Upcoming Education and Public Engagement Opportunities
Are you interested in sharing your science and expertise with the public? Education and public engagement opportunities may be available online or in your community. Explore ways to get involved by contacting your local museums and planetariums, libraries, Solar System Ambassadors, or amateur astronomy clubs.
DART Mission Launch, November 24, 2021
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) is the first space mission to test asteroid deflection from a kinetic impact and is part of NASA’s larger planetary defense strategy. The DART mission spacecraft presents the opportunity to discuss asteroids, comets, and planetary defense. For more information, visit dart.jhuapl.edu.
Credit: NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser, NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.
Geminids Meteor Shower, December 4–17, 2021
The Geminids are produced by dust particles left behind by asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini. The shower peaks this year on December 14. Meteor showers provide an excellent opportunity to generate public interest in asteroids and comets, planetary atmospheres, and night sky viewing! For more information about the Geminids, visit solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/geminids/in-depth.
Launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, December 18, 2021
The premier space observatory of the future, the James Webb Space Telescope, is an engineering triumph that will reveal the early universe, lifecycles of galaxies and stars, and features of faraway worlds. The Webb mission signifies innovation, perseverance, and the next leap in understanding the universe; help celebrate the big day!
For more information, visit www.webb.nasa.gov.
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn.
Launch of Artemis 1, February 2022
The launch of NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission will be the first integrated test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The launch of the Artemis missions is a key milestone that marks the beginning of the next generation in human exploration to the Moon and Mars. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/artemis-1.