Royal Society Lates – 2075: A Space Odyssey

Bar and café (basement)

Soundtracks DJs have a strong claim to be London's most fervent film fanatics. Hosting movie soundtrack-themed events across London, from club nights to quizzes to bingo, there is no reel left unturned in pursuit of their followers’ cinematic contentment. They join us to provide the musical backdrop in the Bar and café packed with sci-fi soundtracks, future funk and cosmic pop.

City of London room 1 (ground floor)

Microgravity has been shown to provide the ideal environment for drug development - crystallisation of drugs in microgravity has been proven to result in more perfect crystals and much better for pharmaceutical use. But scalability has remained elusive, until now. UK-based biotech company BioOrbit is moving fast to build the world’s first pharmaceutical factory in space. Meet their team, see crystals of insulin up close through a microscope and find out how exactly they plan to develop anticancer drugs in orbit that could save lives here on Earth.

City of London room 1 (ground floor)

Could wearable robotics hold the key to humankind thriving in space? Might AI-integrated spacesuits help astronauts perform better as we seek to establish lunar settlements, explore mineral deposits on the Moon and spend longer – and travel further – in space? King’s College Centre for Robotics Research, one of the world's leading hubs for multidisciplinary robotics innovation, are at the forefront of pioneering development of robotic and AI-interfaced wearable. Meet their team at Lates and see up close a next-gen spacesuit that may play an integral role in the new era of space exploration.

City of London room 3 (ground floor)

Join our friends from the Royal Institution as they celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Christmas lectures – a much-loved tradition of inspiring scientific discovery which this year will be hosted by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Step into history, take a spin on the famous “Gyro Chair,” and prepare to embark on December’s unforgettable journey through time and space.

At 2075: A Space Odyssey, the Royal Institution will showcase a fascinating collection of heritage items spanning 226 years of ground-breaking science discovery. Hold a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite in your hands (careful – it’s surprisingly heavy!) and uncover the unexpected connection between rocket fuel and the everyday Thermos flask.

Then, brace yourself for the thrilling experience of the “Gyro Chair,” last featured in Kevin Fong’s 2015 Christmas lectures. Take a seat, spin the wheel, and feel angular momentum in action as it resists your motion – causing you to spin instead. You’ll witness the very same physics that keep spacecraft steady and telescopes locked on distant galaxies.

Step up, take your seat, and let gyroscopic forces take control. No rockets needed!

City of London room 2 (ground floor)

This September, the Science Museum opens its new gallery, Space to the public, featuring iconic objects such as Tim Peake’s Soyuz spacecraft and the Apollo 10 Command Module. The Lead Curator of the gallery, Abbie MacKinnon, is on hand at Lates and has brought a variety of items from the museum’s famous space collection for you to see up close.

Wolfson room 1 (first floor)

Spacesuits are an incredible feat of design to help fragile human bodies carry out tasks in space. Highly specialised textiles, materials, pattern cutting, engineering, and assembly are needed in the design and development of spacesuits in which bodies can survive. But our needs are more complex than just function: we need comfort, stimulation, sharing and reflection. In this collage, patchwork and textile-based drop-in workshop, use different craft techniques and ideas from science and science-fiction to reflect on what bodily, social and emotional needs a spacesuit could offer.

Wolfson room 1 (first floor)

Create a map of your own home-away-from-home on Mars. Experts from the UK Space Agency will be on hand to discuss the biological, physical and technological challenges that will accompany life on Mars, and to shine a light on some of the technological and scientific advances that may enable it. Combine scientific, imaginative, and personal elements to create a “Stardew Valley”-esque version of home on another planet.

Wolfson room 3 (first floor)

The interaction of the Sun with the Earth’s magnetic field has direct effects on our planet in numerous ways, from disruption to power grids and satellites – on which we are so reliant for everything from telecommunications to banking – to the influence of atmospheric changes on long term climate patterns. That’s why missions like SMILE, launching early next year, are vital. By measuring the solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere, SMILE aims to build a comprehensive understanding of the Sun–Earth connection. Find out more about SMILE and other planned missions like it and even see the magnetosphere for yourself using augmented reality.

Council room (first floor)

What excites you about the future of space exploration? What might far away and yet to be discovered planets look like? And if we ever find life beyond our own planet, what form do you think it will take? Let your imagination run wild and create a collective collage filled with your own personalised galaxies.

Kohn centre (ground floor)

Join Professor Sir Martin Sweeting FRS, co-chair of the Royal Society’s Space: 2075 report, as he casts an eye forward to the advances we might see in the next 50 years of space exploration. What should we expect for future launch technologies? When will we return to the moon? Could we even find life beyond Earth?

This talk is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early to secure a seat.

Exhibition area (basement)

Explore the remarkable stories of trailblazing scientists Dame Kathleen Lonsdale FRS and Dr Marjory Stephenson FRS - the first women elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1945. Commissioned by the Royal Society, these films are part of a year-long programme of activities aimed at celebrating, supporting, and inspiring girls and women in STEM.

This film screening is not separately ticketed. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be guaranteed.

Library (lower mezzanine)

How do you attract aliens? According to one 20th century Fellow of the Royal Society, all you need is a little light signalling, because they already know morse code… The Society's Librarian, Keith Moore, explains how a technological exhibition at the Royal Society inspired a science fiction excursion into the unknown.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 20 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.

Exhibition area (basement)

"London's nerdiest choir" (self-proclaimed), Ready Singer One has amassed an impressive concert portfolio in just three years, performing at Comic Con, Japan Matsuri and the Science Museum, with multiple orchestras as well as appearing on BBC Radio and BBC News. At 2075: A Space Odyssey they will be dusting down the most cosmic choral gems in their repertoire for your listening pleasure.

Wolfson room 2

It's the year 2225. After centuries of crushing rule by Earth, the human settlement on Mars has finally declared its freedom. As the leaders of the Martian revolution, every decision you make will echo down history.

The critically acclaimed Upstart Theatre invite you to take part in this award-nominated, immersive, live-action storytelling game. Playing in small teams, you’ll grapple with the power to shape a new society. You thought Earth's politics were messy? Just wait until you experience the cutthroat world of outer space.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 50 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.

Kohn centre (ground floor)

The work of engineers is helping to push new boundaries in space exploration. In this panel discussion, senior systems engineer at the UK Space Agency Jodie Howlett, lead engineer and instrument manager of the magnetometers on NASA’s IMAP and HelioSwarm spacecraft Helen O’Brien, and materials engineer Dr Katrina Skerratt-Love, come together to reveal how. They’ll discuss the latest and future innovations in their respective fields of engineering, share the stories of their journey into the space sector and answer your burning questions.

This talk is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early to secure a seat.

Library (lower mezzanine)

How do you attract aliens? According to one 20th century Fellow of the Royal Society, all you need is a little light signalling, because they already know morse code… The Society's Librarian, Keith Moore, explains how a technological exhibition at the Royal Society inspired a science fiction excursion into the unknown.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 20 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.

Bar and café (basement)

London-based singer-songwriter Molly Barnes specialises in acoustic jazz, pop and soul and has performed at festivals including Boomtown, opened for Madness and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Tonight, she turns her musical hand to cosmic covers – expect her set to include space-themed hits galore.

This performance is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Exhibition area (basement)

Explore the remarkable stories of trailblazing scientists Dame Kathleen Lonsdale FRS and Dr Marjory Stephenson FRS - the first women elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1945. Commissioned by the Royal Society, these films are part of a year-long programme of activities aimed at celebrating, supporting, and inspiring girls and women in STEM.

This film screening is not separately ticketed. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be guaranteed.

Wellcome Trust Lecture Hall (ground floor)

In this special live edition of New Scientist’s award-winning podcast, host Abigail Beall is joined by very special guests to delve into the topic of “space and the body”, including:

• The first British astronaut, Helen Sharman
• Biomedical engineer and senior lecturer at King’s College London, Dr Irene Di Giulio
• BioOrbit CEO, Dr Katie King

Together they’ll explore the impacts of spaceflight on the human body, the medical breakthroughs we owe to technologies developed for space exploration and how research and manufacturing in microgravity may lead to new, life-saving drugs here on Earth. There’ll even be a chance for you to put your own questions to the expert panel.

About The world, the universe and us

From the evolution of intelligent life to the mysteries of consciousness, from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is an essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Each week the team are joined by expert scientists in the field, drawing on New Scientist’s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context.

Tickets

Please note that this is a ticketed event and is now fully booked. However you can check back here for any returned tickets, and walk-up attendance may be possible on the night, depending on no-shows and available space.

Please be aware that as this is a free event, we anticipate that not everyone who reserves tickets will use them and we therefore make more tickets available than there are seats. You are highly unlikely to be refused entry but please be aware that admission is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed. Please arrive early to secure a seat.

Kohn centre (ground floor)

Astrophysicists Professor Lucie Green – author of 15 Million Degrees: A Journey to the Centre of the Sun (2016) and the soon-to-be-published The Universe in Your Pocket – and Dr Kate Pattle, Royal Society University Research Fellow and lecturer at UCL, have a special interest in magnetic fields. Kate, in how they influence star formation and Lucie, in how they behave in the Sun’s atmosphere and how that affects us here on Earth. Here, they sit down together to discuss the births, deaths and lives of stars with Royal Society Senior Policy Adviser Matthew Barnbrook.

This talk is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early to secure a seat.

Exhibition area (basement)

"London's nerdiest choir" (self-proclaimed), Ready Singer One has amassed an impressive concert portfolio in just three years, performing at Comic Con, Japan Matsuri and the Science Museum, with multiple orchestras as well as appearing on BBC Radio and BBC News. At 2075: A Space Odyssey they will be dusting down the most cosmic choral gems in their repertoire for your listening pleasure.

Library (lower mezzanine)

How do you attract aliens? According to one 20th century Fellow of the Royal Society, all you need is a little light signalling, because they already know morse code… The Society's Librarian, Keith Moore, explains how a technological exhibition at the Royal Society inspired a science fiction excursion into the unknown.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 20 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.

Bar and café (basement)

London-based singer-songwriter Molly Barnes specialises in acoustic jazz, pop and soul and has performed at festivals including Boomtown, opened for Madness and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Tonight, she turns her musical hand to cosmic covers – expect her set to include space-themed hits galore.

This performance is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wolfson room 2 (first floor)

It's the year 2225. After centuries of crushing rule by Earth, the human settlement on Mars has finally declared its freedom. As the leaders of the Martian revolution, every decision you make will echo down history.

The critically acclaimed Upstart Theatre invite you to take part in this award-nominated, immersive, live-action storytelling game. Playing in small teams, you’ll grapple with the power to shape a new society. You thought Earth's politics were messy? Just wait until you experience the cutthroat world of outer space.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 50 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.

Kohn centre (ground floor)

Comedians Helen Arney (Festival of the Spoken Nerd) and Professor Jen Gupta (BBC Radio 4’s Stranger Than Sci-Fi, Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake) are in the house, armed with a Jupiter-sized sack of songs, stories and jokes for your giggling pleasure and joined by a lineup of guest speakers. Author Helen Gordon reveals the weird and wonderful world inhabited by meteor hunters, and in a specially pre-recorded talk, Royal Society Young Person’s Book Prize-winner Dr Sheila Kanani asks, “can you get jellyfish in space?”

This talk is not separately ticketed, no booking required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early to secure a seat.

Library (lower mezzanine)

How do you attract aliens? According to one 20th century Fellow of the Royal Society, all you need is a little light signalling, because they already know morse code… The Society's Librarian, Keith Moore, explains how a technological exhibition at the Royal Society inspired a science fiction excursion into the unknown.

Please note, capacity for this session is limited to 20 places. To attend, please ask for a ticket at the information desk on the night.