With NASA's ESCAPADE mission getting ready for its historic slingshot toward Mars next month, here's your chance to ask a scientist, engineer and mission operator behind it anything! 🛰️ Join Dr. Robert Lillis, Dr. Phyllis Whittlesey, and Brett Bonelli from UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) for our Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET at u/UCBerkeley! Launched in November 2025, ESCAPADE is the first dual-satellite mission to another planet and the first planetary mission led by UC Berkeley. Its twin spacecraft, Blue and Gold, are currently in a “loiter” orbit near Earth, waiting for the right alignment between Earth and Mars. On November 7th and 9th, 2026, they’re scheduled to perform a powered gravity assist around the Earth — a first for a NASA mission — which will boost them toward Mars, arriving in 2027. Come ask them anything about the mission, from studying Mars’ space environment and building and operating spacecraft to wha...