“Luna:  A Space Oddity”:  The Moon is (a) familiar to billions of people over many thousands of years, (b) by far the most well studied body in the Solar System, and (c) the only place in the Universe visited by humans.  But as we learn even more about the Moon, two basic findings have emerged.  First, the Moon is unique, in so many unexpected ways, among the hundreds of other planetary satellites orbiting Mars, Jupiter, etc.  Second, the Moon is not just some chance collection of basaltic rock orbiting Earth, but a diverse world in its own right, with many assets of great value to science and industry alike.  This presentation gives an in-depth look at the Moon’s many quirks and potential benefits to Humanity.

Speaker:  Eric M. Fischer is a lifetime astronomy and astronautics enthusiast, and 50-year member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP).  He served three terms as the AAAP’s President, was Project Manager for Phase 1 of the Wagman Observatory construction project and first Co-Director of the facility from 1987 to 1993.  Eric was named full Director of the observatory in December 2024, following an 11-year stint as Editor of the club’s “Guide Star News Magazine”.  He has also been published in “Ad-Astra” and “Sky & Telescope” magazines with articles on artificial satellite observing, and has given numerous lectures at Allegheny Observatory, the Carnegie Science Center and Mingo Creek Park Observatory, among other venues.  In October, 2022 Eric joined Moonshot Museum as a Senior Gallery Host where he showcases spacecraft being built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic.  Professionally, he is a retired Technical Proposal Writer with Pittsburgh-based Hitachi Rail STS USA.