NASA and Discovery Education Celebrate Space Day 2015

TL;DR

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, home to scientists and engineers, explores the universe and our place in it.

Transcript

good day everyone my name is patty duncan from discovery education and i want to welcome you to the white house and discovery education of the people series today in honor of space day we are coming to you live from nasa's goddard space flight center in greenbelt maryland you can join the conversation on twitter at discovery ed with using the hasht... Read More

Key Insights

• 💦 NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is a hub for scientists and engineers working together to explore and understand the universe.
• 🎟️ The center is responsible for missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Telescope, and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment.
• 🧑‍🎨 Goddard has a diverse workforce, including mathematicians, artists, communicators, and financial analysts.
• 🚮 The center aims to uncover the mysteries of the solar system, search for signs of life beyond Earth, and enhance our understanding of our place in space.
• 😫 The James Webb Telescope, set to launch in 2018, will be a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and allow for clearer observations of the universe.
• 🦖 NASA's exploration projects, like the OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu, contribute to evolving our understanding of the solar system's origins and potential life elsewhere.
• 👾 The metric system is used in space missions to maintain international communication and standardize measurements.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the role of the Chief Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center?

The Chief Scientist represents the collective workforce of scientists and engineers at Goddard who explore the universe, ask questions about our place in space, and work towards the discovery of signs of life beyond Earth.

Q: What other job opportunities are available at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center?

In addition to scientists and engineers, Goddard employs mathematicians, artists, communicators, animators, social media experts, and financial analysts. There is a wide range of job opportunities for those interested in space exploration.

Q: When is the James Webb Telescope expected to launch?

The James Webb Telescope is scheduled to launch in the middle to fall of 2018. It will take at least three months to reach its destination and begin making observations.

Q: How long did it take to build the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment?

It took approximately six years to design, build, test, evaluate, calibrate, and ensure the functionality of the SAM experiment. Currently, SAM is exploring Mars and collecting data about its past environments.

Q: Why was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet?

Astronomers classified Pluto as a dwarf planet because it is smaller than the primary planets in our solar system but larger than most other small objects. This reclassification was based on size and orbit characteristics.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is a science center with engineers and scientists working together to explore the universe and answer questions about our place in space.

• The center is home to various missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the upcoming James Webb Telescope.

• Other projects at Goddard include the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment and the OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu.