Investigating Space: Asteroid Impact

Saturday, September 17
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Free With General Admission

Learn all about asteroids by engaging in hands-on activities that will teach you how to identify Earth rocks from space rocks using magnets and microscopes. Hear from special guest speaker Ariel Graykowski, a researcher in Planetary Science, discuss NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the world’s first full-scale mission to test technology for defending Earth against potential asteroid or comet hazards.  Scott Manly will explore how crashing into asteroids and changing their orbit could work, and participate in a conversation with the Coordination Lead of NASA’s DART program, Nancy Chabot.                                                                                                                                     

10am – 1pm , Family Activities: Meteor right/Meteor wrong

Try your hand at identifying and classifying space rocks! Can you use different tools like magnets or microscopes to tell which rocks may have come from outer space or which rocks are from right here on Earth?    

12 pm, Scott Manley, DART – Moving Mountains in Space to Save Planet Earth, Theater 

The Double Asteroid Redirect Test is a space mission that has been launched with the ultimate intention of crashing into an asteroid and changing its orbit, this is a demonstration of a concept that is often employed in science fiction to prevent an asteroid crashing into Earth. 

Scott’s degrees are all in Physics and Astronomy, so much of the rocket science and engineering he’s learned is self-taught, always learning, always teaching. To see his YouTube channel, go to: https://www.youtube.com/c/szyzyg                                                                                                   

1 pm, Ariel Graykowski, Asteroids – A Look into the Past and Protection in the Future, Theater

Asteroids are some of the oldest bodies in our solar system. From their orbits to the materials that make up the asteroids, understanding these small bodies helps us understand the early evolution of our solar system. In this talk, we will explore this connection and discuss how scientists have learned all this information about asteroids. While asteroids give us insightful peeks into the past, studying them also helps us protect our planet from future asteroid impacts.  

Ariel Graykowski is a Research Scientist and Postdoctoral Fellow at SETI and a recent PhD graduate from UCLA in Philosophy and Planetary Science.  

2pm, Nancy Chabot in conversation with Ron Hipschman, Theater

Get an insider view of NASA’s DART program, which will intentionally intercept an asteroid with a spacecraft on September 26th. 

Dr. Nancy L. Chabot is a planetary scientist whose scientific research focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of rocky planetary bodies in our Solar System. She is the Coordination Lead on NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. 

Since joining the Exploratorium in 1971, Ron Hipschman has worked as an exhibit developer, author, teacher, and webcast host.