NASA's Science program develops innovative missions that discover the secrets of the Universe. search for life elsewhere, and safeguard and improve life on Earth. During this talk, NASA's Associate Administrator for Science Dr. Zurbuchen Will explores the key tenets of innovation through the lens of five such NASA science missions. This will be a story about imagining the future, overcoming challenges, having patience, innovating solutions, and building great teams. These principles have applications for building space missions, undertaking research, and also building entrepreneurial ventures of various types.

Event Date: 1/25/2018

Current estimates are that over 150 million Americans viewed the great American solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 with another 60 million viewings it electronically from TV or the internet. It's amazing to think that we are still using this opportunity to do new and exciting science even though eclipses are a regular occurrence. Eclipses are the "obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer..." In reality, the concept of eclipses in science has been a tried and true technique to do amazing new things from finding new rings at Saturn to new planets orbiting other faraway suns. This is a brief story of how we continue to use the eclipse technique to uncover new science.

Event Date:10/26/2017

Our nation's space program is currently undergoing a major transformation, from a time in which the federal government did almost everything, to one in which private industry is playing an increasingly important role. How did we get to this point, and what are some of the reasons behind the changes that are occurring? What can we expect in the years ahead? This presentation will describe some of the exciting activities now taking place in the commercial space transportation arena, from flyback boosters and reusable launch vehicles to preparations for suborbital space.

Event Date: 10/03/2017