May 5 lecture with NASA researcher looks at extraterrestrial airplane projects
SEATTLE, – A Museum presentation on May 5 takes a look at the future of airplane flights above distant worlds far from Earth. Lecturer Dr. Jason W. Barnes is part of a team that is developing a NASA proposal to fly a robotic airplane on Saturn’s large moon Titan with a mission called Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR). Barnes will talk about this project and the peculiar challenges of flight in the Titanian atmosphere. Barnes will also talk about the NASA selection process for similar projects. The program is at 2 p.m. and free with admission to the Museum.
AVIATR rendering by Mike Malaska.
Barnes is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Idaho and studies the physics of planets and planetary systems. He uses NASA spacecraft data to study planets that orbit stars other than the Sun, and he is an expert on the composition and nature of the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan.
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, $13 for active military, $9 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit museumofflight.org