Hancock Partners With NASA to Host Asteroid Days

NOVEMBER 10, 2021 -- As NASA prepares for the launch of its historic Double Asteroid Impact (DART) mission later this month from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Allan Hancock College is set to host various fun and educational events for the community.

Hancock’s Asteroid Days event will run from Nov. 22-23 and feature workshops, lectures, and a special NASA expo. The celebration will culminate with a viewing of the DART spacecraft launch at Hancock’s Lompoc Valley Center on the night of Nov. 23. Asteroid Days events, including the launch viewing, will be free and open to the public. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for our students and community to learn first-hand about NASA’s planetary missions, DART, the protection of the earth from asteroids, and NASA’s solar system visualization and analysis portals," said Hancock STEM Counselor Christine Reed. "I highly encourage our students and the public, especially those interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), to take this opportunity to engage and interact with NASA and their partners while they are on our campus for these events.”

The two-day NASA expo will be held at the Mechanics Bank Student Center (bldg. G) on Hancock’s Santa Maria campus from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Nov. 22, and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Nov. 23. The expo will include exhibits on the DART mission, the Kennedy Space Center Launch Services program, the NASA Night Sky Network, and more.

Faculty, students and the community are also invited to participate in lectures and workshops on the Santa Maria campus as part of Asteroid Days. The lectures and workshops will take place Nov. 22-23 and will be conducted by NASA representatives. Workshops will include topics such as “Protecting Earth from Asteroids” and “Conducting Your Own Explorations with NASA’s Solar System Treks.” All lectures and workshops will be held both in-person and streamed live online on Hancock’s YouTube page. Additionally, NASA Director of Planetary Science Lori Glaze will present a public lecture on Nov. 22 from 6-7 p.m.

NASA’s DART mission is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the early morning hours of Nov. 24. Asteroid Days will culminate with a public viewing of the launch on Nov. 23 from 9 p.m.-12 a.m. at Hancock’s Lompoc Valley Center located at One Hancock Dr., in Lompoc. NASA representatives, as well as students and faculty from Hancock’s MESA/STEM program, will be on-hand during the launch viewing. This event will be free and open to the public.

According to NASA, the DART mission is a planetary defense-driven test of technologies for preventing an impact of Earth by a hazardous asteroid. Once it is launched, the DART will head for the small moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger companion asteroid called Didymos, and intentionally crash into the asteroid to slightly change its orbit. While neither asteroid poses a threat to Earth, DART’s kinetic impact will prove that a spacecraft can autonomously navigate to a target asteroid and kinetically impact it, and the mission will enhance modeling and predictive capabilities to help better prepare for an actual asteroid threat should one ever be discovered.

“NASA’s DART mission is a milestone for the Agency. It’s our first Planetary Defense mission,” said Brian Mitchell of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “It’s also great to be working with Hancock College again to help bring this historic mission to the public. Our last collaboration was extremely successful for the community as well as NASA.”

Hancock invites the public to participate for this exciting and historic event. To learn more and see a full schedule of lectures, workshops, and launch viewing information, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/nasa

- AHC -

Photo Caption: Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft from behind. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL