Hear about recent innovative missions and take a look back at the history of space exploration with distinguished lecturers and experts on the forefront of space science and history. The Exploring Space Lecture series runs annually, from March to June. The 2025 series will explore planetary oceans:
Life as we know it requires access to water, usually liquid water, and Earth is not the only place in our solar system where we can find this resource. In this year’s Exploring Space Lecture Series, we will explore the distribution of liquid oceans in our solar system, past and present; consider the origins of Earth’s oceans and learn about what happened to Mars’ oceans; question whether Earth’s twin, Venus, could have ever been cool enough to support oceans; and examine why the outer solar system is dominated by moons with salty, underground oceans.
This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne: An L3Harris Technologies Company and United Launch Alliance.
Lecture
DiBraccio will highlight how Mars' ocean escaped into space through the atmosphere, and Malespin will tell us all about how Mars' rovers have deepened our understanding of the fate of oceans on Mars from the ground.
Lecture
Often called Earth's twin, there is much debate over Venus' status as a watery world: If Venus had oceans, where did all that water go?
Lecture
Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered in oceans, but did you ever wonder why? Explore where Earth's ocean water came from and how we know
