NASA Astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps to Speak at Dublin 2019

Dr. Jeanette Epps of NASA.

NASA astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps will be a Special Guest at Dublin 2019 – An Irish Worldcon, discussing the challenges of space exploration in lectures and panels.

Dr. Epps will appear on panels on space commercialization, the Apollo moon shot programme, and NASA’s Artemis programme to return astronauts to the moon by 2024. She will also give a solo talk and host autograph and meeting sessions for members of various ages. These events will take place from Thursday (15 August) through Sunday evening (18 August).

Born in Syracuse, New York, Dr Epps was a NASA Fellow while completing her doctorate in aeronautical engineering at the University of Maryland. She spent two years as a scientific researcher at the Ford Motor Company and seven years as a Technical Intelligence Officer at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before being selected as one of nine members of the 20th NASA astronaut class in 2009.

Dr. Epps currently works in the International Space Station Operations Branch. She has been a Crew Support Astronaut for two expeditions and has been lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), the only mission control official who can communicate directly with astronauts on a mission. She has also participated in a nine-day undersea NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO), simulating exploration and materials extraction on an asteroid. She speaks fluent Russian. 

Dr. Epps’ interests and technical experience are wide ranging. She interned at Anheuser-Busch while an undergraduate at Le Moyne College, conducted research on smart materials in graduate school at Maryland and vibration reduction at Ford, and worked on nuclear non-proliferation at the CIA.

“Space exploration is at the heart of science fiction and fantasy,” Dublin 2019 chair James Bacon said. “We’re thrilled that we’re going to get an inside view from Jeanette, informed by all her different experiences in the astronaut programme and as a scientist.”

Dr. Epps can be found at @Astro_Jeanette on Twitter.

Panels, talks and presentations with scientists, engineers and astronauts form a major programme track in a distinguished tradition at Worldcons. Dublin 2019 will be the 77th annual World Science Fiction Convention, the first to be held in Ireland and the eleventh in Europe.

Dublin 2019 – An Irish Worldcon will take place in the Convention Centre Dublin from August 15 to August 19. More than 6,600 people have already signed up as members, including more than 5,200 attending members. More than 830 people will be attending Worldcon for the first time.