For the first time in 99 years, a total solar eclipse will cross the entire nation on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. Representatives of NASA, other federal agencies and science organizations will provide important viewing safety, travel logistics and science information during two televised briefings starting at 1 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 21, in Washington. The event will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency’s website.
Media representatives are invited to join the Office of Communications and External Relations at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road in Cleveland to watch the briefings and learn about agency-wide plans and the science behind the eclipse. Between the two televised briefings, Glenn representatives will discuss and answer questions about the center’s planned eclipse events, its support along the path of totality, and how media can participate.
Over the course of 100 minutes, 14 states across the United States will experience over two minutes of darkness in the middle of the day. Additionally, a partial eclipse will be viewable across all of North America. The eclipse will provide a unique opportunity to study the sun, Earth, moon and their interaction because of the eclipse’s long path over land coast to coast. Scientists will be able to take ground-based and airborne observations over a period of an hour and a half to complement the data and images provided by space assets.
First Panel: 1 – 2 p.m. EDT
– Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate,
Headquarters, Washington
– Vanessa Griffin, director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Satellite
and Product Operations, Suitland, Maryland
– Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science;
National Park Service representative, Washington
– Martin Knopp, associate administrator, Office of Operations, Federal Highway Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation, Headquarters, Washington
Second Panel: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
– Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate
– Angela Des Jardins, principal investigator, Eclipse Ballooning Project, Montana State
University, Bozeman
– Angela Speck, Professor of Astrophysics; Director of Astronomy, University of Missouri,
Columbia
– Dave Boboltz, program director of solar physics, Division of Astronomical Sciences, National
Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
– Linda Shore, Executive Director, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco
– Matt Penn, astronomer, National Solar Observatory, Tucson, Arizona
A question-and-answer session will take place during the briefings with attending media in Washington. Media coming to Glenn will be able to ask questions by phone. The public also can ask questions during the briefings using #eclipse2017.
Media planning on attending the Glenn viewing must RSVP to Debbie Lockhart by phone at 216-433-8655 or by email at deborah.j.lockhart@nasa.gov no later than 9 a.m. on June 21.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and to view the news briefing, visit:
For more information on the eclipse and how to safely view it, visit:
-end-
Debbie Lockhart
NASA Glenn Research Center
216-433-8655
deborah.j.lockhart@nasa.gov
Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov