NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE AND THE SANDY SPRINGS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ANNOUNCE NASA ENGINEER KOBIE BOYKINS ON MARCH 14, 2019

WASHINGTON (Feb. 19, 2019)— National Geographic Live, National Geographic’s touring speaker series, and the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center are proud to announce “Exploring Mars” with Kobie Boykins, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The event will take place at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, March 14, 2019, in the Studio Theatre.   

As a dynamic young engineer, Kobie Boykins is on the front line of Mars exploration. Boykins designed the solar arrays that power the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Landing on Mars on January 25, 2004, Opportunity was designed to survive a mission lasting approximately 90 days. Remarkably, the rover continues to traverse the surface of Mars to this day, sending back valuable scientific data.

Boykins was responsible for the design of actuators on Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory, which safely landed on Mars on August 6, 2012. Boykins’ other projects have included work on the Mars Pathfinder mission and the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, making measurements by satellite of the Earth’s oceans.

In 2002, Boykins joined a team of young scientists for a public education tour—dubbed “Marsapalooza”—to raise awareness of the Mars Exploration Project. Four years later he was featured in the JASONProject Expedition “Mysteries of Earth and Mars,” bringing his passion for space exploration to students and teachers worldwide. An engaging public speaker who puts a fresh face on America’s space program, Boykins recounts the challenges and triumphs of the Mars exploration rover missions, sharing remarkable images and discoveries that continue to come to us from the Red Planet.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of National Geographic. With a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live’s critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in a variety of cities around the world, including, Seattle, Tampa, Los Angeles, Florence and Calgary. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration onstage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. For more information, visit natgeolive.com

For tickets and information, please call 770-206-2022 or visit www.citysprings.com. The box office for the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center is located at 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328. 

Media Contacts

Sharon Kraun, skraun@sandyspringsga.gov | 770.206.1473

Hannah Sedgwick, Hannah.Sedgwick@natgeo.com | (202) 912-6762