Franklin Institute Showing NASA Mission Documentary Thursday

PHILADELPHIA – It's been nearly 40 years since NASA launched its Voyager program, and a new film from PBS about the mission will be screened Thursday, Aug. 10 at the Franklin Institute. Not only will the institute show the film, a special panel will discuss the film and the mission following the screening.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a screening of "The Farthest," which focuses on NASA’s historic Voyager mission to explore the solar system and beyond.

Following the screening, a panel of special guests will discuss all things Voyager. The panel is comprised of:

• Fran Bagenal, Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder who worked with plasma data on the Voyager mission to Jupiter;
• Nick Sagan, son of Carl Sagan and voice of the English greeting included in the Voyager 1 time capsule, The Golden Record;
• and Richard Terrile, Voyager scientist who discovered several moons of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

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The Franklin Institute's Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts will moderate the panel.

The event is free to attend, but space is limited. You can reserve a spot online here.

"The Farthest" will premiere nationwide on PBS at 9 p.m. Aug. 23, for the 40th anniversary of the Voyager program's launch on Aug. 20, 1977.

You can watch a trailer for the film below:

Image via YouTube screenshot