my friend Garik Israelian on the amazing
Starmus Festival, a gathering on astronomy, space exploration, cosmology, and music, set to be held in the Canary Islands this September. I’m delighted to say that Astronomy magazine is the festival’s exclusive media partner.
This is going to be one of the biggest events in recent times for astronomy and space enthusiasts. I’ve already blogged about the event and the speakers who have been announced, including
three moonwalkers — Charlie Duke, Edgar Mitchell, and Jack Schmitt. We also knew that Nobel Prize winners Robert W. Wilson and Sir Harold W. Kroto, the chemist and physicist, and eminent ethologist, zoologist, evolutionary theorist, and scientist Richard Dawkins will be speaking.
Now, there is word of more great speakers — five Russian cosmonauts, including the first human to walk in space!
Here is Garik’s entire press release, for more details . . .
A Group of Legendary Russian Cosmonauts led by Alexei Leonov join the Starmus FestivalThe Starmus International Festival dedicated to astronomy, space science, art, and music returns to the Abama Golf & Spa resort in Tenerife from September 22 to 27 to address "Beginnings: the making of the modern cosmos." It is a festival that is open to everyone, whether you are a beginner, amateur, or professional.
We are very pleased to announce that our three Apollo “moonwalkers” will now be joined by five legendary cosmonauts, including the first man to walk in space, Alexei Leonov, together with Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Sergei Krikalev, Viktor Savinykh, and Yuri Baturin.
Alexei Leonov, who would have been the first man to walk on the Moon had the Soviet Union gone ahead with their planned Moon mission before the USA, will be giving a talk at Starmus entitled: “Why did the Soviet Union not send a man to the Moon?” Arthur C. Clarke’s book
2010: Odyssey Two was dedicated to Leonov and Andrei Sakharov; the fictional spaceship
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov was named after him. He was also put in command of the Soyuz 19 mission, the first joint Soviet-U.S. space project Soyuz-Apollo in 1975.
Alexei Leonov, Russian cosmonaut, on March 18, 1965, became the first human to conduct a space walk. This historic event occurred on the Voskhod 2 flight. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and nine seconds, connected to the craft by a 5.35- meter tether. At the end of the spacewalk, his spacesuit had inflated in the vacuum of space to the point where he could not re-enter the airlock. He opened a valve to allow some of the suit’s pressure to bleed off and was barely able to get back inside the capsule. From 1976 to 1982, Leonov was the commander of the cosmonaut team (“Chief Cosmonaut”) and deputy director of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Leonov is an accomplished artist whose published books include albums of his artistic works.
Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Russian cosmonaut, has spent over 146 days in space aboard five spaceflights. He is one of the most experienced cosmonauts in history. His first was aboard Soyuz 27 in 1978. The spacecraft docked with the Salyut 6 space station for eight days. He spent another week aboard Salyut 6 in 1981. In 1982, he commanded Soyuz T-6. He made his fourth flight in 1984 aboard Salyut 7. He took a spacewalk during this mission to repair a power system. In 1985, he took part in a dangerous mission to revive the dead Salyut 7 space station. The crew made a five-hour spacewalk to restore solar panels and repair power systems to the station.
Sergei Krikalev, Russian cosmonaut, became a cosmonaut in 1987 and has spent over 461 days in space. In 1988, he flew aboard the Mir space station. In 1991, he flew a second time on Mir and made an unprecedented six spacewalks, where he did space construction. Space missions include: Mir EO-4 (Soyuz TM-7), Mir LD-3 (Soyuz TM-12, Soyuz TM-13), STS-60, STS-88, Expedition 1 (Soyuz TM-031, STS-102, and Expedition 11 (Soyuz TMA-6).
Viktor Savinykh, Russian cosmonaut, became a cosmonaut in 1978 and has spent over 253 days in space on three spaceflights. In 1981, he spent 74 days aboard the Salyut 6 space station. Space Missions include: Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T13, and Mir EP-2 (Soyuz TM-5/ Soyuz TM-4). In 2005, minor planet 6890 was named after Savinykh.
Yuri Baturin, Russian cosmonaut, graduated at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1973. In 1980, he also graduated at the Law Institute of Moscow State University, where he obtained a doctorate in law. A former politician, he has been head of national security and has served on the National Defence Council. In 1997, he was selected as a cosmonaut. In 1998, he flew on Soyuz TM-28/Soyuz TM-27 as a research cosmonaut and in 2001 on Soyuz TM-32/Soyuz TM-31 as flight engineer.
The founders of the Starmus Festival have worked hard to create another unique event for everyone at an affordable price of 300 Euros. Please note we have also introduced a special discounted rate of 200 Euros for Canarian residents and students. For more information on the festival, please go to our website at www.starmus.com.
Starmus 2014 includes an opening cocktail reception, a three-day conference, an astrophotography and space art exhibition, a live broadcast of a roundtable discussion from the GTC Telescope in La Palma, a "Space Legends" event and the “Sonic Universe” music concert. There are also optional extras such as a star party in the Teide National Park, a dinner banquet, and excursions to visit the observatories of Tenerife and La Palma.
The event is driven by its developer Garik Israelian, an astrophysicist researcher at Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and a scientific advisory board including Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and guitarist for the legendary rock band Queen, and Alexei Leonov, the legendary Russian cosmonaut who made the first space walk in 1965.
The festival is supported by the Canary Islands Government through PROMOTUR Turismo de Canarias, the Cabildo of Tenerife, the Cabildo of La Palma, International Astronomical Union, and IAC.
The official media partner is Astronomy magazine.
For more information please contact:
PRESS
Ashley Oulton
Tel: (UK) 020 7993 8338
Tel: Int 00 44 207 993 8338
Tel: Spain 00 34 664806726
email: ashley@starmus.com
. . . .
My original release is here.
For more on the festival, see the website.