York’s world-renowned space and engineering scientists will lead children and adults through demonstrations and lectures showcasing the Northern Light Mars Lander, Space Elevator, laser radar system for the Phoenix Mission to Mars, and student rover program, to name just a few.

Alain Berinstain, director of Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), will discuss the joint NASA/CSA Phoenix mission to Mars that is expected to land later this month.  This keynote address will take place in the Computer Science and Engineering Building, Lecture Hall A, on York’s Keele campus at 1 p.m.

Other highlights include:

• Northern Light Mars Lander – A prototype of the Canadian Mars lander system will demonstrate the tools it uses to examine the Martian environment.  2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m., 002 Petrie building.

• An Elevator to Space – An inflatable beam and gyro assembly will showcase York’s plans to send people and cargo into geosynchronous orbit, providing a lower-cost alternative to rocket launch.  2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m., 022 Petrie building.

• The Phoenix Mission to Mars - York scientists will discuss their work developing instruments for this NASA/CSA mission, scheduled to land this month. A mock-up of the Phoenix lidar, designed and built by York scientists in collaboration with MDA and Optech, will be on display. 2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m., 317 Petrie building.

• York University Rover Team (YURT) – The team will put the rover through its paces, including soil characterization, construction and navigation tasks.  YURT is the only Canadian team that will participate in the Mars Society University Rover Challenge in Utah in June. 2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m., courtyard behind the Chemistry building.

• Geomatics Engineering – Geomatics uses revolutionary wiring, positioning, sensing and tracking technologies to generate 3-D images.  York’s Engineering department will demonstrate how geomatics is used in disaster monitoring, urban planning, navigation and Google Earth.  2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m., Computer Science and Engineering building – Lecture Hall B and outside.

• Book Launch - Canada's Fifty Years in Space:  The COSPAR Anniversary  explores the history of the Canadian space science program, including the Alouette/ISIS satellite missions, the creation of the Canadian Space Agency, and the recent launch of the Canadian-built lidar that is part of the Phoenix Mission to Mars.  Authors Gordon Shepherd, director of York’s Centre for Research on Earth & Space Science, and York graduate Agnes Kruchio will sign copies of the book.  Apogee Books publisher Rob Godwin will screen a series of video sequences.  1:30 p.m., Computer Science and Engineering building, Lecture Hall A, and Main Lobby.

All events take place at York University’s Keele campus.  For a full list of Science Rendezvous events at York and across the GTA, visit www.sciencerendezvous.ca.

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 24 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

-30-

Media contact:

Killeen Kelly, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22938 / killeenk@yorku.ca