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Tuesday, March 23, 2004Hubble, Mars, and NASA Space SciencePlanetary scientists and astronomers have enjoyed a banner year thus far in 2004. Three satellites and NASA's intrepid rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, have treated millions of Internet viewers to extraordinary photos of the surface of Mars. Meanwhile, the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA's most productive astronomical explorer, continues probing the depths of the universe in ways that telescopes on the ground cannot match. Now, President Bush's ambitious plans for human missions to the moon and Mars have linked the fates of these hallmark programs. Shortly after the president unveiled his goal to send astronauts to Mars, NASA announced that the space shuttle would no longer service the Hubble Space Telescope. Without an upgrade, the observatory might expire by 2007 -- potentially forfeiting years of new studies. Since those bombshells, researchers have vigorously debated the impact of an expanded Mars program, the future and safety of the troubled space shuttle fleet, and their possible impacts on Hubble and the rest of NASA's scientific programs. NCSWA has asked Garth Illingworth and Pascal Lee, both leaders in their fields, to describe their research on these topics and to provide perspectives on this critical juncture in NASA's history. We'll hear from each speaker and then have ample time for a mini-panel discussion with the audience. Garth Illingworth is professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an astronomer at UCO/Lick Observatory. He is former deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and current deputy principal investigator on Hubble's newest and most spectacular observing instrument, the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Illingworth will describe Hubble's recent discoveries about the youth of our universe and how galaxies have evolved over billions of years. He will present the telescope's latest coup: the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, a 25-day exposure on a single patch of sky. This image, available to astronomers worldwide on March 9, will expose the faintest and most distant objects that astronomers are likely to see for at least a decade. Illingworth advocates extending Hubble's lifetime past 2010 with at least one more servicing mission. Pascal Lee is a geologist and planetary scientist at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center, both in Mountain View. He is chairman of the Mars Institute, a non-profit public benefit corporation in the U.S. and Canada, whose purpose is to further the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding of Mars. Lee also directs NASA's Haughton-Mars Project, an international field research project at a large impact crater and its surrounding terrain on Devon Island in the High Canadian Arctic. Lee will discuss why the Haughton site is an effective terrestrial analog for Mars that offers insights into the planet's unique landforms and its past climate, as well as a place to develop tools needed for future exploration. Lee and his colleagues support the president's vision for a broader Mars research program. WHERE: The Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave., South San Francisco (650-583-8091). The center's web site includes a map to the restaurant. WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 COST: $20 per person; $12 for students MENU: The Basque Cultural Center serves French-accented fare, and offers us a choice of three entrees:
All are served with soup, salad, bread and butter, plus ice cream and coffee for dessert. SCHEDULE:
Please make out a check to NCSWA and mail it to:
IN ADDITION TO SENDING A CHECK, PLEASE INDICATE THE ENTREE YOU DESIRE. We must tell the restaurant the total for each dish by Wednesday, March 17. CARPOOLING Contact her at karen_street@sbcglobal.net. She will mail out information
as she receives it. Many thanks to all those who have offered rides in
the past, enabling people to attend. |
