SRI LANKA ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION PRESS INFORMATION NOTE
For Immediate Release
Date: 14 March 1010
Ref.: 2010-01


Issued by:
Sri Lanka Astronomical Association
http://aalk.lakdiva.net/

Thilina Heenatigala
General Secretary of SLAA
Mob: +94 (0) 716 245 545
thilina.heenatigala@yahoo.com



Remembering Sir Arthur C Clarke: On his second death anniversary

DATE: 17th March 2010
Time: 4.00pm to 7.00pm
Venue: British Council Auditorium


MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

A programme to commemorate Sir Arthur C Clarke on his second death anniversary will be held on Wednesday, 17 March 2010 from 4.00 to 7.00 pm at the British Council Auditorium, 49, Alfred House Gardens, Colombo 3.

The event is jointly organised by the Sri Lanka Astronomical Association (SLAA) and the Arthur C Clarke Estate in partnership with the British Council.

The event will feature an illustrated talk titled ‘Sir Arthur C Clarke: Man Who Lived in the Future’ by Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer and research assistant to Sir Arthur Clarke for 21 years (1987 – 2008).

The talk will be followed by the screening of feature film 2010: The Year We Make Contact (116 mins, 1984). Directed by Peter Hyams on a screenplay co-written by Peter Hyams and Arthur C Clarke, the film starred Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren and Keir Dullea. This is the movie adaptation of the best selling science fiction novel 2010: Odyssey Two that Arthur C Clarke wrote in 1982.

The story picks up almost a decade after the first manned space mission to Jupiter in 2001 ended abruptly and mysteriously. A joint American-Russian space expedition returns to Jupiter in 2010 to investigate what went wrong. The collaborative mission takes place against a backdrop of growing global tensions. Among the mysteries this expedition must explain are the appearance of a huge black monolith in Jupiter's orbit, fate of the earlier mission’s astronauts and the behaviour of the sentient supercomputer HAL 9000.

The talk and film screening are open to the public free of charge on a first come, first served basis.
For more information, contact: Thilina Heenatigala, Secretary, Sri Lanka Astronomical Association. Phone: 0716 245 545

LINKS:
Sri Lanka Astronomical Association - http://aalk.lakdiva.net/
Sir Arthur Clarke page at SLAA – http://aalk.lakdiva.net/acc


NOTES FOR EDITORS:

2010: The Year We Make Contact
(116 mins, 1984)
Directed by Peter Hyams
Co-written by Peter Hyams and Arthur C Clarke
Starring: Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren and Keir Dullea
This is the movie adaptation of the best selling science fiction novel 2010: Odyssey Two that Arthur C Clarke in 1982. The story picks up almost a decade after the first manned space mission to Jupiter in 2001 ended abruptly and mysteriously. A joint American-Russian expedition returns to Jupiter in 2010 to investigate what went wrong. The collaborative mission takes place against a backdrop of growing global tensions. Among the mysteries this expedition must explain are the appearance of a huge black monolith in Jupiter's orbit, fate of the earlier mission’s astronauts and the behaviour of the sentient supercomputer HAL 9000.
More information at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086837/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Odyssey_Two


Guest Speaker: Nalaka Gunawardene
Nalaka Gunawardene worked closely with Sir Arthur C Clarke for 21 years (1987 – 2008) while pursuing his own professional interests as a science writer, journalist and broadcaster. Nalaka was research assistant for several Clarke books beginning with 2061: Odyssey Three, and in 1997-98, helped compile Greetings, Carbon-based Bipeds!, the author’s collected essays from 1934 to 1998. During the last decade of Sir Arthur's life, Nalaka coordinated his media, scientific and academic relations, and was also the liaison person with the Arthur C Clarke Foundation based in the United States. Nalaka blogs on media, science and society at:
http://movingimages.wordpress.com


Sri Lanka Astronomical Association
The Ceylon Astronomical Association which was founded in June 1959, (later known as Sri Lanka Astronomical Association) is a not-for-profit association founded by late Sir Arthur C. Clarke and late Herschel Gunawardene. It is for the purpose of pursuing the study of astronomy and promoting the education of astronomy and related sciences. The revived Association’s goals would include usage of internet to carry research on astronomy and related sciences among university students and others.
http://aalk.lakdiva.net/