Public Invited to NASA Goddard Hubble Space Telescope 25th Anniversary Celebration

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Mar 12, 2015, 03:33 ET

GREENBELT, Md., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will mark 25 years since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope with a free public event at its visitor center on Saturday, March 28, 2015, from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. EDT. There are ongoing activities and two sessions, one beginning at 7 p.m. and the second beginning at 9 p.m. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to register because space is limited.

On April 24, 2015, NASA will mark the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's launch. Since its launch, Hubble has allowed astronomers to observe the universe in stunning clarity, revealed properties of space and time, and shed light on many of the great mysteries of the universe making conjectures certainties. Today, Hubble continues to provide views of cosmic wonders never before seen and is at the forefront of many new discoveries.

To participate in one of the event's two presentation sessions, guests must preregister online at http://socialforms.nasa.gov/goddard-visitor-center-hubble-25. Registration is not required to participate in the event's other activities.

The first presentation session will include engaging lectures that will start at 7 p.m., with a second session at 9 p.m. for those who miss the first session. Presenters include Michael Soluri, a New York City-based documentary photographer, speaker and author; and Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, a senior astrophysicist at NASA Goddard where she serves as the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Soluri's photography has appeared in numerous American, European and Brazilian print and online publications like Time, Discover, Air & Space, NPR.org, Family Circle, Mother Earth News, Wired UK, Grazia, Amica, Vogue Brasil and Claudia. His recently published book, "Infinite Worlds," has been cited in Quest, Air & Space, Discover, Spaceflight Insider and Space Collect, among other publications. Images from the book are currently being exhibited in "Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity" at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington; "Hubble@25" at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York; and the space shuttle Atlantis pavilion at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Wiseman previously headed the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory at Goddard. She studies the formation of stars in interstellar clouds using optical, infrared and radio telescopes. She discovered a comet while pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University.

Soluri will open Session 1 at 7 p.m. and Session 2 at 9 p.m. Wiseman will follow Soluri in Session 1 at 7:30 p.m., and in Session 2 at 9:30 p.m.

Soluri will share the insights of his three-year photographic journey documenting the final Hubble servicing missions. Wiseman will highlight stunning space images, references to key scientific advancements and a description of unexpected discoveries enabled by the success of Hubble.

Throughout the evening, additional activities will include:

Stargazing (viewing Jupiter, the moon and other astronomical objects) through telescopes of the Goddard Astronomy Club
Science-on-a-Sphere shows of Earth and space science
Hands-on demonstrations of astronaut tools used to service Hubble
Images on display from Hubble

Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes before their registered session to allow for time to parking and checking in.

For more information about Hubble's 25th anniversary, visit: http://hubble25th.org

For more information and directions to NASA Goddard's Visitor Center, visit:

www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/

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SOURCE NASA