On August 5, 2022, a plucky little rover named Curiosity celebrated its 10th Anniversary on the surface of Mars. Since being lowered on Mars that summer day it has continued to exceed all mission expectations. For ten years, Curiosity has called Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp “home,” all while wandering around the name of science and traveling nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascending 2,050 feet (625 meters). What have we been able to learn about Mars during this decade? And what lies ahead for the “Little Rover that Could?” Join us tonight as Dr. Ashwin Vasavada brings piques our “Curiosity” and answers these questions. Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: September 21, 2022 — Milky Way “Autobiographer” Dr. Moiya McTier
This week we are super excited to welcome Dr. Moiya McTier to the Weekly Space Hangout – this time as our special guest! In 2019, Moiya joined the Weekly Space Hangout as one of our first Early Career Journalists, and in April, 2021, she extended our WSH tradition of producing PhDs. On August 16th, Moiya’s “autobiographical” book, The Milky Way, was published, and this week she is here to tell us all about it. Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: September 14, 2022 — The Geology of Exoplanets with Dr. Paul Byrne
The first suspected exoplanet was identified back in 1988, and was then confirmed in 1992. Since then, the rate at which detection/confirmations have been made has been increasing. And JWST has already directly imaged its first exoplanet! What data are we able to gather from here on Earth? What are we able to learn about these planets from the data collected? How does exoplanet geology compare with our own geology here on Earth? Let’s find out as we welcome planetary geologist Dr. Paul Byrne, to the WSH. Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: September 7, 2022 — How to Teach Grown-Ups about Pluto with Dean Regas
Welcome back to another season of the Weekly Space Hangout! In our season’s premiere, we are excited to welcome back to the show our good friend Dean Regas from the Cincinnati Observatory! Dean has just released his new book “How to Teach Grown-Ups about Pluto” which is a light-hearted guide to Pluto’s discovery and demotion that puts KIDS in charge! Read More