Space Day 2025 at George Mason Brings in Over 1,000 Visitors

Close to 1,200 attendees including students, faculty, space enthusiasts, and families gathered at George Mason University on Saturday, September 20 for Space Day 2025. Hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the event offered a full afternoon of public science programming focused on space exploration, astronomy, and STEM education. Activities were held across the Johnson Center and nearby facilities on Mason’s Fairfax campus.

The event featured several speakers including keynotes by Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson, a retired NASA astronaut and former Space Shuttle commander, and Eliad Peretz, a researcher from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to the keynotes, a series of short-format lightning talks were held throughout the afternoon covering topics of artificial intelligence for Mars mission planning, dark matter simulations, citizen science initiatives, and space policy. 

Visitors also participated in observatory tours and hands-on demonstrations organized by student clubs, academic departments, and local science organizations. Popular exhibits included solar telescope viewing, tours of George Mason’s 30-foot radio dish, and interactive physics experiments and crafts.

Space Day 2025 drew broad participation from campus and community partners, including representatives from Northrop Grumman, SPEC Innovations, the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, and multiple George Mason science and engineering groups. 

Prior to the public event, the college hosted a Space Day Industry Roundtable featuring representatives from BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, BlackSky, NASA, and Fibertek, Inc. This roundtable served as an opportunity to connect industry leaders with George Mason faculty and students by fostering dialogue, sparking collaboration, and increasing awareness of career pathways in the space and defense sectors.

Thank you again to our sponsors including Dark Sky Friends, DarkSky NOVA, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC), ZWO, and Welcome2Mason. 

More information about the event and future opportunities to participate is available at science.gmu.edu/spaceday