Space Talks

earth and sputnick

Discover the history and science behind our exploration of the moon, Mars, and the universe with these talks presented by docents Donn Anderson & John Jennings from Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.

Space Talks are held on the first Saturday of the month, from 11am-12:30pm. All talks are free and open to the public.

Did you know? You can reserve a free admission pass to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum with the library's Cultural Passes. Find out more on the Cultural Passes page.

 

2024 SPACE TALKS

  • Saturday, Jan. 6: OSIRIS-REx: To the Asteroid Bennu and Back Again. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security - Regolith Explorer) is the first U.S. space mission to orbit a near Earth asteroid and return a sample from it safely to Earth. This 7 year mission to Bennu successfully landed its capsule last September. Analyzing the on board sample will help scientists understand the early solar system, as well as the hazards and resources of near-Earth space. How did the mission go and what have we learned from it so far?
  • Saturday, Feb. 3: NASA's Amazing Mission To The Asteroid Belt. NASA’s innovative DAWN spacecraft studied the conditions and processes of the solar system’s earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets in the Asteroid Belt still remaining intact since their formations: the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, two main asteroid belt worlds that followed very different evolutionary paths. Using exceptionally efficient electric ion propulsion, DAWN became the first and only spacecraft to orbit two different deep space bodies on the same mission! Come see incredible photos of these two worlds, what it took to get there, and what we’ve learned!
  • Saturday, Mar. 2: SpaceX’s Game Changing Starship. Elon Musk and SpaceX are continuing to innovate rocket development at a never before seen pace. Their Super Heavy booster rocket, with 33 state of the art Raptor engines, is the most powerful rocket ever built. The Starship second stage will take the largest payloads in history into Earth orbit, to the Moon, and beyond. Find out what makes this completely reusable nearly 400 foot high rocket system SO exciting!
  • Saturday, Apr. 5: The Search for Life in the Universe. The discoveries concerning the possibilities for life as we know it existing elsewhere in our Solar System, let alone our Universe, are gaining momentum every year. What are some of the recent results from the searching of the incredible James Webb Space Telescope? And what do we plan to investigate with the Europa Clipper Mission to Jupiter’s moon?
  • Saturday, May 3: Voyager 1's Pale Blue Dot. There are currently FIVE spacecraft either on their way out of our Solar System, or have already left the influence of our Sun. Voyager 1 was the very first to do so. On its way out, Voyager 1 took a series of photos of 6 of the planets, pictures that have impacted our awareness of our place in space. Come learn about these wonderful pictures and get an update on Voyager 1 itself, sending data back to Earth for over 46 years!
  • Saturday, June 1: Rockets, Rockets, and More Rockets. In order to escape Earth’s powerful gravity well, we need rockets. For a rocket to go anywhere, requires a rocket engine. Perfecting the design, construction, and launch of rocket engines has continued to this very day. Come learn about the history of liquid and electrical rocket engines culminating with the active development of the game changing nuclear thermal rocket!
  • No Space Talk in July

  • No Space Talk in August

  • Saturday, Sept. 7: Meteorites. Every 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, an average of 50-100 tons of material from space lands on the Earth! Come learn about meteorites, the bigger pieces of all that stuff from our solar system falling onto the surface of the Earth.

  • Saturday, Oct. 5: Planetary Defense with DART. We are becoming better and better at discovering asteroids that pass close to Earth. But we still get surprised! Could we change the course of an asteroid? Come and find out!

  • Saturday, Nov. 2: The Europa Clipper: The Search for Water Near Jupiter. Jupiter’s moon Europa is believed to harbor a huge, hidden liquid ocean. The just launched Europa Clipper spacecraft is going to repeatedly investigate Jupiter’s fascinating icy ocean moon! Come find out all  you need to know about this exciting NASA Flagship Mission.

  • *SPECIAL DATE* Saturday, Dec. 14: The Bold Mission of Apollo 8. On December 21, 1968, a mighty Saturn V booster rocket lifted off with three astronauts onboard for the very first time--not to circle the Earth, but to go into orbit around the Moon! Come learn the story of this bold NASA decision as we revisit this history-making flight.

2025 SPACE TALKS

  • Saturday, Jan. 4: Rocket Engines Then and Now. One of the most massive rocket engines ever built powered the Saturn V Moon Rocket over 50 years ago. A huge rocket, the SpaceX Starship, is flying today. How does the Saturn’s F-1 compare to the SpaceX Raptor 3?

  • Saturday, Feb. 1: A Close Encounter with Pluto. When Pluto was first discovered, it was considered the 9th planet. But we knew very little about it. Everything changed with the New Horizons flyby. Scientists were thrilled and astounded. Come experience this for yourself!

  • Saturday, Mar. 1: Encounter at Ultima Thule. The New Horizons spacecraft sped past Pluto out into a vast region of our Solar System named the Kuiper Belt. Could it find, approach, and study anything there? YES! What does it look like? What have we learned about it?

  • Saturday, Apr. 5: TBA. 

  • Saturday, May 3: TBA

  • Saturday, June 7: TBA

  • No Space Talk in July

  • Saturday, Aug. 6: TBA

  • Saturday, Sept. 6: TBA

  • Saturday, Oct. 4: TBA

  • Saturday, Nov. 1: TBA

  • *SPECIAL DATE* Saturday, Dec. 13: TBA

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