Lecture of the director of the NASA Ames Research Center

On Wednesday, September 21, Simon P. Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Center, will give a lecture "Prospects of Space Research of Solar System". The lecture will take place at 3 p. m. in the Grand auditorium of the Faculty of Physics (Saulėtekio al. 9-III).

Dr. Simon P. Worden is the center director at NASA Ames. In just three years, Worden has completely transformed Ames, reinvigorating the center’s workforce and taking a leadership role in important, cost-effective small satellite missions.

Worden has also put Ames on the critical path for all major NASA space exploration missions through effective use of the center’s unique wind tunnels, arc jets, intelligent systems and supercomputer facilities and capabilities. Worden’s ‘GreenSpace’ initiative has brought Ames’ remote sensing capabilities to bear on air traffic safety, fighting forest fires, and the study of climate change. And Ames’ new Sustainability Base facility will serve as a model for future eco-friendly, high-performance federal buildings. In recognition of these outstanding achievements, Worden was named the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s Laboratory Director of the Year for 2009.

Prior to becoming Ames’ director, Worden was a Research Professor of Astronomy, Optical Sciences and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona where his primary research direction was the development of large space optics for national security and scientific purposes and near-earth asteroids. Additionally, he worked on topics related to space exploration and solar-type activity in nearby stars. He is a recognized expert on space issues — both civil and military. He has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific technical papers in astrophysics, space sciences, and strategic studies. Moreover, he served as a scientific co-investigator for two NASA space science missions.