Last November, the SETI Institute co-sponsored NASA’s 2017 Space Radiation Workshop which was held at NASA Ames Research Center to explore ways to enable data-rich characterization, forecasting, and monitoring of space radiation environments.

Madhulika (Lika) Guhathatkurta, who is the Lead Program Scientist for New Initiatives, Exploration Technology Directorate at NASA Headquarters, organized the workshop. 

The workshop brought together NASA scientists and experts in technology, science and engineering with non-NASA organizations with technologies not previously applied to space missions. Some of the presenters included Steven Zornetzer, NASA Ames Associate Center Director, Lika Guhathatkurta, Rod Turner, ASNER, Nathan Schwandron of the University of New Hampshire and Lawrence Pinsky of the University of Houston.

Dr. Guhathatkurta noted, “Also of great interest, are ways in which the Radiation Workshop outcomes are helping to guide and inform the various research challenges for the 2018 NASA Frontier Development Lab (FDL).  FDL is an AI research and development accelerator that is run by the SETI Institute that tackles knowledge gaps useful to the space program. For 2018, Space Weather is a challenge focus for two teams that has been inspired by the excellent concepts presented at the Breakout teams of the Radiation Workshop.”

Videos and other information about the Space Radiation Workshop are available here.