On October 14, NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its exobiology/astrobiology program with a symposium in Arlington, Virginia. It was a terrific event: interesting, engaging, and perhaps even momentous – and definitely fun!

The symposium, “Seeking Signs of Life,” reviewed some of the many significant contributions to science that NASA-sponsored exobiology and astrobiology researchers have made over the years. (To review them all would have taken days….) Among the highlights of the event were James Lovelock’s and Lynn Margulis’s opening keynote talks, and Dan Goldin’s lunchtime talk about his commitment to astrobiology as NASA Administrator.

At age 91, Lovelock has the sharp and lively intellect of a 30-year-old science prodigy. He’s also disarmingly humble – a trait perhaps not so common among science prodigies…. “NASA has played an enormous part in my life,” he said. “ It moves me emotionally.” The letter he received from NASA official Abe Silverstein in 1961, inviting him to work with the agency, “stirred me,” he admitted, “as would a love letter.”

Lynn Margulis dazzled her audience with the story of the science of the origins and evolution of life, about which she is very obviously passionate. Her work and the work of her many, many colleagues excites her, and she’s intent on sharing this excitement. No sales pitch here, and none needed – she cares about science so much that she’s learned to excel at making science accessible to all.

Dan Goldin gave what was apparently his first public address about astrobiology since he left NASA in 2001. He really cared about it then, and he really cares about it now. His account of his adventures in astrobiology while heading NASA was fascinating and sometimes quite amusing….

Among moments that stood out in the proceedings were:

  • Barry Blumberg’s comment that astrobiologists are not looking for extraterrestrial life, they are looking for data to test the hypothesis that life may exist in extraterrestrial environments – a point that resonated with scientists and non-scientists alike. (Nobel Laureate Blumberg was the first director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.)
  • Dan Goldin’s assertion that theologians and religious leaders “don’t have a problem” with the idea that life may exist beyond the Earth, followed by Connie Bertka’s observation that while these leaders may not have a problem, many people who consider themselves religious have problems with this idea. (Astrobiologist Bertka has advanced degrees in planetary science and theology.)
  • Noel Hinners’ observation that NASA’s Viking mission to Mars was “premature” in some sense, as scientists knew so little about Mars at the time. (Hinners was chief of space science at NASA in the Viking era.)
  • The opportunity for all in attendance not only to listen to all these accomplished people speak about their work but also to mingle with them throughout the day. This was a most egalitarian group!

Students and citizens (including at least one home-schooled boy and his mother) attended or tuned in and enjoyed the proceedings, which were webcasted and also broadcasted on NASA TV’s education channel. Through social media and other means, word about the symposium got out to citizens not only nationwide but also around the world. The symposium webcast had an audience of thousands outside the U.S., ranging from Australia to Brazil, India to Japan, and more. For those who missed the event live, the webcast will be archived indefinitely (see below).

Audience feedback thus far runs positive – for instance:

  • “I am just the average working girl…who is fascinated by a topic which is probably way over her head. Thanx for keeping it simple enough to understand without talking down!… Exciting and educational… Definitely worth the vacation time.”
  • “I thoroughly enjoyed myself during today’s event…I just thought it was amazing how much ground was covered and the people I got to hear from.”
  • “The best part was finding out how diverse the [astrobiology community] really is. Whoever knew that [NASA astrobiologist and symposium speaker] Pan Conrad was an opera singer?”
  • “I thoroughly enjoyed every minute, and it cemented in my mind a desire to keep on working with the astrobiological community. It was a privilege to attend, and doing so has left a very lasting impression.”

Several bloggers (including me) have written about the event – check out these posts:

Science in Pen and Ink

Roger Launius’s Blog

Space Policy Online

CapitalGadfly

A short interview with Pan Conrad on NPR’s Weekend Edition: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130772458

Astrobiology Magazine (www.astrobio.net) provided a live twitter feed from the event, which can be viewed at: http://twitter.com/astrobiologymag

The archived webcast of the symposium is available at:
http://www.livestream.com/astrobiology50th

The symposium program and speaker biographies are available at:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=35721

Thanks to all involved for a job exceedingly well done!

Linda Billings