The Science of 'Project Hail Mary'

Thu Mar 26 2026 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm UTC-07:00

The Commonwealth Club | San Francisco

Inforum at the Commonwealth Club
Publisher/HostInforum at the Commonwealth Club
The Science of 'Project Hail Mary'
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Dr. Maggie Turnbull and Dr. Pascal Lee add some beautiful realism to your personal exploration of Project Hail Mary.
About this Event

Almost 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.

SPEAKERS

Introduction by: Bill Diamond, President & CEO, SETI Institute

Dr. Maggie Turnbull, Astrobiologist, SETI Institute

Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, SETI Institute

Moderator: Tucker Hiatt, Founding Director of Wonderfest

5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in
6–7 p.m. program
(all times Pacific Time)

In partnership with The SETI Institute and Wonderfest.

Photos courtesy the speakers.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, United States

Tickets

USD 27.33

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