Workshop for the Media on Planetary Defense
at the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about near-Earth objects and planetary defense: a workshop for journalists and science writers.

Sunday, March 17, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. EDT, GMT -5)
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center
Indian Springs

Register
The workshop is free but places are limited, so registration is required.

In this three-hour workshop, experts will report on the methods and status of finding, tracking, and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs) and planning for planetary defense. Plenty of time will be provided for questions and discussion.

Agenda

Journalists and science writers will have an opportunity to learn about such developments as:

• Progress in ground-based optical and radar observations of near-Earth asteroids and comets.
• Advances in modeling and understanding atmospheric, land, and water impacts of NEOs.
• Current understanding of NEO characteristics.
• NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect Test, the first mission that will demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique (the kinetic impactor).
• Functions of the Minor Planet Center, the International Asteroid Warning System, and the Space Missions Planning Advisory Group.
• The first test of the global asteroid-impact warning system and plans for a second test.
• Interagency and international cooperation on planning for planetary defense.
• The status of planning for a dedicated, space-based asteroid detection telescope.

Experts on hand will include:

• NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson
• NASA NEO Observations Program Manager Kelly Fast
• NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office Program Executive Rob Landis
• NASA NEO Observations Program Scientist Michael Kelley
• University of Arizona Associate Professor, Small Bodies, Situational Awareness, Vishnu Reddy
• Near Earth Object Camera (NEOCAM) Principal Investigator Amy Mainzer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

For registration questions, contact LaJuan Moore at [email protected].

If you have other questions or need more information, contact Doris Daou, [email protected]; or Linda Billings, [email protected]

The developing picture of Ultima Thule - the farthest object ever explored

Monday, March 18, 12:00 p.m. CDT (1:00 p.m. EDT, GMT -5)
The Woodlands Room


The New Horizons team will interpret some of the latest results and offer perspective on what the flyby is teaching us about Kuiper Belt objects and planet origins.

Panelists:
Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute
Dr. Carly Howett, New Horizons Science Team Member, Southwest Research Institute
Dr. Silvia Protopapa, New Horizons Co-Investigator, Southwest Research Institute
Dr. Kirby Runyon, New Horizons Science Team Member, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Dr. William McKinnon, New Horizons Co-Investigator, Washington University in St. Louis

This briefing will be streamed live on the LPSC Livestream page.

Hayabusa2: Successful Touchdown and Scientific Findings for Ryugu

Tuesday, March 19, 11:45 a.m. CDT (12:45 p.m. EDT, GMT -5) to 12:30 p.m. CDT (1:30 p.m. EDT, GMT -5)
The Woodlands Room


JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrived at asteroid Ryugu on June 27, 2018 and successfully touched down on the surface of Ryugu on February 22, 2019 at 7:29:10 AM (Japan Standard Time, GMT+9). The team will discuss the detailed remote-sensing observations and experiments conducted by the spacecraft and present new insights from these investigations into the formation and evolution of Ryugu. Results of the touchdown operations and the latest images taken will also be shared.

Panelists:
Yuichi Tsuda, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Sei-ichiro Watanabe, Nagoya University
Ralph Milliken, Brown University
Seiji Sugita, University of Tokyo

This briefing will be streamed live on the LPSC Livestream page.

Hayabusa2 Press Conference Presentations (1 of 2)
Hayabusa2 Press Conference Presentations (2 of 2)

Bennu Revealed: OSIRIS-REx's Unexpected Discoveries

Tuesday, March 19, 12:30 p.m. CDT (1:30 p.m. EDT, GMT -5)

NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, March 19, to announce new science from the agency's first mission to return to Earth an asteroid sample that may contain unaltered material from the very beginning of our solar system.

For dial-in information, media must send their name, affiliation and phone number to Lonnie Shekhtman at L​o​n​n​i​e​.​S​h​e​k​h​t​m​a​n​@​n​a​s​a​.​g​o​v by 10 a.m. EDT on March 19. Teleconference audio and visuals will stream live at: https://www.nasa.gov/live.