Amateur Astronomy and Astrophotography in our National Parks and Public Lands Jeremy Evans (Dark Sky International Ambassador)
This program covers light pollution and prevention followed by a night sky tour using basic photography equipment and deep sky telescope astro imaging. Featuring images from Death Valley, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, and more, see the milky way, lunar rainbows, meteor showers, distant galaxies, comets, nebulas, and eclipses. Come learn more about light pollution, prevention, night photography and astronomy or simply enjoy the slideshow. 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Astrophotography “How-to” Session Jeremy Evans (Dark Sky International Ambassador)
An opportunity to learn how to take pictures of the stars with your own DSLR camera! Note this session is intended for astrophotography newcomers. Participants should bring their DSLR camera and tripod. 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Keynote Talk
Ocean Worlds Past and Present: The search for life and interesting chemistry in our cosmic backyard Dr. Morgan Cable (NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Our solar system is home to a diverse array of ocean worlds: bodies that now host (or did in the past) oceans and seas of liquid, usually water, either on their surfaces or underneath icy crusts. These worlds are prime targets of exploration as they may contain all three ingredients for life as we know it - water, chemistry, and energy. Could life exist in the subsurface oceans of Enceladus or Europa? Could even stranger life have emerged in the liquid methane lakes of Titan? Could evidence of ancient life be right within our reach on Mars, or could life still have a foothold on the Red Planet today? Dr. Cable will cover our current state of knowledge of these worlds, and discuss some current missions and future mission concepts to explore their plumes, surfaces, and ocean depths. 7:00 PM -8:00 PM Tickets are required for the Keynote talks. Pick up your free ticket on a first come first serve basis starting the day before at Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Saturday
Fly Me to The Moon: Why Humans May Not be the Only Life on the Lunar Surface in the Future Dr. Prabal Saxena (NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center)
One of the exciting upcoming features of space exploration is the plan for the sustainable presence of Humans at the Lunar South Pole. While having humans explore the lunar poles involves a lot of planning, we aren't the only life that may be traveling on these missions that could potentially survive on the Moon. Come learn about some of the microbial life that may be able to survive on the Moon, the factors that they'll have to survive to make it, and how it can change the way we think about exploring potentially survivable and habitable environments. 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
NASA’s Search for Planets, Habitability, and Life in our Galaxy Dr. Nick Siegler (NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
In the last few decades we have learned that our Galaxy is teeming with planets. But do any of them harbor life? Come hear about how all these planets have been discovered and how NASA is striving to answer the question "Are we alone?" 10:00 AM- 11:00 AM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
From Big Bang to Heat Death: The Flow of Energy in our Universe Dr. Cameron Hummels (California Institute of Technology)
Energy conservation is the most fundamental law in physics, that the amount of energy in a physical system remains constant over time. But what is energy and how does it flow through our world? Join me as I tell the story of our universe from the perspective of a quantum of energy. Beginning with the Big Bang, we will follow energy's trajectory through the cores of stars, shining starlight, the electrical grid, the human body, black holes, and eventually to the fate of our universe: heat death. 11:30 AM- 12:30 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
The Martian Landscapes of Death Valley Doug Ellison (NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Death Valley could be called 'Out of this world' but how true is that? Curiosity Rover Planning Team Chief Doug Ellison will walk through some popular park landmarks comparing views from the ground and the air with similar landscapes from the Red Planet and finish answering the question....which part of Death Valley is truly out of this world? 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Astrophotography “How-to” Session Jeremy Evans (Dark Sky International Ambassador)
An opportunity to learn how to take pictures of the stars with your own DSLR camera! Note this session is intended for astrophotography newcomers. Participants should bring their DSLR camera and tripod. 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Keynote Talk
To the Moon! Preparing for Artemis and Beyond Dr. Cherie Achilles (NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center)
NASA is preparing to return humans to the Moon through the Artemis campaign. Come learn how field expeditions to lunar and martian analog environments are important for training astronauts and science teams for these exciting missions! 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium Tickets are required for the Keynote talks. Pick up your free ticket on a first come first serve basis starting the day before at Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Sunday
TBA Dr. Luke Sollitt (NASA - Ames Research Center)
TBA 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Exploring New Technologies at NASA Ames Dr. Vandana Jha (NASA - Ames Research Center)
Join us as we dive into the exciting work being done by the Flight Instrument Group at NASA Ames! This team is developing innovative tools like the Mars Sonic Anemometer, Saltation Sensor, Doppler Wind and Thermal Sounder, and the Nephelometer Experiment. While these projects aren't ready for space travel just yet, they are important steps toward future missions.
The goal of this research is to make sure these technologies can handle the tough conditions of space, such as strong vibrations during launch, exposure to radiation, and extreme temperatures. By testing these tools rigorously, we’re working to prepare them for future space missions. Come learn about how these advancements could help us explore the universe! 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Astrophysicist Q&A Dr. Cameron Hummels and Various (California Institute of Technology)
A panel of professional astronomers and astrophysicists from Caltech will field questions from the audience on all topics related to astronomy, physics, and space science. Join us and bring your burning questions about planets, stars, galaxies, life in the universe, black holes, science fiction, and more! 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Wind and frost driven activity in another very dry place - Mars! Dr. Serina Diniega (NASA - Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Present-day Mars is even drier than Death Valley, but a lot is still happening with surface changes driven by wind, frost, and gravity. This talk will showcase many examples of surface activity happening on the Red Planet now - such as massive creeping dunes, avalanches, and springtime explosive jets, along with how we see these changes and what scientists learn from it all. 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
Killer Dust from Outer Space Dr. Caitlin Ahrens / Dr. Ramin Lolachi (NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center)
Uncover the wondrous and hazardous science that is dust on the Moon and Mars, and how we learn about dusty areas, like Death Valley, to help us understand dust dynamics at these far-off worlds! We’ll look at how dust is shiny, sharp, and electrifying; and how Artemis and Moon to Mars mission objectives will advance technologies to study and mitigate dust. 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Furnace Creek Auditorium
