NEW YORK — To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is bringing together a group of astronauts and astrophysicists to talk about the iconic observatory in the first-ever "Virtual Astronomy Live" webcast today (April 24). The free, 90-minute webcast begins at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), and you can watch it live here.
Three retired NASA astronauts and space shuttle veterans will participate in the discussion, including former NASA administrator Charles Bolden, astronaut-turned-artist Nicole Stott and Hubble repairman Mike Massimino, who flew on two Hubble servicing missions in 2002 and 2009.
Also joining the group will be three astrophysicists and science communicators, including Frank Summers, a visualization scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Summer Ash, a rocket scientist, radio astronomer and freelance science writer will moderate the discussion, and John "Das" Galloway, creator of the Kerbal Space Academy game platform, will host the event.
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During the webcast, these scientists and astronauts will look back at some of the biggest moments of Hubble's 30 years in orbit and discuss NASA's next flagship space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope.
The astronauts will also offer their perspectives on "the parallels between isolation in space and the conditions many are experiencing during the current pandemic," the Intrepid museum said in a statement.
At some point during the event, the speakers will be answering questions live through an interactive Q&A. Viewers can submit questions via Twitch.
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Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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