November 4, 2022
This special panel colloquium will introduce APL staff to one of the most fascinating topics in all of space exploration: the detailed study of ocean worlds in our backyard. Scientists have now determined that several moons of the outer solar system’s gas and ice giant planets have subsurface oceans similar to the one on Earth’s surface. We’ve even seen evidence of these oceans venting into space through surface fissures on these exotic worlds, a discovery that has reinvigorated the search for life beyond Earth. APL staff are leading research, instrument and NASA mission development to explore these worlds through a range of new technologies. In this colloquium, leading scientists and engineers from the Space Exploration Sector will discuss three of these ocean worlds – Europa, Titan and Enceladus – and describe the innovative missions that will soon explore them.
Dr. Shannon MacKenzie is a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins APL who studies the surfaces of icy satellites like Titan and Enceladus to understand what the processes at work there mean for habitability elsewhere in the solar system. She is the Assistant Project Scientist on Dragonfly and led the Enceladus Orbilander Mission Concept Study.
Dr. Haje Korth is a space physicist at John Hopkins APL. He is involved in planetary and heliophysics research and development of magnetometer instruments. He is currently the APL Deputy Project Scientist for the Europa Clipper mission. Prior to his participation in the Europa Clipper mission, Dr. Korth served as Deputy Project Scientist for the MESSENGER mission.
Dr. Elizabeth (Zibi) Turtle is a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins APL. Her research combines remote-sensing observations and modeling of planetary surfaces, interiors, and their evolution. She is the Principal Investigator for the Dragonfly New Frontiers mission to Titan, Principal Investigator for the Europa Imaging System (EIS) on Europa Clipper, and participated in the Galileo, Cassini, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.
Karen Kirby is a space systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins APL. She is the flight system engineer for Dragonfly New Frontiers mission. Previously she worked on the Europa Clipper systems engineering team and was the systems lead for the NASA Decadal study Enceladus Orbilander mission concept.
Moderator Dr. Jason Kalirai is the Mission Area Executive for Civil Space at Johns Hopkins APL. He leads the implementation of innovative and cost-effective solutions to critical civil space challenges by developing space science missions, instruments, and research and technology programs.