Join us for a fascinating virtual conversa tion with Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Matthew Shinde ll as we delve into his book\, Lunar: A History of the Moon in Myths\, Map s\, and Matter.
\nPresident John F. Kennedy&rsquo\;s rousing &ldquo\ ;We will go to the Moon&rdquo\; speech in 1961 before the US Congress cata lyzed the celebrated Apollo program\, spurring the US Geological Survey&rs quo\;s scientists to map the Moon. Over the next eleven years a team of tw enty-two\, including a dozen illustrator-cartographers\, created forty-fou r charts that helped set the course of space exploration.
\nFor the first time\, each of those beautifully hand-drawn\, colorful charts is pre sented together in one stunning book. In Lunar\, National Air and Space Mu seum curator Matthew Shindell&rsquo\;s expert commentary accompanies each chart\, along with the key geological characteristics and interpretations that were set out in the original Geologic Atlas of the Moon. \;
\nInterwoven throughout the book are contributions from scholars devoted to studying the multifaceted significance of the Moon to humankind around the world. Traveling from the Stone Age to the present day\, they explore a wide range of topics: the prehistoric lunar calendar\; the role of the M oon in creation myths of ancient Egypt\, Greece\, and Rome\; the role of t he Moon in astrology\; the importance of the Moon in establishing an Earth -centered solar system\; the association of the Moon with madness and the menstrual cycle\; how the Moon governs the tides\; and the use of the Moon in surrealist art.
\nRegister today for a thorough exploration of t he Moon&rsquo\;s role in popular culture\, science\, and myth!
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\nAbout the Author:
\nMatthew Shindell i s a historian of science and technology whose work focuses on the explorat ion of the Earth\, Moon\, and planets and the research programs that made this exploration possible. He is a Space History Curator at the Smithsonia n&rsquo\;s National Air and Space Museum\, and the co-host of the Museum's podcast\, AirSpace. \;
\nShindell holds a Ph.D. from the Univer sity of California\, San Diego's History Department and Science Studies Pr ogram. He also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Iow a's Writers' Workshop. He is the author of \;For the Love of Mars: A H uman History of the Red Planet  (2023) and The Life and Scienc e of Harold C. Urey (2019)\, coauthor of Spaceships (2023)\, O ur Future in Space (2023)\, and Discerning Experts (2019 )\, editor of \;Lunar: A History of the Moon in Myths\, Maps\, and Mat ter\, and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women  (2019).â €¯ \;
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