SHOOT FOR THE STARS: What’s it like to be an astronomer at NASA? - Talk by Dr Michelle Thaller (WELLINGTON 2pm)
This is your chance to hear from someone who built a career as a scientist in NASA’s famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which has launched missions to every planet in our solar system, including the Voyager probes, Mars rovers, and the Cassini mission.
Dr Michelle Thaller has 28 years of experience at NASA, working most recently as Assistant Director of Science for Communications at NASA’s largest base, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Washington DC. Many people will have heard her on live NASA broadcasts, such as the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope – the largest telescope in space. She has appeared regularly on television, radio, and online to demystify science. Her work includes The Universe on the History Channel, How the Universe Works on the Science Channel, and the Orbital Path podcast.
Dr Thaller will be sharing some of her favourite space stories, women in STEM and working at NASA. Find out how the universe is coursing through your veins, how it wound up in your DNA, and why your next breath is literally as vast as a galaxy.
The Royal Society Te Apārangi and the International Science Festival are delighted to welcome Dr Thaller to Aotearoa New Zealand, and invite you to come along if you have an interest in space, astronomy, or how science can help us to solve challenges.

SPEAKER
Dr Michelle Thaller
ORGANISATION
Royal Society Te Apārangi
VENUE/DATE
Royal Society Te Apārangi
11 Turnbull St
Thorndon, Wellington 6011
2:00pm Wed 18 June, 2025 - 3:00pm Wed 18 June, 2025