THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR ASTRONOMY & SPACE EXPO
THE
SPEAKERS
NEAF searches the world to bring you the astronomers, researchers, scientists, and personalities that are making science history today.
No where else will you find such an extensive caliber of talent brought together in one place.
Bob Cabana
NASA Associate Administrator (retired), Astronaut
ROBERT D. CABANA is a former NASA astronaut, currently serving as the agency’s associate administrator, its third highest-ranking executive and highest-ranking civil servant. He is the senior advisor to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. In his role, Cabana leads the agency’s 10 center directors as well as the mission directorate associate administrators at headquarters. He acts as the agency’s chief operating officer for more than 18,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $25 billion.
Before taking that position, Cabana was director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In that role, Cabana managed all NASA facilities and activities at the spaceport, including the team of civil service and contractor employees who operate and support numerous space programs and projects.
Norm Knight
The Flight Operations Directorate is responsible for providing trained astronaut crew members and for overall planning, directing, managing, and implementing overall mission operations for NASA human spaceflight programs. The Directorate is also responsible for all JSC aircraft operations including aircrew training.
In 2012, Norm was selected as the Chief of the Flight Director Office and then as the Deputy Director of the Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) in 2018, after serving a temporary assignment as the Assistant Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. In 2021, Norm was selected as the Director of FOD.
Director, NASA Flight Operations Directorate
Debbie Korth
Orion Deputy Program Manager
DEBBIE KORTH is the Orion Deputy Program Manager. As the Deputy PM, Debbie supports the Program Manager in leading and managing the design, development, testing, production, and operations of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis missions. Debbie brings over 30 years of experience in human spaceflight development, integration, and operations supporting Orion, ISS,
and the Space Shuttle.
Previous to her current assignment, Debbie served as the Manager of the Orion Crew and Service Module (CSM) Office, responsible for the management and engineering oversight of the design, development, production, test, verification, and certification of the crew module, service module and launch abort system hardware for the Orion spacecraft. Prior to becoming the CSM
Manager, Debbie served as the Deputy Manager of Orion Program Planning and Control (PP&C) office, responsible for strategic planning, directing, and
managing all aspects of program budget, schedule, risk, and workforce. In previous Orion assignments, she led the affordability and collaboration efforts for the program, managed response to external audits/inquiries, and directed and managed multiple contract changes as an alternate Contracting Officer Representative.
Gerry Griffin
GERRY GRIFFIN served as a flight director during the Apollo program and director of Johnson Space Center, succeeding Chris Kraft in 1982. In 1964 Griffin joined NASA in Houston as a flight controller in Mission Control, specializing in guidance, navigation and control systems during Project Gemini. In 1968 he was named a Mission Control flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo Program manned missions including all manned missions to the Moon.
Apollo Flight Director
David Levy
Astronomer, Author
DAVID H. LEVY is a Canadian astronomer and science writer who co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 in 1993, which collided with the planet Jupiter in 1994. Levy was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1948. He developed an interest in astronomy at an early age. However, he pursued and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature.
Levy went on to discover 22 comets, either independently or with Gene and Carolyn S. Shoemaker. He has written 34 books, mostly on astronomical subjects, such as The Quest for Comets, a biography of Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh in 2006, and his tribute to Gene Shoemaker in Shoemaker by Levy. He has provided periodic articles for Sky and Telescope magazine, as well as Parade Magazine, Sky News and, most recently, Astronomy Magazine.
Chris Go
CHRISTOPHER GO lives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. He studied at the University of San Carlos where he received a BS in physics and co-founded the University’s first-ever astronomical society. In February 2006, he discovered Jupiter’s “Red Spot Jr.” Peeking through his first set of binoculars at a young age, Christopher Go had no
idea how the images being reflected back at him would change his life as he knew it. For four years, Go viewed the world through the lenses of his binoculars and, at the same time, got a closer look into his passion. In 1990, he received his first telescope and began exploring the world of astro-imaging. Christopher Go has co-authored
articles in numerous scientific journals including Nature. Go is also a current member of the American Astronomical Society and its Division for Planetary Sciences. Go uses a Celestron C14 and a Celestron Skyris camera to capture his astrophotography and the hearts of his avid followers.
Renowned Planetary Imager
Jean Wright
NASA Seamstress, Author
JEAN WRIGHT was the last "Sew Sister" hired during the space shuttle program. The white material on the outside of space shuttles was not metal or composite but actually fabric. Wright was one of eighteen “Sew Sisters” who hand crafted these thermal blankets which covered the space shuttles and protected the astronauts from deadly heat and radiation.
Capturing both the grandeur of space flight and the intimacy of a needle and thread, her new book “Sew Sister” tells the story of Jean’s childhood passion for space and sewing, and her fascinating work for NASA’s shuttle program.
Christina Koch
Artemis II Astronaut
CHRISTINA HAMMOCK KOCH was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. In 2018, she was assigned to her first space flight, a long duration mission on the ISS. She served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 59, 60 and 61. Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space. Koch conducted six spacewalks, including the first three all women spacewalks, totaling 42 hours and 15 minutes. She has been assigned as Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Alyssa Pagan
Webb Imagery, The Art and Science in Translating Cosmic Infrared Light
Alyssa Pagan is a Science Visuals Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in art and design from Towson University and a second bachelor’s in Astronomy from the
University of Maryland, College Park. Leveraging art and science, Alyssa applies an in-depth technical understanding of image formats, image quality, resolution, color management, metadata, and photo printing, along with the principles of photography and design to the presentation of astronomical data.
The amazing visions from the Webb Space Telescope have captivated the world. However, there is a long and involved process by which the scientist's black and white observational data are transformed into dynamic color imagery for the public. Join image specialist Alyssa Pagan as she discusses the art and science of translating infrared light into amazing images.
Robert Reeves
Robert Reeves has been exploring the cosmos since 1958 and took his first lunar photograph in 1959. In 1984 Reeves began publishing articles
about astrophotography in Astronomy magazine. Since then, Robert has published over 250 magazine articles and 250 newspaper columns
Astrophotographer / Author
about astronomy. His articles have appeared in Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Deep Sky, Deep Sky Journal, Amateur Astronomy, and The Astrograph. In 1994 Reeves published his first book, The Superpower Space Race, followed by The Conquest of Space, co-authored with Fritz Bronner. In 2000, Robert published Wide-Field Astrophotography, followed by Introduction to Digital Astrophophotography in 2005 and Introduction to Webcam Astrophotography in 2006.
The Moon presents delightful apparitions throughout the month, ranging from the fanciful Cheshire Cat smile of a crescent moon above the sunset horizon to the friendly face of the Man-in-the-Moon rising in the east at full moon. But how much does the average observer really understand about Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor? Robert Reeves unravels the mystery of the Moon’s face and shows it to be a geologic wonderland, seemingly frozen in time, yet changing night by night, Reeves visits the sentimental favorite features enjoyed by both novice and seasoned lovers of the Moon and explains in non-technical terms the Moon’s geology and topography and how the Moon’s face evolved over billions of years. Robert Reeves strips the mystery from the Moon and reveals it as a world waiting
to be explored and understood through a telescope.
JOE RAO is the eight-time Emmy nominated meteorologist and on air personality. In addition to his on-air fame, Joe is also an avid amateur astronomer. He has co-lead several eclipse expeditions and served as an on-board meteorologist for three eclipse cruises. He is also an Associate and Guest Lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium, a Contributing Editor for S&T magazine and also writes for Space.com, Natural History magazine, and the Farmers’ Almanac.
Hosted by Joe Rao
and Vince Coulehan
VINCE COULEHAN takes center stage as your NEAF Talks Master of Ceremonies. Vince is an avid astro-imager and has been chasing the world for over five decades as an amateur astronomer to witness, now nine total solar eclipses. He is an active member with the AAVSO as well as a key NEAF organizer and a primary board member at Rockland Astronomy. He has been active with outreach to bring astronomy and observing to students at high schools and elementary schools for over 20 years. Vincent has an ME in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College.