Special Program

In Journey To Mars at 2:00 PM, catch a special presentation from Dr. Jason Dworkin, the contamination science lead for OSIRIS-REx, which launched on an Atlas V rocket in 2016.

NASA’s robotic Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security - Regolith Explorer asteroid sample return mission (OSIRIS-REx), is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth for study. OSIRIS-REx seeks answers to the questions that are central to the human experience: Where did we come from? What is our destiny? Asteroids, the leftover debris from the solar system formation process, can answer these questions and teach us about the history of the sun and planets.

About Dr. Jason Dworkin

Jason Dworkin is the project scientist for OSIRIS-REx and has been working on the mission or its precursors since 2004. He is the senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).  His science objective is to assess the organic species available for the origin and early evolution of life with a focus is on understanding the extraterrestrial input and origin of molecules relevant for life. This involves both directing research in the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at GSFC where they analyze meteorites and laboratory analogs of space environments for organic compounds and scientific leadership in NASA missions, including OSIRIS-REx. 

Dr. Dworkin’s presentation will last approximately 20 minutes, with the opportunity to ask him questions after. This presentation is included with admission.