Date Time
PNNL Pitches in for Perseverance Launch
People around the world have marveled at the exploits of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, from launch to landing to supporting helicopter test flights above the Red Planet.
That’s because Engel, a computational mathematician, and Sullivan, a risk and environmental engineer, helped provide crucial data that allowed Perseverance to launch on July 30, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Their work focused on the risk of launching a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, the plutonium-fueled power system that supplies electricity to the Perseverance rover. Designed and built for NASA by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this space nuclear power system produces about 110 watts of electricity to run the rover’s systems and extra heat to keep them warm during the frigid Martian nights and winter seasons.
Federation of Astronomical Societies Online Convention 2021
Federation of Astronomical Societies Online Convention 2021
April 8, 2021 at 11:16 am
Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees will be discussing the prospect of life within and beyond the Solar System at the 2021 Federation of Astronomical Societies annual convention, which this year – like many astronomical events over the past 12 months – is going online.
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The FAS online convention takes place on 17 April 2021 from 12:00 – 16:30 BST and will feature a range of speakers, including planetary scientists and astrophotographers.
Find out more about this year’s programme below.
From Mars to the Multiverse
Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees will be speaking about the latest results in the ongoing study of the planets and bodies in our Solar System, and will reveal what planetary science is uncovering about our cosmic neighbourhood.
Media Credit: Courtesy of Mariah Baker and Leila Meshkat
Remote working at NASA s headquarters meant alumni watched live and celebrated their work on NASA s Perseverance rover with friends and family at home.
News By Zachary Blackburn Mar 8, 2021 12:14 AM
Alumnus George Tahu watched from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California last month as the Perseverance rover completed its 300-million-mile journey to Mars.
Tahu said he was responsible for setting objectives and constraints needed to keep the project on schedule while also reducing costs and risks of the project. The rover, which weighs more than 2,000 pounds and traveled through space for seven months, landed on the surface of Mars on Feb. 18, culminating nine years of planning and research.