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(meteorobs) Urgent for MeteorObs Folks
Dear MeteorObs Friends,
Sorry for cluttering your screens, but I wanted to get this out ASAP,
in case anyone wanted to join this discussion..... ALSO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF
LEAD TIME..... IT'S TONITE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave G
NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY TEAMS WITH TIME MAGAZINE AND
PARAMOUNT PICTURES FOR IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF COMET THREAT
(Washington, DC) - March 18 - The National Space Society, in cooperation with
Paramount Pictures, announces a live Internet discussion about the potential
threat of planetary impact by asteroids or comets. The discussion, hosted by
TIME.com, the online component to TIME magazine, will be held on March 19, at
7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT on Yahoo! Chat.
The live forum comes only one week after the announcement and later retraction
of news that an asteroid might impact Earth in 2028. The scare renewed debate
over the likelihood of a collision and whether more steps should be taken now
to plan for such a disaster. The news was timely for Hollywood, which on May
8th releases Paramount Pictures/Dreamworks' "Deep Impact," the story of the
world's reaction to an impending collision with a comet. The Internet chat
brings together the science and Hollywood views of such an event.
Joining the live forum will be:
- Richard D. Zanuck, co-producer of "Deep Impact." He, along with David
Brown, first presented the idea for the film to Paramount in the late 1970s.
After the discovery that Earth had indeed suffered from shattering comet
impacts in its distant past, the Zanuck/Brown team decided the most powerful
script was one based on science fact. Zanuck, in partnership with Brown, also
produced "Jaws," Academy Award winner "The Sting," the Academy Award nominated
film "The Verdict" and "Cocoon."
- Dr. Pete Worden, member of the National Space Society Board of Directors, an
astronomer, and former director of advanced programs for the National Space
Council during the Bush Administration. He was recently involved with a
proposed space mission to intercept an asteroid for the purpose of gathering
data. Dr. Worden is currently active in the defense space program.
- Gerry Griffin, science consultant to "Deep Impact." Griffin was former
director of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. He also served
as a Flight Director during the Apollo 13 mission. Griffin previously
consulted on the making of the films "Apollo 13" and "Contact."
- Jon Favreau, "Gus Partenza" in "Deep Impact," the medical officer on a space
shuttle headed for an Earth-crossing comet. Favreau previously wrote,
produced, directed and starred in the independent feature "Swingers."
In preparation for the live discussion the National Space Society is hosting a
website offering background information and a directory of related resources.
The National Space Society, founded in 1974, is an independent, nonprofit
space advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. Its 23,000
members and 90 chapters around the world actively promote a spacefaring
civilization. Information on NSS and space exploration is available at
http://www.nss.org.
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TM & Copyright ) 1998 by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED.