Your next vacation could be to the Moon… on Earth! What do Volcanoes National Park, White Sands National Park, and Jasper National Park have in common? They are places you can visit to give you a glimpse of the Moon, Mars, Pluto, and beyond without leaving Earth. In this talk, Dr. Kirby Runyon reveals the National and State Parks and other public lands that bear a striking resemblance to extraterrestrial landscapes. Unlike their outer space counterparts, these are places you can actually visit on your next vacation!

Dr. Kirby Runyon speaks on space exploration and space experiences for the everyday person. He holds a PhD in planetary geology from Johns Hopkins University, coaches flyers in zero gravity (weightlessness) with The Zero Gravity Corporation, researches the Moon and planets as a NASA-funded scientist, and was awarded the NASA Group Achievement Award for the New Horizons mission to the planet Pluto. Kirby has trained Virgin Galactic private astronauts (space tourists) in the geologic landforms they will see from space and advises the entertainment industry in space realism.

Kirby is an expert explainer of all-things space exploration. Even the non-technical in your audience will catch his enthusiasm. Past speaking events include the Humans to Mars Summit, company employee enrichment talks, and numerous non-profit presentations on bridging the religion-science divide.

Astrogeology Experience for Educators