NASA Press Events at 2022 Fall AGU Meeting

NASA researchers will present findings on Earth and space sciences Dec. 12-16 at the American Geophysical Union’s 2022 Fall meeting, being held both virtually and in Chicago this year. Science topics at the meeting range from climate science to planetary defense to studies of the Martian surface.

NASA-related press events at the meeting are as follows. (Access to participating in live briefings requires press registration. All briefings will be posted afterwards at the Fall Meeting 2022 Press Events playlist.) All times Eastern, unless stated otherwise.

Hands on demonstrations of science, hyperwall talks by NASA experts, and the NASA 2023 calendar will all be made available at the NASA exhibit in the AGU Exhibit Hall beginning on Monday, Dec. 12. In addition to the exhibit area in Chicago, NASA’s virtual exhibit space, NASA Science Now, will live stream some of the hyperwall talks from the exhibit.

10 a.m. – Media Briefing: Space Helicopters! Aircraft for Other Worlds

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter began the era of powered-controlled flight on Mars on April 19, 2021. Originally envisioned as a technology demonstrator that could fly up to five flights at the Red Planet, the rotorcraft is gearing up for Flight 36 as it not only continues its flight test mission but supports explorations by the Perseverance Mars rover. This briefing will cover the status of Ingenuity and what legacies it could have for future missions. The briefing will also cover the latest with NASA’s Dragonfly quadcopter, which is destined to fly at the Saturnian moon Titan.

3 p.m. – Media Round Table: Arrival Preview: NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx – formally the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security - Regolith Explorer – is on track to deliver a sizable sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, landing under a parachute at the U.S. Air Force’s Utah Testing and Training Range in the Great Salt Lake Desert, completing a seven-year mission.

At this roundtable, mission leads will outline what needs to happen for a safe delivery of the asteroid sample. The team still needs to make a few precise space maneuvers to meet Earth at the right speed, time, and position to drop off its package. Meanwhile, on the ground, crews prepare to receive the sample. The team will also discuss the importance of this sample and what we hope to learn from it.

4:20 p.m. – NASA Hyperwall Livestream

Join experts at the NASA booth to hear hyperwall talks about Planetary Science, Astrophysics, Earth Science and Heliophysics.

2:30 p.m. – Media Opportunity at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium

Interview availability at the Adler Planetarium, with Mars Sample Return project scientist Mini Wadhwa, Mars Helicopter pilot Havard Grip, and Mars Helicopter mission lead Teddy Tzanetos. Interviews will take place in front of full-size models of NASA’s Perseverance and Ingenuity.

4:25 p.m. – NASA Hyperwall Livestream

Join experts at the NASA booth to hear hyperwall talks about the NASA Eyes Application, Open Science and the upcoming eclipse events in 2023 and 2024.

11 a.m. – Media Briefing: NASA Juno: Jovian Moon Revelations

Recent flybys of NASA’s Juno mission have provided the most detailed in-depth exploration of the Jovian moons Ganymede (in 2021) and Europa (in 2022) in a generation. And the solar-powered spacecraft recently completed its 46th close-up science pass of Jupiter. This briefing will include new science results from its Ganymede flyby and preliminary results from the recent Europa flyby – including depth and subsurface structure. The latest Jupiter imagery at northern latitudes will also be shared.

2 p.m. – Media Round Table: Wetland Losses and Record Methane Increases

The growth rates of the concentration of atmospheric methane were the largest in 2020 and 2021 since measurements began 40 years ago. While most emissions are from anthropogenic sources, new research is examining how climate change increases methane emissions from wetlands, even as the habitat is lost. In this roundtable, scientists will discuss how satellite data and ongoing field work in Florida and worldwide is changing how we think about the global methane budget.

5:30 p.m. – NASA Hyperwall Livestream

Join experts at the NASA booth to hear about Earth science, the Sun and how the James Webb Space Telescope contributes to planetary science.

6 p.m. – Science and Storytelling

On the lighter side, the science storytelling event Ignite@AGU features NASA scientists and others discussing their work live – and with no notes. Sponsored by NASA’s Applied Sciences Program, Ignite@AGU is at the Adler Planetarium Wednesday evening, Dec. 14. RSVPs required at https://igniteagu.io/.

12:20 p.m. – NASA Hyperwall Livestream

Join experts at the NASA booth to hear about how NASA views Earth from space and the science on Artemis missions.

2 p.m. – Media Briefing: Pioneering Planetary Defense: What Comes Next After DART’s Asteroid Impact

After NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) intentionally slammed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos on Sept. 26 – altering its orbit by a whopping 32 minutes – the mission team worked to ask itself one fundamental question: What are the implications for using this technique in the future, if such a need should arise?

Join DART scientists for a detailed interpretation of post-impact science and analysis from the world’s first planetary defense technology demonstration. After observing the ejecta evolution and modeling the dynamics and impact, the science team has a greater understanding of what the spacecraft achieved at the impact site and can more confidently characterize the asteroid’s physical properties, further advancing our understanding of how to address potentially hazardous asteroids in the future.

11 a.m. – Media Briefing: First Sample Depot on Mars and Next Science Campaign for NASA’s Perseverance Rover

The first sample depot on another planet will be taking physical form on the surface of Mars this month, as NASA’s Perseverance rover caches a collection of samples for later collection by the agency’s Mars Sample Return program. This briefing will chronicle progress in this historic first in space exploration, as well as premiere some of the latest breathtaking imagery courtesy of the most advanced suite of cameras and sensors ever sent to the Red Planet. The event will also reveal for the first time the detailed future exploration of Perseverance with its next science campaign – the “Delta Top Campaign.”

For more information during the meeting:

https://www.nasa.gov/AGU