Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate

The late Dr. Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific and influential authors of our time, was a dear friend and supporter of the American Museum of Natural History.

In his memory, the Hayden Planetarium is honored to host the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate, generously endowed by relatives, friends, and admirers of Isaac Asimov and his work, bringing the finest minds in the world to the Museum each year to debate pressing questions on the frontier of scientific discovery.

Portrait of a young Isaac Asimov, wearing glasses and a suit with a bowtie.

Isaac Asimov, 1965.
Phillip Leonian/New York World-Telegram & Sun

The Asimov debate is not a formal panel but is conceived as a free flowing, adversarial conversation such as what might occur in the coffee lounges of academia. Think of yourself not as a member of an audience but, rather, as an eavesdropper on the scientific process.

Past Debates: 2023-2010

Past Debates: 2009-2002

2009

When the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, controversy followed over this most beloved object in the solar system. Recent discoveries of icy Kuiper Belt objects and hot exoplanets have forced scientists to rethink previous classification schemes and their associated nomenclature.

Our panel will debate the whole Pluto demotion and classification among these recently discovered objects that share the same characteristics.

Our panelists included Gibor Basri, Jack Lissauer, Sara Seager, Steven Soter, Alan Stern, Mark V. Sykes, and was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2009 Asimov Debate program

2008

Planets, moons, asteroids, and comets contain natural resources such as water, minerals, and trace elements that may have survival value to visiting astronauts and economic value to life on earth. How did we learn of these materials? How would one go about mining them? Who owns these resources, if anyone? And should they be mined at all?

Our panel will weigh in on these questions and more in this year's Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate.

This year's panel includes Catherine A. Conley, Henry R. Hertzfeld, Murray W. Hitzman, John S. Lewis and Curtis Wayne Manning. The debate was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2008 Asimov Debate program

2007

The 2007 Asimov Memorial Debate considered the Pioneer Anomaly.

The Pioneer mission included the probes named Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. They were the first two probes to pass through the asteroid belt and Pioneer 10 was the first to visit Jupiter while Pioneer 11 was the first to visit Saturn. Ultimately, they escaped the solar system and will continue to drift into interstellar space.

However, as they grew more distant from Earth on their way out of the solar system, scientists noticed they were slowing down when compared to their predictive trajectories. This resulted in the probes being thousands of miles closer to Earth each year. This became known as the Pioneer Anomaly.

Our panel debated the possible theories for this discrepancy in their speeds and positions. What is this force dragging on the spacecraft's acceleration? Is it caused by some unforeseen aspect of the spacecraft's design? Does it reveal that we do not yet completely understand gravity?

Our experts included John D. Anderson, Ed Belbruno, Gary Kinsella, Irwin Shapiro, Slava Turyshev, and the debate was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2007 Asimov Debate program

2006

Our sixth debate concerned the multiverse, the notion that more than one universe exists. Our panel debated the evidence for and methods of determining that a multiverse, or a parallel universe, exists.

This year's panel included Michio Kaku, Lawrence Krauss, Andrei Linde, Lisa Randall, Virginia Trimble, and was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2006 Asimov Debate program

2005

Our panel of experts debated the nature of planetary systems, the plethora of exoplanet data now inundating scientists, and the conditions for life on other worlds.

Panelists included Fritz Benedict, R. Paul Butler, Peter Goldreich, Scott Tremaine, and Margaret Turnbull. The debate was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2005 Asimov Debate program

2004

The nature of dark matter and dark energy—two of the most significant mysteries remaining in our understanding of the universe—was debated by our panel of experts in a debate called "The Dark Side."

Our panel included Katie Freese, Brian Greene, Robert Kirshner, Michael Turner, J. Anthony Tyson, and the debate was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2004 Asimov Debate program

2003

For the third Asimov Debate, our panelists discussed the Big Bang. In particular, alternative models that address the earliest moments of the universe. Do these alternative theories reaffirm the Big Bang, or suggest a shift in our notions about the origin of the cosmos?

The panel included Alan Guth, P. James Peebles, Lee Smolin, David Spergel, Paul Steinhardt, and was hosted and moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2003 Asimov Debate program

2002

The second Asimov Memorial Debate delved into the existence of life in the universe—how to find life, where to look for life, and even who we're likely to encounter.

The panel included Chris McKay, Penelope Boston, Seth Shostak, Peter Ward, Frank J. Tipler, and was moderated by Neil degrasse Tyson.

2002 Asimov Debate program