"Scientific Exploration of Mars & Human Spaceflight" Hangout 1 April

Scientists have been exploring Mars with increasingly sophisticated missions ever since NASA's Mariner 4 mission in 1964. Each successful mission has revealed more mysteries of the Red Planet. Now, with space agencies and industrial partners developing future human missions in greater detail, scientists are coordinating with the human space flight community to develop joint strategies in preparation for the day when astronauts will explore the planet’s surface.

Tune into the next "Future in Space" hangout on Friday, 1 April, at 3:00 pm ET to learn more. Join regular hosts Tony Darnell, Harley Thronson, and Alberto Conti as they speak with Dr. Pan Conrad from NASA and Dr. Lindsay Hays from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory about future scientific goals for Mars exploration and how working together with human exploration may make them possible.

We hope you can join us! Please bring your questions and comments for our experts. You can join us on YouTube and Facebook.

What Are "Future in Space" Hangouts?

"Future In Space" Hangouts bring the future of space astronomy and astronautics to you every month via Hangouts on Air. With the cooperation of both the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Astronautical Society (the other AAS), our hosts Tony Darnell, Alberto Conti, and Harley Thronson bring you topics that look beyond current space-astronomy research and missions and peer into the unfolding possibilities of what we may learn about the universe with members of the American Astronomical Society. We will peer into what we hope to learn about exoplanets, black holes, the early universe, quasars, and life in the universe along with what technologies might help us — and a whole host of other topics in space astronomy.

We will also explore the technology and engineering possibilities of space travel and research with members of the American Astronautical Society and probe what our future in space may look like and how we might get there. We will examine the underlying technologies of future space telescopes, orbiters, landers, and human space vehicles. We will delve into topics that help us understand the possibilities and limitations of human space flight and eventual human colonization of other worlds.

We hope you can join us each month as we bring experts from both AAS's — people who think about and plan for our future in space — to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. We invite you to bring your questions and comments and get ready to learn about the amazing possibilities for the future of space astronomy and exploration.