NASA Mission Director Talk: Finding The First Dwarf Planet | Los Altos

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series | Los Altos

Founded in 1999, the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series lectures are presented on six Wednesday evenings during each school year at Foothill College. Speakers over the years have included Nobel-prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences and many other well-known scientists explaining astronomical developments in everyday language.

The series, moderated by Foothill College Astronomy instructor Andrew Fraknoi, is sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the SETI Institute, NASA’s Ames Research Center and Foothill College. Topics range from the exploration of the planets to the speeding up of the expanding universe; from planets around other stars to black holes at the centers of distant galaxies.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Seating is first come, first served. Arrive early to locate parking.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series | Los Altos

As part of the 15th annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, Marc Rayman, Ph.D., the mission director for NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft, will discuss Encountering the First Dwarf Planet: The Dawn Mission to Ceres, an illustrated, non-technical lecture Wednesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. in the Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

NASA’s Dawn mission has arrived in orbit around Ceres—the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt and the first dwarf planet to be discovered. Ceres is among the last uncharted worlds in the solar system, and one of the largest leftovers from the formation of our solar system. We are about to have amazing photos and data from this intriguing world (just as Dawn got from its previous target, the second-largest asteroid, Vesta). Dawn is also the first spacecraft to orbit two different bodies in the solar system, thanks to its use of ion propulsion, a technology that until recently was mostly the domain of science fiction.

Rayman is both mission director and chief engineer for Dawn (as he was for the Deep Space 1 mission that encountered Comet Borrelly in 2001). He has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1986, designing instruments for space telescopes, Mars measurements, the search for planets around other stars and laser communications with spacecraft. In addition to receiving NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal three times and having an asteroid named after him, Rayman has written many popular articles and appeared frequently on television explaining space exploration. He writes the popular Dawn Journal blog to keep the public informed about this exciting mission.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.