Presented by Elaine Garcia and Angela She
In July 2015, NASA’s space probe New Horizons sent back the first high-resolution photos of Pluto, engendering excitement around the world. These images are evidence of the progress we have made scientifically and technologically in our pursuit to explore and understand outer space. But, how did it all begin? What happened along the way? How did we overcome the obstacles to studying and eventually journeying in space? Our lecture will begin with Elaine’s presentation describing how the advancement of mathematics aided the study of astronomy during different eras. Then Angela will discuss the development of technology and tools that have made modern astronomy possible. Following the talk there will be a short video on the engineering feat in 2012 that allowed the Mars rover, Curiosity, to dock on Mars.