Space Day 2025

Join us for George Mason Space Day 2025

Join us September 20 for this free, public, interactive event that brings people together to explore the science and technology driving today’s leading aerospace initiatives. Designed to educate and inspire, the day features engaging talks from experts in space exploration, along with hands-on activities, educational exhibits, and contributions from a variety of organizations in the field.

Announcing George Mason Space Day Speaker Captain Hoot Gibson, USN, Retired Astronaut

Retired NASA astronaut Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson, USN flew five Space Shuttle missions, commanding four, including the historic 1995 Atlantis flight—the first shuttle docking with Russia’s Mir space station. Selected as an astronaut in 1978, he piloted Challenger in 1984, which featured the first untethered spacewalks. He later commanded Columbia, Atlantis, and Endeavour, contributing to satellite deployments, scientific research, and U.S.-Japan collaboration. Following the Challenger disaster, he helped redesign shuttle systems.

Learn more about Captain Gibson

12:30 p.m.	Johnson Center Ground Level	Doors Open
1 to 1:15 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Opening Remarks Cody W. Edwards, Dean, College of Science Gabriele Belle, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science
1:15 to 2 p.m.	Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall	Keynote: The Road to Space Captain Hoot Gibson, USN, Retired Astronaut Meet and greet will take place immediately following the lecture
2 to 2:30 p.m.	Johnson Center Ground Level	Take a break from lectures to peruse our attending vendors. See "participating organizations" below for full list.
2:35 to 3:20 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Keynote: A Journey Through the Stars - A Message from the Universe Eliad Peretz, Heliophysics Division at Goddard Space Flight Center
3:20 to 4 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Lightning Talk Block 1: Science Talks -3:20 to 3:40 p.m.- Citizen Science: Rob Parks, George Mason Observatory -3:40 to 4 p.m.- Light Pollution Reconsidered: Eileen Kraigie, Dark Sky Friends and Tom Reinert, DarkSky International
4 to 4:20 p.m.	Johnson Center Ground Level	Take a break from lectures to peruse our attending vendors. See "participating organizations" below for full list.
4:20 to 5:20 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Lightning Talk Block 2: Science Talks -4:20 to 4:40 p.m.- The Language of the Stars: Anamaria Berea, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science -4:40 to 5 p.m.- How can AI help us het to Mars?: Steve Dam, SPEC Innovations -5 to 5:20 p.m.- Illuminating the Dark (Matter) with Computer Simulations: Ferah Munshi, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science
5:20 to 5:40 p.m.	Johnson Center Ground Level	Take a break from lectures to peruse our attending vendors. See "participating organizations" below for full list.
5:40 to 7 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Lightning Talk Block 3: Technology and Policy -5:40 to 6 p.m.- Preparing For Flight: The NASA Landolt Mission at Mason: Peter Plavchan, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science -6 to 6:20 p.m.- Space Weather Impacts on Electric Power Grid: Bob Weigel, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science -6:20 to 6:40 p.m.- Caelus Rocketry: Pioneering High School Liquid-Fuel Rocketry -6:40 to 7 p.m.- Hina Kazmi, Schar School of Policy and Government
7 p.m.	Johnson Center Cinema	Closing Remarks Peter Plavchan, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science Raffle drawing

Keynote Speakers:

Captain Hoot Gibson, USN, Retired Astronaut
Eliad Peretz, Deputy Lead Scientist, NASA’s Heliophysics Strategic Technology Office and Mission-instrument Scientist, Heliophysics Division at Goddard Space Flight Center

George Mason Space Day Speakers

Caelus Rocketry (formerly known as Project Caelus)
Anamaria Berea, Associate Professor, Computational and Data Sciences
Steve Dam, President and Founder of the Systems and Proposal Engineering Company (SPEC Innovations)
Hina Kazmi, Adjunct Faculty, Schar School of Policy and Government
Eileen Kragie, Dark Sky Friends
Ferah Munshi, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Rob Parks, Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University
Peter Plavchan, Landolt Mission PI, Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Tom Reinert, Board Member and Former President, DarkSky International
Bob Weigel, Professor, Physics and Astronomy

View speaker bios

Tours and Shows

George Mason Observatory Tour: Tours will start every 20 minutes and last 25 minutes. On a tour of the observatory, you will have the opportunity to view George Mason’s campus telescope and learn about its history. You will also see student-produced astronomy images and hear an overview of the research topics studied using the telescope. Sign ups available on-site.
Planetarium Shows: Shows will start every 20 minute and last 15 minutes. During a planetarium show, you will watch a tour through space and learn about celestial objects as you pass by them. This show is not suggested for guests with sensitivity to flashing lights, dark environments, or enclosed spaces.
Radio Dish Tour: Tours start every 40 minutes and last 30 minutes. On the radio dish tour, you will get to see George Mason’s 30-foot satellite communications dish.

Hands-On Science

Gravity Table: Here, we will illustrate the concept of curved spacetime in Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Angular Momentum Stool: This hands on demonstration will showcase the concepts of angular momentum
Spectral Tubes: Discover how scientists identify elements by the light they emit.
Observing the Sun: Safely view our closest start through a properly filtered telescope

Other Activities

Arts and Crafts: Our youngest future astronauts are invited to get creative with space-themed arts and crafts.
Paper Plane contest

Analemma Society
Because Science
Caelus Rocketry
Chemistry Club
College of Engineering and Computing
College of Science
Dark Sky Friends
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Fairfax County Park Authority
Flight Adventure Park
Friends of the Observatory
George Mason Chemistry Club
George Mason Department of Physics and Astronomy
George Mason Planetary Geology
High Power Rocketry
Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation
Northrop Grumman
Physics and Astronomy Society
Planetary Geology
Smithsonian Associates
Smithsonian Explainers Program
Space Weather Group
SPEC Innovations
ZWO

We are excited to have you join us at George Mason Space Day on Saturday, September 20th. To make your experience more convenient, we have set up parking arrangements for the event. Event parking is in Lot A on George Mason's Fairfax Campus.

Parking Registration Instructions:

Click on the registration link: https://www.offstreet.io/events/7427CVW6
Enter your license plate details and any other required information on the online page.
Your license plate will serve as your parking permit. Event parking is in Lot A.
Optionally, you can enter your email address to receive a confirmation email of your parking registration.

We encourage you to pre-register your parking spot to ensure a smooth arrival on the day of the event. You can also register on the day of the event by scanning a QR code available on-site.

Gabriele Belle, Department of Physics and Astronomy and NASA Landolt Mission (Chair)
S Falgiano, George Mason Observatory
Natasha Gilliam, Marketing and Communications
Li Ping Hsiao, Sponsorships
Audrey Kelaher, Sponsorships (Co-Chair)
Zander Leon, Marketing and Communications
Tracy Mason, Marketing and Communications (Co-Chair)
Peter Pachowicz, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NASA Landolt Mission
Rob Parks, George Mason Observatory (Co-Chair)
Laura M Powers, Marketing and Communications and NASA Landolt Mission
Steven Robeson, Mason Space Center and NASA Landolt Mission
Franklin Van Valkenburg, Sponsorships

Win big at Mason Space Day

Join us for Mason Space Day and take part in our exciting raffle with over $600 in prizes up for grabs. The grand prize? A ZWO S30 Smart Telescope—perfect for stargazers of all levels. Don’t miss your chance to take home amazing gear and celebrate science in style.