On Thursday, May 18, 2023, 19 members of the Space & Astronomy Club along with members of Athens College High School SALT team were fortunate to meet and attend a lecture given by Academic Professor Stamatis Krimizis, Emeritus Commander of Space Programs (Johns Hopkins University) and Head Researcher of the spacecraft Voyager 1 & 2. Mr. Krimizis’ lecture titled “Discovery and Knowledge in the Space Age” was hosted by Athens College President Academician, Professor Costas Synolakis '75.

After the end of Mr. Krimizis' impressive and highly interesting lecture, students had the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to space physics. Mr. Synolakis aided the course of the discussion with targeted questions, as he too was at Caltech at the time Mr. Krimizis was designing his spacecraft. The lecture was followed by lunch, which gave students a unique opportunity to exchange views and learn from experts in the field of space research.

Mr. Krimizis shared his experiences as the head researcher of the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecraft and offered interesting insights on the discoveries and knowledge that has been acquired in the field of space exploration. The event was very inspiring for the students, leaving them with a sense of wonder and excitement about space science. We believe that none of the attendees will ever forget this talk and the discussion that followed.

The Athens College High School Space and Astronomy Club aims to familiarize students with a field of science that is not taught in schools. During the 2022-2023 school year, students had the opportunity to observe comets with the help of observational astrophysicist Dr. Kosmas Gazeas (Athens University Observatory / UOAO), to learn about the Cassini mission (study of Saturn and its natural satellites) from astrophysicist Dr. Nikos Sergis (Researcher in the field of space physics and Managing Director at the Hellenic Space Centre / EL. KED), to decipher the Antikythera mechanism with the help of aerospace professor at the University of Glasgow, Vassilis Spathopoulos, to "discover" the gravitational waves with the help of Stavros Klaoudatos (Athens College alumnus and currently a student at Caltech University), and finally to be introduced to Kepler's Laws by fellow student Nikolaos Emmanouil Skevis. The supervising teacher of the Space and Astronomy Club is Mr. Xenophontas Rafios, Physics teacher at Athens College High School.