ExplorOcean Presents: Exploring the Ocean Worlds of the Outer Solar System

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 15, 2014) - Have you ever wondered about the best ways to find life beyond earth? Join Kevin Hand, deputy chief scientist of solar system exploration at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on April 24^th at 7 p.m. for an intriguing one-hour discussion about the most habitable real estate in our outer solar system. As part of ExplorOcean's lecture series, Dr. Hand will discuss the relationship between water and the small ice-covered moons among our eight-planet solar system. With a focus on Jupiter's moon, Europa -- a top priority for future NASA missions -- Hand will explain how the exploration of Earth's ocean can help our understanding of potential habitability of these moons.

Hand is a current planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena. He studied physics and psychology at Dartmouth College; and then went on to Stanford University, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in geological and environmental sciences. In 2012, Hand served as a scientist on-board James Cameron's 2012 dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He has made nine dives to the bottom of the ocean and in 2011 was selected as National Geographic's Emerging Explorer.

"We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Kevin Hand to our ExplorOcean lecture series," says ExplorOcean CEO Tom Pollack. "The caliber of our speakers, along with their dedication to improving ocean literacy, has resulted in an engaging series that promotes our mission to inspire people to explore the ocean and discover its secrets."

Free to members and $15 per talk for non-members, the monthly lecture series takes place at 600 East Bay Ave., Newport Beach, Calif. To register, or for more information, visit http://explorocean.org/education/lecture-series/.

ABOUT EXPLOROCEAN: ExplorOcean, America's premiere ocean literacy center, offers a world-class ocean literacy platform and cultural destination where visitors can immerse themselves in interactive exhibitions devised to develop the curious explorer within. ExplorOcean's high quality programs which are grounded in the seven principles of ocean literacy and in STEM content include single day camps, multi-day camps, classes, monthly lectures and an impressive underwater robotics program developed by the director of education, Dr. Wendy Marshall. Headquartered on the Balboa Peninsula between the sparkling Pacific Ocean and the bustling Newport Harbor, the center's nearly two-acre location is the perfect place for people of all ages to learn about the seven seas. For more information about ExplorOcean, please visit www.ExplorOcean.org.