In December, Swan Hellenic, a pioneer in cultural expedition cruises, partnered with the SETI Institute to take its cruise explorations farther and deeper, including the far reaches of space. Now, it has announced the first SETI experts who will accompany its 2023 cultural expedition cruises.
The SETI Institute is a space and Earth science research organization that supports NASA and NSF programs and collaborates with private industry and academia to answer some of humanity's deepest scientific questions.
Swan Hellenic received recognition on March 6th from Cruises News Media Group for its support of research into the universe with the SETI Institute during the Cruise Excellence Awards held in Tenerife.
Swan Hellenic is expanding on the details of its partnership with the SETI Institute to offer its guests expert insights into the history and latest discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology, and planetary science, as well as the search for 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 for life, including Antarctica, where the Swan Hellenic fleet is present for several months each year.
The new partnership will attract the Swan Hellenic's many adventure travelers with never-before-seen presentations about explorations around the Earth and beyond.
Seven scientists from SETI are scheduled for Swan Hellenic's cultural expedition cruises in 2023.
- Dr. David Grinspoon – Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, member of the SETI Institute Science Advisory Board – Companion: SH Vega, Virgin Rainforests of Southwest Africa, April 3-16, 2023.
David is an astrobiologist, award-winning author, and scientist on several interplanetary spacecraft missions, including NASA’s DAVINCI mission to Venus. - Dr. Simon Steel – Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Research Centre at the SETI Institute – Accompanying: SH Vega, Lands of the Celts, May 23 – June 3, 2023.
Simon is a PhD astronomer and astrophysicist specializing in the study of galaxies. - Bill Diamond – President and CEO of the SETI Institute – Companion: SH Vega, Arctic Islands and Fjords, June 2 – July 6, 2023.
Bill has worked predominantly in applied technologies and has over 20 years of experience in photonics and optical communications, plus over a decade in X-ray technologies and semiconductor processing. - Dr. Margaret Turnbull – Research Scientist at the SETI Institute – SH Diana Companion, Historic West Coast Ports, August 8-17, 2023.
Maggie is an astrobiologist specializing in identifying planetary systems capable of supporting life as we know it. - Dr. Pablo Sobrón – Research Scientist at the SETI Institute – Accompanying: SH Vega, Greenland in Depth, August 26 – September 5, 2023.
Pablo is a research scientist with a PhD in Physics and Materials Technology who worked at the European Space Agency, the Spanish Space Agency and the Universities of Oslo and Valladolid before dedicating himself to the development of new technologies at the University of Washington, McGill University, the Canadian Space Agency, the SETI Institute and NASA. - Dr. Seth Shostak – Senior Astronomer and member of the SETI Institute – Companion: SH Vega, Northwest Passage Trip, September 5-21, 2023.
With degrees in physics and astronomy from Princeton and Caltech universities, Seth has a long research history in radio astronomy and, since 1991, in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI. - Dr. Dava Newman – Director of the MIT Media Lab, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and member of the Harvard-MIT Faculty of Health, Sciences and Technology, member of the SETI Institute Board of Trustees – Accompanying: SH Vega, Weddell Sea Discovery, December 23, 2023 – January 3, 2024.
Dava was NASA Deputy Administrator (2015-17) – the first female engineer in this position – and received NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal. She was also a principal investigator on four space missions aboard the Space Shuttle, the Russian Mir space station, and the International Space Station.
Describing the agreement with Swan Hellenic, SETI President and CEO Bill Diamond explained, “The work of the SETI Institute highlights humanity’s relationship with our planet, our solar system, and the universe beyond. More than 100 scientists at the Institute strive to understand humanity’s place in the cosmos. Outreach and public engagement are also central to our mission, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity for our scientists and thought leaders to interact with the curious adventurers exploring with Swan Hellenic.”.
Andrea Zito, CEO of Swan Hellenic, commented: “We are proud of this new partnership. The presence of the eminent scientists from the SETI Institute on board our cultural expedition cruises, sharing their expert knowledge in astrobiology, geology, physics, chemistry, and astronomy, completes another facet of our quest to take our guests to see what others don't.”.
