"If something has been dead for a long time, how can you tell if it was ever alive to begin with?"
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Seminar Detail
The Stardust Discovery Mission - Returning Unique Samples of Early Solar System Organics
Presenter: Scott Sandford ()
April 24, 2006 11:00 AM Pacific
On January 2, 2004, the STARDUST spacecraft made the closest ever flyby (236 km) of the nucleus of a comet - Comet Wild 2. During the flyby the spacecraft collected samples of dust from the coma of the comet. These samples were successfully returned to Earth on January 15, 2006. After a six-month preliminary examination to establish the nature of the returned samples, they will be made available to the general scientific community for study.
During my talk I will discuss the scientific goals of the STARDUST mission and provide a brief overview of the mission’s design and flight. I will also discuss the recovery of the Stardust Sample Return Capsule (SRC), with an emphasis on those aspects of the recovery important for minimizing the degree of contamination (particularly organic contamination) of the samples. Finally, the first samples are only just now being distributed for preliminary examination, but I hope to be able to talk about some of the preliminary findings from the returned comet samples.Participation Instructions
With a Polycom....RSVP to Estelle Dodson (kdodson@mail.arc.nasa.gov) and connect to WebEx as instructed below. If you need Polycom help during the live event, call the videoconferencing help-desk at (650) 604-6412
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Without a Polycom...There are two ways to participate:
1) You can listen to the seminar on the telephone while viewing the slides in WebEx (see WebEx instructions above). The NASA conference phone number for this is (877) 891-6023, passcode 381880.
2) You can watch the Realplayer webcast at: http://vanseg-1.arc.nasa.gov/2006/AB060424-01.ram and view the slides in WebEx (see WebEx instructions above) There is a 30 second delay for the webcast, so you will need to control the slides manually using the arrow buttons in WebEx. Questions for the speaker can be posted in the WebEx chat area to be answered at the end of the talk. Do not try to watch the Realplayer webcast at the same time as the Polycom or the phone. Due to the delay in the webcast, it will sound awful, unless you like dissonance.
December 21, 2007
Team Overview Seminars: Each of the NAI teams will be giving one hour overview seminars that describe the work they will be performing as members of the NAI. These seminars, which will be broadcast via videoconference and web, will provide an opportunity to find out more about the science, EPO and other activities being performed by the NAI teams.
The Director’s Seminar series features talks from scientists who are invited by the NAI Director to present their research results to the community. A primary goal of the seminars is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across NAI teams and within the astrobiology community at large. These seminars are open to all, including the general public; however, the target audience is researchers and students who are engaged in astrobiology. While the seminars are technical in nature, speakers are encouraged to develop presentations that can be understood by colleagues from a variety of disciplines across the field. The talks are typically 50 minutes long, with time at the end for questions and discussion.
The Forum for Astrobiology Research (FAR) seminar provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research results, and to meet as a student community for mutual encouragement and support. FAR science presentations are typically 20-30 minutes each, with several students presenting during one virtual event. On occasion, the FAR seminar will be devoted to group discussion and planning activities.
The University of Washington seminar series is hosted by the NAI VPL team from their campus in Seattle. NAI provides technical support for the seminar series and produces podcasts of the presentations. The talks are typically 50 minutes long, with time at the end for questions and discussion.
Other virtual seminars, such as workshops and summer student presentations, are hosted by NAI. These are typically scheduled as needed and vary in length, content, and target audience.
