Planetary Exploration
Planning Missions to Mars and Beyond
Margaret Race is a biologist and environmental ecologist who works with NASA and the SETI Institute. Her focus is planetary protection and science policy--avoiding cross-contamination of planets and moons during space missions in our solar system. Dr. Race will join us at Newark Library for a talk and program that the entire family can enjoy. Come learn what goes into planning missions to Mars…
Possible Underground Lake Discovered on Mars
A new study published on the journal Science suggests that there may be a liquid water lake below the ice on Mars’ south pole. While water is thought to have once been abundant on Mars billions of years ago, this is the first to be found. Researchers used radar data from an instrument called MARSIS to look below the surface of Mars. MARSIS is on board a European Space Agency spacecraft called…
Destination Mars – Putting American Boots on the Surface of the Red Planet
Dava Newman, who sits on the SETI Institute's Board of Trustees will testify. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, will convene a hearing titled “Destination Mars – Putting American Boots on the Surface of the Red Planet” at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. The hearing will focus on the National Aeronautics and Space…
Fragment of Impacting Asteroid Recovered In Botswana
(Mountain View, CA, July 6, 2018) A meteorite was found in Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) that is a fragment of asteroid 2018 LA. This small asteroid was discovered in space by the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey on June 2, 2018, eight hours before hitting Earth. The asteroid burst through the upper atmosphere and resulted in a meteor fireball. The asteroid detonated…
'Alien spaceship' on Mars: What some say looks like a crash site is evidence of volcanism, not Vulcans
Mars has long been everyone's hands-down favorite in the search for extraterrestrial life. It's got rocky landscapes, National Park-worthy canyons, and a general appearance that resembles Arizona stripped of vegetation and convenience stores. It's no wonder then that amateur explorers have spent years in front of their laptops scrutinizing this world for clues to life. The online photos they…
In Saturn's Rings
In Saturn’s Rings at the Museum of Flight Get an up-close view of Saturn’s rings without traveling through space. In Saturn’s Rings, a multiplane photo animation masterpiece narrated by Levar Burton, blends incredible images from real Saturn space missions and takes audiences on an immersive journey across the solar system. Nathalie Cabrol, SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist and Director…
In Saturn's Rings
In Saturn’s Rings at the Museum of Flight Get an up-close view of Saturn’s rings without traveling through space. In Saturn’s Rings, a multiplane photo animation masterpiece narrated by Levar Burton, blends incredible images from real Saturn space missions and takes audiences on an immersive journey across the solar system. Nathalie Cabrol, SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist and Director…
VR/AR in Space: The Next Space Revolution?
What is the potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) technology in Space? Could VR technology play a role in our ambition to reach the stars? Could we use this new tool to explore and understand our Solar System? Will it help to harvest the almost infinite amount of energy and material available in space? Together with VR/AR specialists, space entrepreneurs, as well as scientific…
Planetary Lake Lander
The Planetary Lake Lander is a project that will develop an adaptive probe as well as exploration strategies to explore the lakes of Titan, while monitoring the impact of deglaciation on terrestrial lake habitat and biodiversity in the Chilean Andes. In turn, results from this investigation are expected to provide insights into habitability and life potential on Mars during similar geological…