“NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Arrives at Asteroid Bennu” by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0



In this episode, you’ll hear an interview of three Ithaca College students, Antara Sen, Robert Melikyan and Salvatore Ferrone, who are studying the asteroid 101955 Bennu. Their advisor, Professor Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, is a scientist working on NASA mission OSIRIS-REx that will be touching down on the asteroid on October 20, in order to collect samples from the 500 meter diameter object.



To learn more about the mission, visit: https://www.asteroidmission.org/objectives/



Zoe Learner Ponterio (photo courtesy of Esther Racoosin)



Later in the show, you’ll hear Liz Mahood’s interview of Zoe Learner Ponterio, manager of the Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility at Cornell, also known as SPIF. The facility is closed to the public right now, due to COVID-19. But SPIF is offering an exciting remote learning program called “Shelter in Space” that students can explore at home. Visit https://cornellspif.com/ to learn more.



“Bird Migration – Cape May, NJ” by Bob Jagendorf is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0



Today’s show starts off with an update about “2020 Migration Celebration”. The program usually is held on one day in September at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but this year you can learn about bird migration during a two-week series of virtual presentations. To learn more, go to: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/visit/migration-celebration-2020/



Producer: Esther Racoosin



Interview of Ithaca College Students: Esther Racoosin



Interview of Zoe Learner Ponterio: Liz Mahood



Overview of Cornell Lab of O Migration Celebration: Candice Limper



Music: Joe Lewis; Blue Dot Sessions