"On the Shore of the Cosmic Ocean" with Professor Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA

Professor Thomas Zurbuchen is the Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA HQ, in Washington, D.C. The NASA Science Mission Directorate guides the international space science community in seeking new knowledge and understanding of our planet Earth, our Sun and solar system, and the universe out to its farthest reaches and back to its earliest moments of existence.

It coordinates the use of space observatories to conduct scientific studies of the Earth from space to visit and return samples from other bodies in the solar system, and to peer out into our Galaxy and beyond. NASA's science program seeks answers to profound questions that touch us all:
 

• How and why are Earth's climate and the environment changing?
• How and why does the Sun vary and affect Earth and the rest of the solar system?
• How do planets and life originate?
• How does the universe work, and what are its origin and destiny?
• Are we alone?
   

Please register via Eventbrite.

Professor Zurbuchen will deliver a lecture entitled “On the Shore of the Cosmic Ocean":

The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore, we've learned most of what we know. Recently, we've waded a little way out, maybe ankle-deep, and the water seems inviting.”  Carl Sagan visualized our perspective on Earth as looking out to a vast ocean, and with an international fleet of space-based and ground observatories now and soon to come, we are poised more than ever to jump into the larger universe.  The upcoming Solar Orbiter mission gives us a perfect example of how far we can go when we work together across traditional boundaries and realize that nothing in science is done in isolation.  Understanding our own star leads to an increased awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s place in our solar system, as well as the Sun’s influence on planets near and far, all the way out to the boundary of our solar system.  And our vision doesn’t stop there; using our star as a template informs our view of other star systems and their worlds.  What we learn now, sitting on that shore, will enrich our journey out into the endless cosmic sea.”