The Science of ‘Project Hail Mary’

Most every page of Andy Weir’s latest sci-fi novel, Project Hail Mary, glows with the promise of science and technology. In Weir’s first novel, 2011’s The Martian, the protagonist endures interplanetary travel, and struggles to survive on a harsh new world. However, in Project Hail Mary, the hero faces a far greater challenge: interstellar travel to collaborate with an E.T. in hope of saving an imperiled planet Earth!  Are the science and technology of Project Hail Mary realistic, promising too much, or under promising?  Hear more from Dr. Maggie Turnbull and Dr. Pascal Lee as they add some beautiful realism to your personal exploration of Project Hail Mary. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. In partnership with The SETI Institute and Wonderfest. Photos courtesy the speakers. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices