NASA’S Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will hold a panel discussion called “The Facts of Fiction: A Martian Panel of Langley Experts” about the challenges of sending humans to Mars from 11 a.m. to noon Sept. 30.
Panelists will be Langley researchers working on technologies to enable a successful journey to the red planet.
Media who would like to attend should contact Michael Finneran in the Office of Communications at michael.p.finneran@nasa.gov<mailto:michael.p.finneran@nasa.gov> or at 757-864-6110 to arrange access to Langley.
The panel discussion comes two days before the scheduled Oct. 2 release of the 20th Century Fox movie “The Martian,” which stars Matt Damon as a NASA astronaut stranded on Mars.
NASA scientists and engineers served as technical consultants on the film, which portrays a realistic view of the climate and topography of Mars and some of the challenges the agency faces as it prepares for human exploration of the planet in the 2030s.
At Langley, four panelists will discuss the overall journey to Mars, as well as work to develop habitats to live in; technology to protect against cosmic radiation; and the entry, descent and landing analysis required to ensure safe landing.
For more about the movie and NASA’s Journey to Mars, go to http://www.nasa.gov/realmartians
Langley researcher video interviews:
