PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Contact: Stephanie R. Zeluck

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 1997

JPL PRESENTS A SEARCH FOR THE ORIGINS OF THE UNIVERSE

      "Beyond Hubble: NASA's Origins Program Searches for the Beginnings of the Universe" will be the theme for a free public lecture describing NASA's Origins program. The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in JPL's von Karman Auditorium, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

      NASA's Origins program will use a suite of sophisticated space telescopes to determine the origins of the universe, galaxies, stars and planets. Additionally, the program will try to learn whether Earthlike planets possible of sustaining some form of life exist around nearby stars.

      Origins will develop and operate astronomical observatories more advanced than the current fleet of facilities within the first two decades of the next millennium. Origins missions will include four space-based observatories -- the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the Next Generation Space Telescope, the Space Interferometry Mission and the Terrestrial Planet Finder. Supplementing data gathered by Origins space telescopes will be Earth-based observations using the two 10-meter (33-foot) Keck telescopes in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

      Origins is managed for NASA by the Origins Program Office within JPL's Space and Earth Science Programs Directorate.

      The lecture will be presented by Dr. Firouz Naderi, JPL manager for the Origins program. Dr. Naderi has formerly been project manager for the NASA Scatterometer and SeaWinds projects, and has served as the program manager at NASA Headquarters for the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite Program.

      This lecture is part of the von Karman Lecture Series held monthly by the JPL Public Information Office. JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena. A web site on the lecture series is located at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/lecture. For directions and other information, call the Public Information Office at (818) 354-5011.

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