Welcome to the Westport Astronomical Society

BOB MEADOWS?

The Bob Meadows Stellafane Report!

Bob Meadows returns from The 85th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont – the World’s Oldest Amateur Star Party – to share the latest innovations in amateur astronomy.

NASA Flight Director Dr. Bob Dempsey – Tales From The Trenches – When Things Go Wrong in Space

WAS member and NASA Flight Director Dr. Bob Dempsey returns to provide an update on the commercial crew program progress to date, including results on the latest uncrewed Boeing test flight (currently planned for July 30th). He will then discuss how NASA’s Mission Control solves problems in space.  To many, the movie Apollo 13 embodies the “can-do” spirit of NASA.  Dr. Bob will describe several real incidents that have occurred on the International Space Station and how the men and women of Mission Control rose to the occasion to solve the problem and ensure the crew remained safe.

International Observe the Moon Night

You are invited to join the next International Observe the Moon Night! On October 16, 2021, observers all over the world will take part in lunar viewing, hands-on activities, virtual and in-person events, and more. 

Rain/Cloud Date October 17, 2021

Scott Guzewich, NASA Research Astrophysicist – Roving Mars with Curiosity and Perseverance

Curiosity and Perseverance are exploring the history of Mars, helping understand if life could have ever thrived on its surface, and preparing for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Come learn how we drive rovers on Mars, what we’ve learned from Curiosity in its 9 years on Mars and what Perseverance is collecting to return to Earth!

Scott Guzewich is a scientist in the Planetary Environments Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He received a PhD in Earth and Planetary Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2013. His research interests include terrestrial planet atmospheric dynamics, aerosols, and chemistry and conducts research through spaceflight mission data analysis and general circulation modeling. He is currently a member of the Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020 rover science teams.

TBA

Description to come…

Avi Loeb, Professor of Science at Harvard University – Extraterrestrial Life: Are We the Sharpest Cookies in the Jar?

ABRAHAM (AVI) LOEB is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University, chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy, founding director of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative, and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He also chairs the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, and serves as the science theory director for all Initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, as well as chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. Author of four books and over 700 scientific papers, Loeb is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. In 2012, Time selected Loeb as one of the twenty-five most influential people in space.