Inventing Tomorrow: Imagining the Space Observatories of the Future (Hybrid)

RSVP and Information: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/eq4tcdq/lp/3f327fd8-d7ca-41b7-9bd9-b40308133614
AIAA Los Angeles Section Evening Town Hall Meeting 9/30 (Tuesday)
(A hybrid event: In-person and online attendance)
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 5:30 PM PDT (GMT -0700) (U.S. and Canada)
Speaker:
Dr. Jonathan Arenberg
Northrop Grumman Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration,
Fellow of the International Optics and Photonics Society, SPIE, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA
Moderator:
Dr. Jeff Puschell
AIAA Region VI Deputy Director of Education,
AIAA Fellow, SPIE Fellow, National Academy of Engineering,
Northrop Grumman Corporation | Space Systems
(The speaker will present in person.)
(This event is not sponsored by the Lawndale Library)
Lawndale Library (Meeting Room)
14615 Burin Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260
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Virtual location
You will receive a confirmation email with a URL.
Sep 30, 2025 05:30pm PT - Sep 30, 2025 07:30pm PT

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

Tentative Agenda (All Times PDT (GMT -0700) (U.S. and Canada)):
4:30 PM: Check-in and Networking (Welcome to bring your own dinner or join group order.)
5:30 PM: Introduction and Presentation (with Q&A)
7:00 PM: Adjourn. Networking
7:30 PM: Meeting Room closes.
8:00 PM: Library closes.
Inventing Tomorrow: Imagining the Space Observatories of the Future
The planning for a major future space observatory, NASA’s next flagship mission, the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) has started. Unlike its predecessor missions, HWO’s initial development takes place on the cusp of a revolution in space technology. The HWO mission will be introduced as discussed. Then the three space ages will be introduced and the fundamentals of the coming revolution defined and explored. We will discuss the difficulties faced in previous flagship development and how the coming neo-space age might address some of these challenges. In addition to the technical aspects of the coming age, we will also discuss the equally important barriers to necessary cultural changes needed to fully redeem the promise offered by the revolution.
(Speaker)
Dr. Jonathan Arenberg
Northrop Grumman Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration
Fellow of the International Optics and Photonics Society, SPIE
Associate Fellow of AIAA
Dr. Jonathan Arenberg is a Northrop Grumman Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration. His role includes developing, planning, and conducting strategic analyses for space science missions across all science disciplines. He directed Northrop’s studies of potential successor missions to the Webb as part of the recent astrophysics decadal review and recent Astrophysics Probe Explorer proposals. Dr. Arenberg has experience working on astronomical programs such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, development of the Starshade and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. He held several positions on Webb, structural technology test lead, system design leader, systems engineering manager and finally chief engineer. In addition to his work on astronomical systems, he has also contributed to major high-energy and tactical laser systems, laser component engineering, metrology, optical inspection, and technology development projects and is a member of national and international standards committees related to lasers and electro-optics. Dr. Arenberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, a Master of Science and PhD in engineering, all from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a Fellow of the International Optics and Photonics Society, SPIE, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA, author of over 240 conference presentations, papers and book chapters and co-author of a recent book on systems engineering for astronomy from SPIE press. He holds 15 European and U.S. patents in a wide variety of areas of technology.
(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 Chief Engineer, EO/lR Payloads 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.
[AIAA Los Angeles Section], [contact@aiaa-lalv.org], [https://www.aiaa-lalv.org]