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Interplanetary Life 2026 
Meet your Mission Leaders & Speakers!
 

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Dr Jason Rhodes

The Roman Space Telescope

Dark Matter, Dark Energy and 100,000 Exoplanets!
 

Chief Scientist, Astrophysics, NASA JPL
Key Missions

  • Roman Space Telescope

  • Habitable Worlds Observatory

  • Euclid Space Telescope

  • SuperBit Balloon

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Education

  • Princeton,  Physics, Ph.D., 1999

  • Princeton, Physics, M.A., 1996

  • Harvey Mudd College, Physics, B.S., 1994

 

Photo:  Dr Jason Rhodes, (center), visiting Thales Alenia in Cannes, France

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Listen to Jason's iLife 2026 Event Preview! > Roman Space Telescope

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Ben Weiss

Psyche

Rendezvous with a Metal Asteroid!
 

Chair, Planetary Science, MIT 
Key Missions

  • Psyche

  • Europa Clipper

  • Mars 2020

  • JAXA Hayabusa 2

  • SpaceIL Beresheet

  • Rosetta

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Education

  • Caltech, Planetary Science, Ph.D., 2003

  • Caltech, Planetary Science, M.A., 2001

  • Amherst , Physics, B.S., 1995

 

Photo:  Dr Ben Weiss with his Psyche Robot in the clean room before launch!

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Listen to Ben's iLife 2026 Event Preview! > Psyche

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Dr Ashley Davies

Europa Clipper
Jupiter's Ocean World Moon Europa!

Principal Scientist, NASA JPL
Key Missions

  • Europa Clipper, Co-Investigator

  • IIP

  • PICASSO

  • Galileo

  • Io Volcano Observer (IVO)

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Education

  • Lancaster University, UK, Planetary Volcanism  Physics, Ph.D., 1988

  • University of Hertfordshire, UK, Astronomy & Geology, BS,1984

 

< Photo:  Dr Ashley Davies at Mt Erebus, Antartica

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Listen to Ashley's iLife 2026 Event Preview! > Mission to an Ocean World!

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Dr Jason Barnes

Dragonfly

The Octocopter Mission to Titan!

 

Chair, Physics, University of Idaho

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Key Missions

  • Dragonfly Deputy Principle Investigator

  • Cassini

  • Kepler 

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Education

  • University of Arizona, Planetary Science, Ph.D., 2004

  • California Institute of Technology, Astronomy, B.S., 1998

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Photo:  Dr Jason Barnes with a mockup of his Dragonfly octocopter spacecraft

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Listen Jason's iLife 2026 Event Preview! > Dragonfly Heads to Titan

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Dr Tanja Bosak

Curiosity and Perseverance

The Search for Life on Mars!

 

Experimental Geobiology, MIT

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Key Missions

  • Mars 2020 Science Co-Lead

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Education

  • California Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 2004

  • University of Zagreb, Geobiology, B.S., 1998

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Photo:  Dr Bosak searches for signs of life on Mars!

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​​Listen Tanja's iLife 2026 Event Preview!  Coming Soon!
 

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