The Planetary Society at Georgia Tech
The purpose of the Planetary Society is to inspire the people of Earth - through education, research, and public participation - to explore other words and seek other life.
The Planetary Society at Georgia Tech is a college chapter of the national Planetary Society. The Planetary Society, currently headed by Bill Nye (the Science Guy), is a non-governmental, non-profit, space advocacy group that has members from more than 125 countries. The organization advocates policymakers to prioritize exploration of the Solar System and universe and supports science activities. Some current projects include:
- LightSail-1 - A spacecraft that will combine solar sails and nanosats to explore the Solar System
- Laser Bees - New way to deflect asteroids
- Searching for Exo-Earths - A program that allows astronomers to look for super-Earth or Earth-sized planets around our nearest neighbors in space
The Georgia Tech chapter is the first student chapter of the Planetary Society and the chapter started its operations in 2010 by bringing speakers, such as Bill Nye, to the campus of Georgia Tech. The student chapter has also sponsored community events, such as Yuri's Night in 2012 to celebrate the anniversary of the first human in space.