Distinguished Lecture / Asteroid Mining

PETROLEUM MUSEUM TO HOST PROGRAM ON ASTEROID MINING MIDLAND, TEXAS - The Petroleum Museum’s Arlen Edgar Distinguished Lecture Series presents Chris Lewicki, President, CEO, and Asteroid Miner with Planetary Resources, Thursday, April 13. Planetary Resources, Inc. is an American company that has a goal to “expand Earth’s natural resource base” by developing and deploying the technologies for asteroid mining. The company is to launch its first commercial asteroid prospecting mission by 2020. A Mars colonization plan to include refueling rockets from in-space fuel depots has been unveiled, impacting humanity’s economic footprint in the solar system. “It sounds like science fiction and the initial reaction is disbelief, but people realize after going through the details that not only is what Planetary Resources working towards possible, it’s inevitable,” said Lewicki. Chris has been intimately involved with the lifecycle of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix Mars Lander. He performed system engineering development and participated in assembly, test and launch operations for both Mars missions. He was Flight Director for the rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and the Surface Mission Manager for Phoenix. The recipient of two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, he has an asteroid named in his honor: 13609 Lewicki. Join us for an out-of-this-world lecture. Arlen Edgar Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Abell-Hanger Foundation. Auditorium doors open at 6:30 to museum members; general admission starts at 6:45 pm. Admission is free; however, seating is limited – reservations are recommended. Make your reservation online today: www.pbpetro.org or call 432-683-4403.