NASA scientist visits town, asks 'Are we alone?'
THE man charged with the task of taking humanity to distant, Earth-like planets is giving a presentation at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus this evening.
Dr Douglas Hudgins is the Program Scientist for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program and TESS mission and Deputy Program Scientist for the Kepler mission.
As part of USQ's Festival of Astronomy and Space, he will give a presentation titled 'Are We Alone? NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program and the Search for Earth 2.0'.
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The talk will include an overview of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program, including key results from the Kepler and K2 space missions, and the science expected from the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite to be launched in 2018.
USQ's annual Festival of Astronomy and Space celebrates astronomy and the space sciences, from humanity's traditional knowledge about the night sky to the edge of the Universe.
The festival is also part of World Space Week and its theme of 'Exploring New Worlds in Space', with USQ's particular research focus being to discover and characterise new planetary systems around stars other than the Sun.
Dr Hudgins will give a special talk at USQ Toowoomba's Allison Dickson Lecture Theatre from 5.30-7pm today.
For full details or to register your interest in any of the free events, click here.
Dr Douglas Hudgin's visit is funded as a gift of the United States Government.
