Press Resources

Upcoming Events

Come to the free public science lectures at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Lectures are at 8 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month in the STScI auditorium on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. Free parking is available. (Directions to STScI)

Press Office Contacts:

Upcoming events, background information and press contacts for journalists.

About Hubble

  • Hubble at a Glance
    Have you ever wondered how much Hubble weighs? How far out in space it orbits as it views the cosmos? We'll tell you that and much more in Hubble at a Glance, interesting facts about the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Hubble Science Impact
    The Hubble Space Telescope has had a major impact in every area of astronomy, from the solar system to objects at the edge of the universe. To date, more than 3,500 technical publications have reported HST Hubble results. Here is a “Top 10” summary of Hubble’s major scientific results.
  • Hubble's Greatest Discoveries
    Hubble has helped astronomers answer many questions about the universe. Come explore Hubble's Greatest Discoveries and learn how the telescope expanded our understanding of the cosmos.
  • "Creating Hubble's Technicolor Universe" (PDF document)
    An article by STScI's Ray Villard and Zoltan Levay discusses the colorization of Hubble images. The article appeared in the September 2002 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine (Copyright 2002, Sky Publishing Corp.), and is made available on this Web site by permission of the publisher.

Science Writers' Workshop

The Space Telescope Science Institute offers periodic workshops that give writers the opportunity to learn about recent science topics.

The most popular workshop is held in the Spring, when the Space Telescope Science Institute selects a science topic and invites scientists from around the world to speak at a symposium. In conjunction with the symposium, the Office of Public Outreach sponsors a workshop for science writers that includes short talks by several symposium speakers. Science writers also have the opportunity to talk with the speakers.

Science writers who cannot attend our workshops can view them on their computers. Visit our archive for information on past workshops.

May 7, 2009 Science Writers' Workshop

Looking for Life Beyond Earth

The possibility of life elsewhere in the universe has intrigued humankind for centuries.

We are the first generation to have the technology that enables us to address this fundamental question scientifically.

On May 4-7, the Space Telescope Science Institute’s “The Search for Life in the Universe” Symposium will tie together multiple areas of research: detecting life within the solar system, detecting life within 300 light-years of Earth, and detecting life in the larger galaxy.

Within the solar system, probes to Mars and Europa are being developed to detect the presence of life on these alien worlds. Beyond the solar system, the search for evidence of life is gaining momentum with the rapid growth in the number of known extrasolar planets. Astronomers are developing new telescopes and observational methods to characterize the habitability of exoplanets and even identify the biosignatures.

A panel of experts from the symposium will present key research frontiers in addressing the question of astrobiology during a science writers’ workshop to be held in the Institute’s Bahcall Auditorium on May 7 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m (EDT).

The Science Writer's Workshop speakers and discussion topics will be:

  • 12:30pm
    Ray Villard (STScI)
    Welcome and Introductions
  • 12:35pm
    Pascale Ehrenfreund (Leiden University)
    "The Seeds of Life — Exogenous Delivery of Organics to Earth"
  • 12:40pm
    Jane Greaves (University of St. Andrews)
    "Terrestrial Planet Bombardment and Habitability"
  • 12:45pm
    Sara Seager (MIT)
    "Exoplanet Atmospheres and Interiors: Implications for Life Detection"
  • 12:50pm
    Wes Traub (JPL)
    "Advantages and Strategies for Direct Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanets"
  • 12:55pm
    Steve Benner (Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution/FfAME)
    "Life As We Don't Know It"
  • 1:00pm
    Mario Livio (STScI)
    "The Quest for Life on New Worlds"
  • 1:05-2:00pm
    Question/Answer/Discussion
    (Panel and Journalists)

Additional information about the symposium is available at: http://www.stsci.edu/institute/conference/spring2009

Journalists will receive complimentary registration for the symposium and the science writers’ workshop. To register for the symposium and/or the science writers’ workshop, journalists should send an e-mail message to gundy@stsci.edu by 3:00 p.m. on Thurs., April 30 providing the following information:

Name:
Affiliation:
Surface mail address:
Phone number:
Fax number:
Date of arrival:
Parking Needed:

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. The institute is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., Washington, D.C.

STScI is an International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA 2009) program partner.