NASA seeks public opinion on solar system exploration
Dr. Edmond Wilson, professor of chemistry, will host a specialsession for area residents regarding solar system exploration
Tuesday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the American Heritage Auditorium at
Harding University.
The session will include an overview of solar system exploration
proposed for the next 10 years followed by a question and answer
session for the audience.
On March 7, the National Research Council released the 2013 Decadal
Survey at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), which
determines the current state of knowledge and then identifies the most
important scientific questions expected to face the community during
the interval of 2013 to 2022.
The survey also helps chart the path NASA will take in its space
exploration efforts.
NASA has six weeks to respond to the Council’s suggestions and is
seeking to include public opinion as part of the agency’s response. In
addition to 10 town hall meetings, to be held at select facilities
across the nation, Science Mission Directorate (SMD) would like to
involve people in other parts of the country as well.
As a solar system ambassador for Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif., Wilson has been asked to invite the public to see
the recommendations for NASA to consider in its lunar and planetary
science missions for the next decade. More importantly, NASA wants the
public to view these recommendations and provide helpful feedback as
to what they consider the most important items as well as what
missions should be terminated or given a lower priority.
Wilson is actively engaged in developing instruments for solar system
exploration to find evidence for signs of life in other solar system
bodies. For more information, contact him at 501-279-4513 or
wilson@harding.edu.
The American Heritage Auditorium is located in the American Heritage
Center at 915 E. Market Ave.