Select NASA, NOAA and other researchers will present their findings on a variety of Earth and space science topics at the 43rd Annual Robert E. Goddard Memorial Symposium, to be held at the Greenbelt Marriott, Greenbelt, Md., on March 29 and 30.

First day and second day introductions will be provided by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Ed Weiler, with first day keynote address provided by NASA Chief Scientist James Garvin. Second day opening remarks and award presentation will be provided by the Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA Administrator) Conrad C. Lautenbacher.

Five technical sessions and one student session are scheduled for this two-day event.

SESSION #1:  Science Planning, Implementation, Education and Public Outreach – The Big Picture: Tuesday, March 29, 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. EST. The moderator is NASA Chief Scientist James Garvin.  NASA’s Science Mission Director Al Diaz will provide an overview, NASA Associate Administrator for Education Adena Williams Loston to present on education and public outreach efforts, and NASA Associate Deputy Administrator for Systems Integration Mary Kicza to present on role of science in NASA’s strategic planning.

SESSION #2:  Solar System – The Neighboring Worlds: Tuesday, March 29, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.  Moderators are NASA’s Andrew Dantzler and Richard Vondrak.  Speakers include NASA’s James Watzin on Lunar Exploration Program; NASA’s Curt Niebur on Mars Exploration Program; NASA’s Michael Flasar and Hasso Niemann on Cassini; and University of Maryland’s Michael A’Hearn on Deep Impact.

SESSION #3:  Technology – The Key to Enabling Science: Tuesday, March 29, 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Moderator is NASA’s Peter Hughes.  Speakers include NASA’s Richard Barney on Scientific Instruments and Detector Technologies; NASA’s Lee Feinberg on Large Space Optical System Technologies at Goddard; NASA’s Bernard Edwards on Optical Communications in Support of Science from the Moon, Mars and Beyond; NASA’s Daniel Powell on Applied Nanotechnology: Small Technology for Science; NASA’s Walter Brooks on NASA’s ‘Project Columbia’ – Supercomputing Resources for NASA Scientists; and NASA’s Stephen Talabac on Sensor Webs – Enabling Exploration and Opportunistic Science Measurements.

SESSION #4:  Earth-Sun System – Science Starts at Home: Wednesday, March 30, 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Moderator are NASA’s Charles Homes and Mark Schoeberl.  Speakers include Naval Research Laboratory’s Judith Lean on Earth-Sun System: Energy Coupling; University of New Hampshire’s Berrien Moore on Climate Change; NASA’s Marshall Shepherd on Precipitation from Space; NOAA’s Colleen Hartman on Research to Operations in NASA/NOAA Programs; and NASA’s Thomas Moore on Astroplanetology: The Science of Exploration.

SESSION #5: Universe – Solving the Great Mysteries: Wednesday, March 30, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Moderator is NASA’s Richard Howard.  Speakers include Space Telescope Science Institute’s Steven Beckwith on the Hubble Space Telescope; NASA’s Jonathan Gardner on the James Webb Space Telescope; NASA’s Nicholas White on Beyond Einstein; and NASA JPL’s Stephen Unwin and NASA’s William Danchi on Space Interferometers.

SESSION #6:  Special Student Session and Career Fair with NASA career panelists.

The Goddard Memorial Symposium is sponsored by the American Astronomical Society.

All of the symposium sessions are open to credentialed media. News representatives are requested to confirm their plans to attend the event by contacting Jim Kirkpatrick of AAS at 703-866.0020. Media interested in arranging interviews with NASA speakers should contact Susan Hendrix in advance at 301/286-7745.

For more details about this event, visit: http://www.astronautical.org/

For more information about NASA missions, visit: www.nasa.gov