NASA Ames and International Space University Hold Moon Panel
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – A panel of robotics engineers, lunar scientists and spacecraft flight directors will gather at NASA’s Ames Research Center on Aug. 11, 2009 to discuss current scientific investigation being done of, on and from the moon.
WHO: Panelists will include:
– Victoria Friedensen, program executive, LCROSS, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
– John Marmie, LCROSS deputy project manager at NASA Ames
– Paul Tompkins, LCROSS flight director at NASA Ames
– Mark Shirley, LCROSS payload scientist at NASA Ames
– Erin Tranfield, post-doctoral fellow in the Lunar Dust Biotoxicity Laboratory at NASA Ames
– Michael Broxton, planetary mapping lead in the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames.
Moderator: Brad Bailey, NLSI staff scientist at NASA Ames.
WHAT: A panel discussion, “Lunar Science: from the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) to the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Beyond” to discuss the new science being done of, on and from the moon. The panel is hosted by the International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program 2009, the NLSI and NASA’s LCROSS mission.
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009
– 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Panel discussion and question and answer session
– 9:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.: News media interview opportunity.
WHERE: Building 3 located in the NASA Research Park at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate. Guards at the main gate will direct reporters to NASA Research Park.
The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) is the first mission in NASA’s Return to the Moon and represents a new approach to robotic exploration. LCROSS seeks to solve a scientific mystery and will impact a permanently shadowed crater on the lunar south pole on Oct. 9, 2009 in search of water-ice. The NLSI supplements and extends existing NASA lunar science programs and is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate and the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Funded by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, LCROSS is managed by Ames Research Center. The NLSI is also managed by NASA Ames.
The International Space University was founded in 1987 with the vision of a peaceful and prosperous future through the study, exploration and development of space for the benefit of humanity. The space studies program is a nine-week course for postgraduate students and young professionals from all over the world. The curriculum covers technical and non-technical, space-related fields and ranges from engineering and satellite applications to policy and the humanities. An international cadre of distinguished professors are teaching the classes from June 29, 2009 to Aug. 28, 2009.
Through this and other college and university programs, NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to strengthen the future workforce of NASA and the nation and to explore our planet, the moon and beyond.
For information about NASA’s education programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education
For more information about the International Space University and to view recorded videos of the panels on demand, visit: http://www.isunet.edu
For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
For more information about the NASA Lunar Science Institute, visit: http://lunarscience.nasa.gov
