AIAA Los Angeles Section

Fireside Chat with Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas (In-person)

Mon, Jul 27 · 5:30 PM PDT

Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills, CA, US

RSVP Information: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/kk3hpr4/lp/b422dfe1-80ca-4349-b970-d940c17753d5

| AIAA Los Angeles Section Special Event 7/27

An AIAA LA Neil's Day / Apollo 11 Moon Landing Anniversary Event

(In-person attendance)

Monday, July 27, 2026, 6:30 PM PDT (GMT -0700)(5:00 PM Check-in, Networking) (Family, adults, professionals, students, and the public are all welcome.)(RSVP / registration online (free) is required for seating / logistics.)(Walk-ins could be limited, depending on the seating availability.)

(RSVP if you're sure you will attend in person. Please inform events@aiaa-lalv.org if you can't make it on July 27 after RSVP.) (Donation and Add-on order for food are welcome but optional.)

Jul 27

(July 27) Fireside Chat with Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas

Speaker:

John "Danny" Olivas, PhD PE

Former NASA Astronaut

Moderator:

Dr. Jeff Puschell

AIAA Region VI Deputy Director of Education,

AIAA Fellow, SPIE Fellow, National Academy of Engineering,

Northrop Grumman Corporation | Space Systems

Peninsula Center Library (Community Room)

701 Silver Spur Rd, Community Room, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

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Jul 27, 2026 05:30pm PT - Jul 27, 2026 08:30pm PT

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Disclaimer: The views of the speakers / panelists do not represent the views of AIAA or the AIAA Los Angeles Section.

Tentative Agenda (All Times PDT (GMT -0700) (U.S. and Canada)):

5:00 PM: Check-in and Networking (Welcome to bring your own dinner or join group order.)

6:30 PM: Fireside Chat (with Q&A)

7:45 PM: Adjourn. Networking

8:30 PM: Attendees to leave the Community Room

9:00 PM: Library closes

John "Danny" Olivas, PhD PE

Former NASA Astronaut

Danny Olivas is a former NASA astronaut who flew two Space Shuttle missions. He has performed five spacewalks including the only on orbit repair to the thermal protection system of Atlantis. He also made history by being the first Mexican-American spacewalker and holds a PhD in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering. Through his engineering space career, he has worked on projects ranging from designing spaceports to spacesuits. He was most recently commissioned by NASA to perform an independent technical assessment on the heatshield prior to the historic launch of Artemis II.

Danny is one of the founding members of Astronauts For America, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the U.S. Constitution, promoting science, upholding the rule of law, and reinvigorating democratic values.

He is a recipient of two NASA Space Flight Medals and the NASA Exceptional Service and Exceptional Achievement Medals.

(Moderator)

Dr. Jeff Puschell

AIAA Region VI Deputy Director of Education,

AIAA Fellow, SPIE Fellow, National Academy of Engineering,

Northrop Grumman Corporation | Space Systems

Dr. Jeff Puschell is an engineer at Northrop Grumman Space Park in Redondo Beach, California. He is an internationally recognized expert in the system engineering of space-based imaging and remote sensing systems. He has >40 years of experience in developing advanced technology infrared and visible wavelength systems for a variety of operational and research applications. Dr. Puschell has authored or coauthored >160 papers on a variety of topics in astrophysics, imaging, remote sensing and optical communication. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024 for development of optical, multispectral, and hyperspectral space-based remote sensing systems for Earth observation. Dr. Puschell is an AIAA Fellow and a SPIE Fellow. He and his wife Dana live in Solvang and Hermosa Beach, California.

Donation to Astronauts For America (AFA) is welcome.

Please use the Add-on option for donation during RSVP, and select the option for Donation to AFA.

AIAA Los Angeles Section will mail the donations to AFA for the amount received via this event that are dedicated to AFA.

Thank you very much!

No money transaction or solicitations anywhere inside the

Palos Verdes Peninsula Center Library.

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[AIAA Los Angeles Section], [contact@aiaa-lalv.org], [https://www.aiaa-lalv.org]

Peninsula Center Library (Community Room)

701 Silver Spur Rd, Community Room, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

| Parking lots and the Library main entrance on Deep Valley Drive |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- |
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How high the moon, why not Mars beyond Artemis two (webinar)

Sat, Aug 1 · 11:00 AM PDT

·

Online

Online

RSVP and Information: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/axr3hpn/lp/58fce519-e958-428e-bb32-0d40852cf465

AIAA Los Angeles Section Town Hall Meeting 8/1 (Webinar)
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 11 AM PDT (U.S. and Canada) (GMT -0700)

Aug 01
(2026 August 1) How high the moon, why not Mars beyond Artemis two
Presenter / Speaker:
Dr. Lawrence Kuznetz
Former NASA Senior Scientist and Aerospace Engineer
Console at mission control for Apollos 11-17
Helped build the space shuttles and
Managed the human research program for the International Space Station
Book author and STEM Educator
(The speaker will present on-line.)
(The seatings in the smaller Conference Room are very limited. Unless you are committed for showing up in person, please register for the on-line tickets / attendance. Thank you very much.)
Lawndale Library (Conference Room)
14615 Burin Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260

Virtual location
You will receive a confirmation email with a URL.
Aug 01, 2026 11:00am PT - Aug 01, 2026 12:40pm PT
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How high the moon, why not Mars beyond Artemis two
Please join AIAA Los Angeles Section to learn more from / discuss with Dr. Lawrence Kuznetz, an experienced former NASA Senior Scientist and Aerospace Engineer, about the reasons and challenges for going beyond Artemis II. Look forward to seeing you. Enjoy!
Dr. Lawrence Kuznetz
Former NASA Senior Scientist and Aerospace Engineer
Lawrence Kuznetz has advanced degrees from Columbia University and the University of California Berkeley and holds 8 US patents. He was on Console at mission control for Apollos 11-17, helped build the space shuttles and managed the human research program for the international space station. He has authored a novel, non fiction and children’s book about his experiences, conducted experiments proving that water can remain liquid on the surface of Mars and that extremophiles could survive in it. He’s been a leader in STEM education lecturing in the both the Astronomy and Mechanical Engineering departments at UC Berkeley. He is also the CTO of Planetary Protek, designing, and building a radically different spacesuit for Mars and a pandemic fighting PPE suit based on it (planetaryprotek.com)
[AIAA Los Angeles Section], [contact@aiaa-lalv.org], [https://www.aiaa-lalv.org]

New Horizons: NASA’s Mission to Pluto & the Kuiper Belt (Hybrid Meeting)

Sat, Aug 29 · 11:00 AM PDT

Lawndale Library, 14615 Burin Avenue, Lawndale, CA, US

RSVP Information: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/t6j5948/lp/88391feb-66ef-43a6-b395-a6a1fac827d1
AIAA Los Angeles Section Town Hall Meeting 8/29 (Webinar)
An AIAA LA Section Women's Equality Day / Month Event
Saturday, August 29, 2026, 11 AM PDT (U.S. and Canada) (GMT -0700)

Aug 29
(August 29) New Horizons: NASA’s Mission to Pluto & the Kuiper Belt
Speaker:
Alice Bowman
Principal Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
Space Implementation Branch mission operations chief engineer
AIAA Distinguished Speaker
NASA New Horizons mission operations manager (MOM)
(The speaker will present remotely online.) (Webinar)
(This event is not sponsored by the Lawndale Library)
Lawndale Library (Meeting Room)
14615 Burin Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260
View on map

Virtual location
You will receive a confirmation email with a URL.
Aug 29, 2026 11:00am PT - Aug 29, 2026 12:40pm PT
Add to Google · Outlook Web · Outlook Mobile · Yahoo · iCal

Register
Disclaimer: The views of the speakers do not represent the views of AIAA or the AIAA Los Angeles Section.
This event is not sponsored by the Lawndale Library.
“New Horizons: NASA’s Mission to Pluto & the Kuiper Belt”

This presentation is an overview of NASA’s historic mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt – which culminated with the first flight past the distant dwarf planet on 14 July 2015 and the first encounter with a Kuiper Belt object on 1 January 2019. It includes looks at New Horizons’ continuing journey through the eyes of the APL mission operations team as well as the technical, scientific, and personal challenges of piloting a spacecraft across the solar system on its voyage to the farthest reaches of the planetary frontier.
Alice Bowman
Principal Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
Space Implementation Branch mission operations chief engineer
NASA New Horizons mission operations manager (MOM)
AIAA Distinguished Speaker
(The speaker will present remotely online.) (Webinar)
Alice Bowman is a member of the Principal Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. She is the Space Implementation Branch mission operations chief engineer and the NASA New Horizons mission operations manager (MOM). She supervises and advises staff members who operate deep space and Earth-orbiting spacecraft, including NASA’s TIMED, STEREO, New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, DART, Europa Clipper, IMAP and Dragonfly. Ms. Bowman’s experience also includes national defense space operations, systems engineering, program management, space systems, and space instrument development.

Ms. Bowman has a degree in chemistry and physics from the University of Virginia and has more than 30 years of experience in space operations. Asteroid 146040 Alicebowman, discovered by Marc Buie in 2000, is named after her. In 2022, she was presented with the Society of Women Engineers prestigious Resnick Challenger Medal. She is an AIAA Associate Fellow, and has served on the International SpaceOps Committee since 2009.
[AIAA Los Angeles Section], [contact@aiaa-lalv.org], [https://www.aiaa-lalv.org]