AIAA New Horizons Forum to Explore Space, Speed, and Energy

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce that leaders from academia, government, and industry will once again convene in January in Orlando, Fla., at the AIAA New Horizons Forum. They will discuss the past and future of the space shuttle program, examine the role that aerospace can play in preserving Earth’s environment, and consider the future of hypersonic flight.

Featuring a series of keynote addresses and panel discussions, the New Horizons Forum will be presented by AIAA in conjunction with the 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, being held January 4-7, 2011, at the Orlando World Center Marriot.

The keynote presentations and speakers at the New Horizon Forum will include:

* Tuesday, January 4, 1:00 p.m. -Space Shuttle Era: Early Days – Dr. Hans Mark, professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin

* Wednesday, January 5, 8:00 a.m. – Space Shuttle Era: Results and Way Ahead – The Honorable Charles F. Bolden Jr., administrator, NASA

* Thursday, January 6, 8:00 a.m. – Energy & Environment: Role for Aerospace – Dr. Ron Sega, vice president for energy and the environment, Colorado State University and Ohio State University

* Friday, January 7, 8:00 a.m. – Hypersonics: Moving Forward – Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) (invited)

Panel discussions for this year’s New Horizon Forum will include:

* Tuesday, January 4, 2:30 p.m. – Space Shuttle: Early Dreams, featuring Robert L. Crippen, past president of AIAA and former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander; Arnold D. Aldrich, consultant, NASA (retired); The Honorable Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge Jr., former AIAA president, Under Secretary of the Air Force, and former president and chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation; Richard Kohrs, member of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board and NASA Advisory Council, director of Space Station Freedom, NASA (retired); Robert B. Sieck, former director of space shuttle processing, NASA (retired); James R. Thompson Jr., vice chairman, president and chief operating officer, Orbital Sciences Corporation.

* Wednesday, January 5, 9:30 a.m. – Space Shuttle: Results and Way Ahead, featuring Mr. David Thompson, past president of AIAA, chairman and chief executive officer, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and general chair of the 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting; Jeff Greason, President XCOR Aerospace; N. Wayne Hale Jr., Space Shuttle Program; Frank Culbertson, Jr., senior vice president, Human Spaceflight Programs, Orbital Sciences, former NASA astronaut; Glynn S. Lunney, former VP, United Space Alliance, former NASA manager and flight director (invited), Franklin Chang-Diaz, president and CEO, Ad Astra Rocket Company, former NASA astronaut (invited).

* Thursday, January 6, 9:30 a.m. – Energy & Environment: Role for Aerospace, featuring Michael Aimone, vice president for strategy development, Battell-National Security Global Business; Dr. Lourdes Maurice, chief scientific and technical advisor for environment, Federal Aviation Administration; David E. Parekh, vice president of research, director, United Technologies Research Center; Dr. Dale Carlson, executive for advanced engine systems, General Electric – Aviation; Alain Garcia, information technology chairman, head of corporate Europe – U.S. strategy, Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe; Patrick J. Dulin, deputy director, DLA Energy; Brendan Owens, vice president, LEED Technical Development, U.S. Green Building Council; William E. Harrison III, technical advisor for fuels and energy, Air Force Research Laboratory fellow; Jeanne Yu, director, Environmental Performance, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Alan R. Shaffer, Principal Deputy Director, Defense Research and Engineering, Department of Defense.

* Friday, January 7, 9:30 a.m. – Hypersonics: Moving Forward, featuring: Joaquin Castro, manager, Department of Defense marketing & strategy, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; Dr. Mark Lewis, president, AIAA, and Willis Young Professor and Chair, Department of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland; Dr. Steven Walker, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; Dr. Kevin Bowcutt, Boeing senior technical fellow, and chief scientist of hypersonic design and applications, The Boeing Company; Dr. James A. Kenyon, office of the director, Defense Research & Engineering; and Jan Dryer, director, NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program, NASA.

The New Horizons Forum is chaired by Ron Sega, vice president for energy and the environment, Colorado State University and Ohio State University.

For more information on the New Horizons Forum, please contact Duane Hyland at 703.264.7558 or duaneh@aiaa.org. Registration information for the forum can be found at www.aiaa.org/events/asm. Registration for the forum is free for credentialed members of the media.

AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.