When they enter the upper layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, these energetic particles excite nitrogen and oxygen atoms present at these altitudes. The Exploring Space Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance.Time lapses showing the ISS travelling through auroras This story begins with remote bases on Earth and then looks outward to the International Space Station, future bases on the Moon and Mars, and the challenges of settlement on more distant worlds. The 2023 Exploring Space Lecture Series will examine the reality of living and working in space for years at a time. Science fiction gives us a vision of human life throughout the solar system and the galaxy, but few worlds are truly habitable for people. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery and Destination Moon, prior to the lecture.Ībout the 2023 Exploring Space Lecture Series Lecture attendees are invited to arrive early at 7 pm to explore the second-floor galleries of the Museum, including the Kenneth C. Register to attend in person at the Museum in DC. Registration is required for in person attendance and encouraged for online viewing. If you require another access service to fully participate or have any questions about accessibility, please contact To ensure the best experience, please try to contact us at your soonest convenience. This program will be presented in-person in the Planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum in DC and will be streamed live on YouTube.ĪSL Interpretation will be provided and live captioning on YouTube. Join Julie Robinson, NASA’s deputy director for earth science, as we explore what living in space teaches us about life on Earth. Spaceflight gives us the opportunity to understand climate change and mitigate its effects to improve the resilience of communities on our home planet.

At the same time, we have collected extraordinary data about the Earth system passing below us. In several decades of continuous presence on the International Space Station, we have learned surprising things about the engineering of systems that support human life.

When humans explore space, we have to reproduce all the same systems that Earth provides to sustain life-water, air, surface, and biota - in order to survive in the unforgiving environment of space.

Earth view from space station