After Dark: Out There
From icy moons to asteroids, outer space holds many wonders and unknowns. This After Dark invites you to get inquisitive about the vastness above with our partners at NASA—learn more about the Europa Clipper Mission, which will send a spacecraft to investigate Jupiter’s moon, and a study on asteroid threat assessment to Earth. Then keep exploring with our exhibits on astronomy and space sciences, including mesmerizing artworks that evoke aerial views of planets from space.
With Dr. Kevin P. Hand
Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth?
The answer may lie on the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Life loves liquid water and these moons have lots of it. Hear from Dr. Hand, planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, on the science behind these oceans and what we know about the conditions on these environments. He will focus on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is a top priority for future NASA missions, and dive into how the exploration of Earth’s oceans plays a part in our understanding of extraterrestrial ecosystems.
Dr. Kevin P. Hand is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he directs the Ocean Worlds Lab. His research focuses on the search for life in the solar system, with an emphasis on Jupiter’s moon Europa. He is helping to lead NASA’s Europa Lander mission concept. His book Alien Oceans was recently published by Princeton University Press.
With Dr. Ed Lu
Dr. Ed Lu, a three-time NASA astronaut from the Asteroid Institute, will present the case for a four-dimensional solar system map in this talk. The map he and his Asteroid Institute team are building is key to protecting Earth from asteroid impacts, and will also help spur future scientific exploration and resource utilization.
Dr. Ed Lu is the executive director of the Asteroid Institute, a program of the B612 Foundation. He has served as a NASA astronaut for twelve years, flown aboard the space shuttle twice, and completed a six-month tour on the International Space Station. As a research scientist, he has focused on solar physics, astrophysics, plasma physics, cosmology, and planetary science. He has held positions at the High Altitude Observatory, the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, the Institute for Astronomy, and Google. He is also a co-founder of the satellite startup LeoLabs and the nonprofit B612 Foundation, and a co-inventor of the Gravity Tractor, a controllable means of changing the trajectory of an asteroid.
