Speaker: Dr. Jay R. Herman, Research Scientist, University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Title: An Extraterrestrial View of a Blue Planet from a Gravity Balance Point
Abstract: Using a robotic probe, we have been observing a blue colored planet for the past 4 orbital cycles around its somewhat dim star in the hope of detecting any signs of advanced civilization or any civilization at all. While an argument has been made that a costly lander might be better suited for detecting signs of a civilization that might have existed or even currently exits. Nothing has been detected so far other than an oxygen contaminated atmosphere containing deadly amounts of ozone, very high levels of ultraviolet radiation, some indication of dust blowing around from obviously desiccated areas, and some seasonal green stuff of unknown origin. The instrument has recently detected some flashing lights in the main color range of its dim star that some have interpreted as an attempt to signal by primitive life forms. More conservative researchers have suggested that these flashes are passive atmospheric phenomena associated with water bearing white stuff circulating in the atmosphere. This planet has a large moon of unknown origin that also appears to be uninhabited and has suffered severe bombardment sometime in its past. This bombardment may have destroyed life on its larger blue neighbor. Suggestions have been made that we are looking in the wrong part of the spectrum and should look for the presence of something very stable that is never produced in the natural world such as chlorofluorocarbons useful in cooling off possible inhabitants on this very overheated planet.
Written with Plausible Deniability by Jay Herman
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rumored to have an office at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Bio: I started observing the earth in 1938. Graduated from Clarkson College in 1959 BS in Physics. Worked at IBM on the development of the first transistors for use in computers. Worked on high temperature plasma shock wave theory used in Tokamaks. Graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a PhD in Physics in 1965 Started work at NASA Goddard Space flight Center in 1965 and graduated therefrom in 2009. Studies planetary atmospheres Venus and Mars and finally the Earth Upon NASA graduation, started working at the University of Maryland from 2009 – present. Professional Scientific Interests: Earth’s atmosphere, Ultraviolet radiation, satellite instruments. Ground‐based instruments (Pandora)