Space Day 2025

• 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
• 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
• Eliad Peretz, Deputy Lead Scientist, NASA’s Heliophysics Strategic Technology Office and Mission-instrument Scientist, Heliophysics Division at Goddard Space Flight Center
• Shobitha  Satyapal, Professor, Physics and Astronomy
• 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.

Analemma Society
Because Science
Caelus Rocketry
College of Engineering and Computing
College of Science
Fairfax County Park Authority
George Mason Chemistry Club
George Mason Department of Physics and Astronomy
George Mason Planetary Geology
Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation
Northrop Grumman
Space Weather Group
SPEC Innovations

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