Big Sky with NASA Ties: Personal journeys through the Solar System

Join us for an inspiring presentation with two engineers from NASA, Brent Buffington and Powtawche Valerino, as they share their personal journeys from Montana to careers in space exploration. Learn how their Montana connections helped shape their paths, hear about the educational pursuits that prepared them for success, and discover the exciting technical work they have performed in mission design, navigation, and guidance across multiple missions at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

During the talk, you'll virtually travel to some of the most fascinating destinations in our solar system, Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon, and even the Sun, as Brent and Powtawche highlight the groundbreaking missions associated with each of these celestial stops, including Cassini-Huygens, Europa Clipper, Parker Solar Probe, and the Artemis Program.

Come ready to explore, imagine, and be inspired by what's possible when curiosity meets opportunity.

This event can be attended at the Billings Public Library or, to attend from your home, scan the QR code to the left.