The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Forums has scheduled a series of discussions and lectures for the fall season that will cover a wide range of topics from the rise of populism to America’s national trails.

The first forum will take place next Tuesday (Oct. 9) at 6 p.m. as a preview of the upcoming documentary “Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow.” WBUR’s Megnah Chakrabarti will moderate a discussion with the documentary’s director, Rory Kennedy.

On Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., the library will host “US Foreign Policy in Russia”—a discussion of the current relations between the two countries. Panelists include Tom Nichols, professor of national security affairs at the US Naval War College, Alina Polyakova, David M. Rubenstein Fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, and Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

In November, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will discuss her new book, “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” on Wed., the 7th, at 6 p.m.

Following the midterm elections – on Fri., Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. – Nancy Cordes, chief congressional correspondent for CBS News, will moderate a discussion on the election featuring Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, Mark Preston, CNN executive director of political programming and senior political analyst, and Kate Zernike, political reporter for The New York Times.

Jon Meacham will return to the library on Tues., Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. to talk about his new book, “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,” which examines the polarization of politics in America.

On Nov. 19, a 6 p.m. panel, including Salena Zito and Brad Todd, authors of “The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Shaping Contemporary Domestic Politics,” and John Judis, author of “The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics,” will take up the rise in populism in the US and Europe.

As the fall forum schedule draws to a close on Dec. 5 (6 p.m.), the discussion will shift toward Broadway. Jared Bowen, host of WGBH’s Open Studio with Jared Bowen will moderate a conversation with Todd S. Purdum as he discusses his newest book, “Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution.”