Iconic cultural expedition cruise pioneer teams up with the SETI Institute to take its cruise guests’ explorations further and deeper, including into deep space. The SETI Institute is a space and Earth science research organisation supporting NASA and NSF programmes and partnering with private industry and academia to answer some of humanity’s most profound science questions.
Cyprus and Mountain View, CA, Thursday the 8 of December 2022: Swan Hellenic announced today that it has entered into a partnership with the SETI Institute to provide its guests with expert insights into the history and latest discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology and planetary science, and the quest to find other forms of life within and beyond our solar system. This quest takes SETI Institute researchers to the most remote and inhospitable corners of the planet to explore life, including Antarctica, where the Swan Hellenic fleet is, of course, present for several months every year.
The new partnership is set to engage Swan Hellenic’s many adventure travellers with never-before-seen presentations on explorations around Earth and beyond, with SETI Institute equipment, including an advanced telescope, installed on board.
The experts initially scheduled for Swan Hellenic’s 2023 cultural expedition cruises include Director of Education & Outreach and Deputy Director of Research Dr. Simon Steel, a PhD Astronomer and Astrophysicist who specialises in studying galaxies. He has taught both at Harvard University and University College London. Plans are in the works for him to accompany SH Vega on cultural expedition cruises of Antarctica, the British Isles and Iceland.
Bill Diamond, the President and CEO of the SETI Institute, is likewise finalising arrangements to accompany Swan Hellenic’s Arctic Odyssey cruise aboard SH Diana in June. Diamond has worked predominantly in applied technologies and has over 20 years of experience in photonics and optical communications, plus more than a decade in X-ray and semiconductor processing technologies.
Diamond commented on the agreement: “The SETI Institute’s work brings humanity’s relationship with our planet, our solar system and the Universe beyond into focus. Over 100 Institute scientists strive to understand humankind’s place in the cosmos. Outreach and public engagement are also central to our mission, and we are delighted with the opportunity to have our scientists and thought leaders interact with the curious-minded adventurers who explore with Swan Hellenic.”
Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: “We are immensely proud of this new partnership. The presence of the SETI Institute’s eminent scientists on board our cultural expedition cruises, imparting their expert knowledge of astrobiology, geology, physics, chemistry and astronomy, completes another facet of the quest to take our guests to see what others don’t”.
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