Public Lecture on Thursday, October 7
September 30, 2021
The LPI’s Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series (CESS) connects the public to exciting research, missions, and individuals in planetary and space science. This year, we’ll feature additional presentations in a new CESS+ virtual series. The CESS+ virtual programs cover diverse and ground-breaking topics in planetary science, from NASA’s return missions to Venus to the psychology of human space travel, which will be held virtually with recordings available online. Join us for our first edition of CESS+ to hear from Dolores Hill about how OSIRIS-REx is advancing planetary defense and our understanding of the solar system.
In the year 2135, the asteroid, Bennu, will make a close approach to Earth. Although this near-Earth object will not pose a danger to our planet at that time, Bennu is considered a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). In 2016, NASA sent the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Bennu. After spending more than two years gathering critical information about the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx is now on its way home, carrying a precious sample of rock and dust from Bennu’s surface.
Dolores Hill is a senior research specialist at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL). Since 1981, Dolores has analyzed a wide range of meteorites, provided technical support, and participated in public outreach for space missions and for Arizona’s LPL laboratories. Dolores currently works with sample teams for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission and coordinates Arizona’s LPL outreach activities and the Astronomical League’s Target NEOs! observing program. Dolores has a lifelong interest in amateur astronomy. Near-Earth asteroid (164215) Doloreshill is named after her.
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