At the Cosmic Shores Gala, celebration, connection, and hope for the…

“It was a wonderful evening,” said Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society. “I was so impressed with the passion and dedication of our supporters.”

Robert Picardo acted as the night’s master of ceremonies. Tim Russ, another actor famous for his roles in the Star Trek universe, was also in attendance. So were Europa Clipper project scientist Bob Pappalardo, PhD, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory director Laurie Leshin, PhD. 

The evening kicked off with a talk by Pappalardo on the history of Europa Clipper, a major mission to a potentially habitable world that The Planetary Society helped get to the launchpad. Afterward, Pappalardo was joined by Bill Nye and Jim Bell, PhD, professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona, as well as Bethany Ehlmann, PhD, professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology and president of The Planetary Society. The panel discussed planetary exploration and the search for life, with questions from Planetary Society members. 

The night continued with guests mingling over a silent auction. Everyone had a chance to meet Pappalardo, admire his replica of the spacecraft plaque now on its way to Jupiter, and bid on items ranging from original Star Trek scripts to a postcard that flew to the Moon. Though the auction has already raised over $7,000, some items are still available for bidding online until April 25.