Connect. Collaborate. Contribute.™
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Event Type: Hybrid, Presentation + Networking
Location In-person Austin Central Library 710 W. César Chávez St. Austin, TX 78701 Online via Zoom Speakers Dr. Moriba Jah Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Privateer Space Tom Markusic Founder and Chief Technology Advisory, Firefly Aerospace Dr. Micaela Bagley Postdoctoral Fellow, Astronomy Department, The University of Texas at Austin. Agenda 5:15-6:15 p.m. - Networking 6:15-7:30 p.m. - Presentation 7:30-7:45 p.m. - Q&A 8:00 p.m. - Networking at Trifecta |
Space has captivated our imaginations since the dawn of humankind. Our gaze, enhanced by evolving technologies, has increased our understanding of the cosmos but also our world and our place in the Universe. Through increasingly capable telescopes and a better understanding of this data, we have greatly expanded human knowledge and appreciation of our world and universe, and our thirst for knowledge is continuously rewarded as new technologies help us see further and clearer. We have sent rockets beyond the Earth for decades, to sense probes throughout our Solar System and beyond, and to blanket our own world in satellites—and it’s in this latter area that we have dramatically expanded our understanding of Earth and our practical capabilities on it. Global broadcasting and communications enabled by rocket-launched satellites are so pervasive that we take them for granted. We use satellite-based mapping and GPS every day, and everyone can get to most anywhere now with only a smartphone in hand. Satellite-based imaging of the Earth has greatly aided weather forecasting and climate science, environment science, national and international security, education, and more. And most recently, the technologies of rockets, satellites, and telescopes have given us the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and provided us with breathtaking, inspiring views of the Universe—even as technologies like the Starlink satellite network enable far more people here on Earth to access information quickly (including those great JWST images!). In fact, the rate of annual rocket launches and the number of operational satellites have become amazing and transformative, for our planet and society, and the future is even more amazing. We have so many satellites in orbit now that the risks of congestion and collision are no longer insignificant.
Join us for this unique Austin Forum conversational event with three experts in space technologies and astronomy: Tom Markusic of Firefly Aerospace, Moriba Jah of Privateer, and Micaela Bagley of UT Austin’s Astronomy Department. They will discuss and show images and videos describing the current space industry prospects and challenges, the latest astronomy insights from JWST, and how these technologies and our continuous quests for knowledge about space are transforming our society, bringing us together, inspiring us, and driving human understanding. Registration and Attendance Instructions All participants must register for this event via Eventbrite In-personJoin us at the Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St. Parking information can be found here. Per City of Austin orders, the Austin Public Library requires masks when indoors except when eating, drinking, or speaking/performing onstage. In-person attendees will also receive all the Zoom information in case for any reason you decide to attend virtually instead. Virtual attendance details can be found below. In-person attendees, please join us from 5:15 to 6:15 for networking and food. We look forward to chatting with you face-to-face! Online via Zoom Once you register via Eventbrite, you will receive the direct Zoom link on the confirmation page, and in your confirmation email. You will also receive the Zoom link in an email from Eventbrite two days before the event and at the event start time. By registering you will also gain access to the Eventbrite Virtual Event Page, which will be accessible on this page at any time for anyone who is registered. Once registered, you will see an "Access Event" button in the Location area to the right. You must be logged in to access this button. |
Speakers
As Chief Scientist, Dr. Jah leads the technical vision for Privateer. Jah is a renowned space environmentalist and astrodynamicist specializing in space object detection, tracking, identification, and characterization, as well as spacecraft navigation. He is an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is the holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering.
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Tom Markusic
Founder and Chief Technology Advisory, Firefly Aerospace |
Dr. Tom Markusic is an American rocket scientist and space tech entrepreneur. Most recently, he founded Firefly Aerospace and served as its Chief Executive Officer, where he led the company in the development of the Alpha Launch Vehicle and the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander. This development has been supported through fundraising approximately $300M, with a Series A valuation exceeding $1B.
Tom has a broad background in the space industry. At the US Air Force and NASA, he worked as a Propulsion Research Scientist and in Constellation subsystem program management. He served in senior positions at several emerging space companies: SpaceX (Principle Propulsion Engineer, Director of Texas Rocket Development Site), Blue Origin (Senior Systems Engineer), and Virgin Galactic (VP of Propulsion). He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. |
Dr. Micaela Bagley
Postdoctoral Fellow, Astronomy Department, The University of Texas at Austin. |
Dr. Micaela Bagley is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin. They study some of the brightest galaxies in the early universe to learn how galaxies form, evolve, and contribute to ionizing the neutral hydrogen in the intergalactic medium. Micaela is also involved in several JWST programs, including leading the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) team within the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey, and as the PI of a program aiming to spectroscopically characterize the emission from galaxies less than 500 million years after the Big Bang. Prior to joining UT Austin, Micaela earned a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Minnesota.
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