Distinguished Scientists Lecture, Col. Raja Chari, USAF & NASA Astronaut

SMC Continues Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series with Col. Raja Chari, USAF & NASA Astronaut, June 1

Free Presentation — "To the Moon and Beyond on the Artemis Odyssey: A Lecture by Raja Chari, NASA Astronaut" — To Be Held Live Online

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College continues its Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series this spring with "To the Moon and Beyond on the Artemis Odyssey: A Lecture by Raja Chari, NASA Astronaut." The special presentation includes an audience Q&A.

The presentation is free, and will be held online as a live virtual event at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 1. A Zoom link will be posted shortly before the event at the June 1 listing on the SMC Events calendar at smc.edu/calendar. To attend, the Zoom software must be installed on the viewer’s computer. A free download is available at zoom.com.

Raja Chari — selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class — served as the commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission that launched on November 10, 2021, to the International Space Station (ISS). He served on the space station as part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth on May 6, 2022, completing NASA's third long-duration commercial crew mission. The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.

Raised in Iowa, Col. Chari graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to earn a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has received numerous military service medals, as well as the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the NASA Space Exploration Medal.

The presentation is sponsored by the SMC Associates (smc.edu/associates), a private organization that funds speakers and special programs on campus.

More information is available by calling the SMC Office of Public Programs at 310-434-4100.

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