- New Upcoming Event -
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Lunch featuring Dr. Colleen Hartman, GSFC
To book the event, contact us.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Lunch featuring Dr. Colleen Hartman, GSFC
To book the event, contact us.
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2018 Event Schedule
January 16, 2018 - Lunch featuring Dr. Stephen Volz, Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation & Prediction and NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services PRESENTATION February 20, 2018 - Lunch featuring William Wrobel, Director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA PRESENTATION March 20, 2018 - Lunch featuring Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director National Weather Service FLYER April 17, 2018 - Lunch featuring Nancy A. Levenson, Deputy Director, Space Telescope Science Institute PRESENTATION May 11, 2018 - Annual Gala 6pm - 10:30pm at Martins Crosswinds June 19, 2018 - Lunch featuring Colleen Hartman, NASA/GSFC FLYER July 17, 2018 - Lunch featuring Greg Mandt, Director, Joint Polar Satellite System at NOAA August 21, 2018 - Lunch featuring Chris Scolese, Director, Goddard Space Flight Center September 18, 2018 - Lunch featuring Senator Chris Van Hollen October 16, 2018 - Lunch featuring Ben Wu, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development November 13, 2018 - Lunch featuring Antonio Busalacchi, President of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) December 4, 2018 - Lunch 2017 Events January 17, 2017 - luncheon featuring Mr. Robert Lightfoot, NASA Associate Administrator February 21, 2017 - luncheon featuring Mr. John Schaub, Director Naval Center for Space Technology at NRL March 21, 2017 - luncheon featuring Chris Scolese, Director, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA April 21, 2017 - Annual Gala and Silent Auction May 15 (Monday) - luncheon featuring Senator Ben Cardin June 20 - luncheon featuring Dr. Michael Farrar, NOAA/NWS presentation July 18 - luncheon featuring Bill Ochs, JWST August 15 - luncheon featuringDr. Antonio Busalacchi, UCAR_ September 19 - luncheon featuring Dr. Nicola Fox, APL, Parker Solar Probe October 4 (date change) - GSFC Fall Reception at the National Air & Space Museum October 17 - luncheon featuring Steve Jurczyk, NASA AA STMD Presentation November 14 - luncheon featuring Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Admin for Science Mission Directorate December 5 - luncheon featuring Dr. Jim Garvin Chief Scientist, GSFC Lunch Flyer 2016 Event Speakers > Dr. Rick Spinrad, Chief Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Presentation > Dr Harold Weaver, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to speak about New Horizons > Chris Scolese, Director, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center > Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md) Note: Luncheon to be held at UMD Conference Center April 29th (Friday), 6-10pm MSBR Annual Gala > Bill Ochs, GSFC > William Wrobel, Director, Wallop's Flight Facility > Dr. Karen St. Germain, Director of the Office of Systems Architecture and Advanced Planning (OSAAP) for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service > Congressman Chris Van Hollen > Jason Crusan, NASA HQ >Stephen Volz, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services > Doug Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Space Policy > Dr. Jim Garvin, NASA GSFC 
Senator Mikulski, Rushern Baker, Wallace Loh, Jingli Yang, with the Oxon Hill High School FIRST Robotics Team at the MSBR April 27, 2015 lunch.
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Event News
Luncheons are typically held on the last Tuesday of the month, from 11:30am to 1:30pm, at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD (unless otherwise noted). 2017 Luncheon Speaker Notes
October 17, Steve Jurczyk. Associate Administrator for NASA’s STMD; Space Technology Mission Directorate.
The STMD directorate enables new missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. The directorate has a cross cutting focus on the enterprise directorates; in addition to creating new technologies it creates markets for technologies. There are several stages to the STMD efforts from Early Stage through Commercial Partnerships. Early stage innovation to take items from low TRL to higher. Examples include NIAC, Space Tech Research grants, and innovation funds. Game changing takes technologies from TRL 3-4 to 5 or 6 through the death march. Lastly, commercial partnerships for higher level TRLs to increase market presence and value to taxpayers such as tech transfer, prize challenges. Mega drivers for STMD activities include improving access to space while lowering cost; accelerating pace of discovery, democratization of space (broadening participation of citizens and government, along with public private partnerships), increased utilization of space. Six thrust areas and their specific examples include:
Specific technology progress includes:
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2017 Luncheon Speaker Notes
September 19, Dr. Nicola Fox, APL, Parker Solar Probe
Nicky Fox is the Parker Solar Probe project scientist. The mission will launch in 2018, and was introduced by a mission trailer. Total solar eclipse in August 2018 provides a good background for the Parker Solar Probe mission. Eclipses were feared in ancient times, but an eclipse provides a method to observe the sun. The Carrington event 1851 -- where he observed solar flares but the effect was not immediately present until the electronic transmissions were interrupted, this proving some insight into the nature of solar activity and its effect on out atmosphere. Solar cycle now is on a decline near absolute minimum but, nonetheless, we saw a x39 flare last week. Solar activity is included in the President’s Daily Brief and White House action plan. Knowledge of activity close to the sun is lacking. Mystery 1: temp rises as you move away from the sun. Mystery 2: why is there a solar wind; and how does the solar wind continually get accelerated? Structures within the corona are visible during the eclipse, for example. In 1958 guidance from Simpson Committee provided 12 missions, but the only one not done yet is solar probe. The reason we haven’t done this to date is that technology wasn’t there yet, namely materials and lightweight durable structures. The heat shield is a Carbon-carbon alloy with aluminum coating 30 million watts input. Solar cells tuck in as we get close to the sun. No RTG’s. Full water driven cooling system throughout the solar arrays. Final testing underway and the heat shield is separate Launch will be on a Delta 4 heavy with upper stage. Launch window July 31 2018from Kennedy with a 6 week commissioning phase. Venus orbit trims momentum as we step into the suns gravity assist. Payload Includes: SWEAP: Includes SPC, a faraday cup operating at 2500 Degrees. FIELDS: Antenna or measure electric fields. IS-SIS: Instrument suite for hi and low particles. WISPER: White light imager to see solar wind structures, shocks, flux ropes, etc. Everything we have previously known about the corona was previously discovered during eclipses. Parker Solar Probe provides science not just for science sake, but also for early warning. February 21, 2017, John Schaub, Director, Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), NRL Director Schaub provided an overview of the NCST, which provides systems engineering and technical direction to NRL. The lab was a Brainchild of Edison, following the sinking of the Lusitania. Now, 93 years later, NRL serves as the Navy’s full spectrum laboratory for operational and research needs. Research ranges from the mud to the sun and from applied technology to acoustics, from remote sensing to oceanography. NCST funding is dependent on relevance and operational needs; funding for its research is not guaranteed. The center’s most public accomplishment include in house cradle to grave support for space missions and related technologies. Director Schaub provided an overview of their Space Robotics Laboratory, established in 2001. The three research thrusts of the robotics are: controls and algorithms, mechanisms and actuation, and sensing. Projects include a Lidar based grappling system; and related grappling tasks and dynamics. New fellows join NCST through the Carl fellowship, and work on tasks such as Quadriped creature for warfighter assistance. |
