Teachers

Dr. Stern is a planetary scientist, a member of the Challenger Center board and the former Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. He is the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto. Dr. Stern records a popular monthly series of space science podcasts for Challenger Center.

• Suborbital Science: Barnstorming the Space Frontier; Featuring Challenger Center Board member Dr. Alan Stern
  Credit: Jim Arthurs, Producer

• The Pluto Files with Dr. Neil Tyson on NOVA

 

Interviews with Challenger Center on YouTube

• Exploring Comets!
  Dr. Stern, a planetary scientist and principal investigator for NASA's New Horizon mission to Pluto talks about comets, where they come from, what they are made of and what they tell us about our solar system.
• Jupiter’s Amazing Moons
  Dr. Alan Stern introduces us to the gas giant Jupiter, and some of its interesting Moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Io and Amalthea.
• Origin of Our Solar System
  Explore the origin of the solar system with Dr. Alan Stern and learn more about how our Sun, moons, planets and dwarf planets evolved.
• Asteroid Impact Hazards
  Explore the dangers of asteroid impacts with Dr. Alan Stern. How is NASA tracking large asteroids that may collide with Earth? How could we deflect a collision course asteroid?

Audio Podcast Interviews

• Dwarf Planets and Exoplanets with Dr. Alan Stern
  Dr. Alan Stern, planetary scientist discusses dwarf planets in and out of our solar system and NASA missions to explore them, and the discovery of exoplanets in other solar systems and NASA missions to find other worlds.
  
• The WISE Mission
  Let planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern introduce you to NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE mission, to map the sky in infrared, search for near-Earth objects and make other surprising discoveries.
• Interesting Moons of Saturn with Dr. Alan Stern
  Dr. Alan Stern discusses the moons of Saturn including Titan and Enceladus, possible sites of biological life, and the many types of moons including shepherd moons, moonlets and irregular moons, all in the context of the Cassini mission.
• Suborbital Science - Learn more about suborbital science opportunities and benefits with Dr. Alan Stern. Information about the upcoming Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference.
• The Sun-Earth Connection with Dr. Alan Stern - Dr. Alan Stern discusses the Sun and its influence on the Earth. Learn more about solar flares and their effects on spacecraft, satellites and humans.
• Exploring Comets - Dr. Stern, a planetary scientist and principal investigator for NASA's New Horizon mission to Pluto talks about comets, where they come from, what they are made of and what they tell us about our solar system.
• Birth and Death of Stars - Learn about how stars are born, live and die. Dr. Alan Stern discusses the colors and sizes of stars, stellar companions and the many diverse types of stars in our universe.
• Interesting Moons of Jupiter - Dr. Alan Stern introduces us to the gas giant Jupiter, and some of its interesting Moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Io and Amalthea.
• Origin of the Solar System - Explore the origin of the solar system with Dr. Alan Stern and learn more about how our Sun, moons, planets and dwarf planets evolved.
• Asteroid Impact Hazards - Explore the dangers of asteroid impacts with Dr. Alan Stern. How is NASA tracking large asteroids that may collide with Earth? How could we deflect a collision course asteroid?
• Space Weather - Dr. Alan Stern discusses "space weather", a term for the effects of the Sun on our planet (and solar system) and how scientists study it, are trying to predict it and learn how to mitigate its harmful effects.
• 2009 NASA Missions - Dr. Alan Stern discusses NASA's upcoming Hubble Servicing Mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) missions, and the Kepler and Glory missions.
• Exploring Our Universe - A discussion with Dr. Alan Stern exploring the many facets of our universe, its age, size, galaxies, black holes and more!
• Exploring Mars - Dr. Alan Stern discusses past, present and future missions to the planet Mars.
• Water on the Moon? - Dr. Alan Stern talks with Challenger Center about the implications of finding water on the Moon.
• The Pluto Controversy - Dr. Alan Stern, planetary scientist and former Associate Administrator at NASA's Science Mission Directorate discusses his views on "The Great Debate" about the classification of Pluto as a dwarf planet.