Event to focus on the Next 50 Years of Space Exploration
January 31, 2008 – Reston, Va. – Top leaders from industry, academia, NASA and other government agencies will come together at the 3rd Space Exploration Conference, Feb. 26-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in coordination with NASA, the event will bring together the space community to review pivotal programs from the past and to synergize its input to support a robust space exploration program for the next 50 years.
The event kicks off with an opening keynote address from The Honorable Ms. Shana Dale, Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The first panel will be comprised of updates from the various NASA Mission Directorates including Space Exploration, Space Operations, Science, and Aeronautics Research.
Other expert panels will address:
- Constellation Initial Capabilities: From ISS to Lunar Missions
- Constellation Lunar Capability
- Lunar Architecture Update
- Transition: A Look Ahead
- Exploration Commercial Development
- Human and Robotics Collaboration to Further Space Exploration
- International Collaboration and Global Exploration
- Exploration and Science Collaboration
- Sustaining Space Exploration: A Generation Y Perspective
- “Learning from Our Past” (panel comprised of Apollo era veterans including astronauts)
United Space Alliance will host the opening reception at 6 p.m. MST Tuesday, Feb. 26 in the main exhibit hall. The main exhibit hall will feature more than 30 organizations working in civil, military and commercial space that will demonstrate their capabilities in the space exploration arena. The exhibition also includes a special Small Business Pavilion Forum to enable this key segment of the community to participate.
Lockheed Martin is the sponsor of educational activities held in conjunction with the 3rd Space Exploration Conference. Education Alley, Feb. 26-27 at the convention center, will offer teachers and students from the Denver area an interactive exhibit designed to demonstrate the possibilities of exploring planets beyond Earth. Teachers will be inspired with new tools to excite their students. Student visions of the future are captured in artwork and podcast competitions associated with the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet U.S. astronauts and learn while having fun.
The Boeing Company will host the Future Exploration Leaders Reception on Wednesday evening, 6:30 p.m. MST on Feb 27. This networking event is designed to introduce today’s leaders to tomorrow’s workforce. Students from local area universities, recently hired college graduates, and management and technical leaders from the Apollo Era to the present will interact with conference attendees to discuss the future of space exploration.
The 3rd Space Exploration Conference, 50 Years of Space Exploration: Taking the Next Giant Leap, will be held Feb. 26-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The event is organized by AIAA in coordination with NASA. Prime corporate sponsors include United Space Alliance, The Boeing Company, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Other sponsors include Raytheon, ATK, and Booz Allen Hamilton. The Space Exploration Conference is supported by the American Astronautical Society, California Space Authority, Coalition for Space Exploration, National Space Society, and Space Exploration Alliance. Space News and Aerospace America are the media sponsors. For more information, please visit www.aiaa.org/events/exploration.
Media Contacts:
- AIAA: Sharon Grace, 703.264.7532, sharong@aiaa.org
- Boeing: Ed Memi, 281.226.4029, edmund.g.memi@boeing.com
- Lockheed Martin: Joan B. Underwood, 303.971.7398, joan.b.underwood@lmco.com
- NASA: Beth Dickey, 202.358.2087, beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov; Stephanie Schierholz, 202.358.4997, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov
- United Space Alliance: Jeffrey E. Carr, 281.212.6156, jeffrey.e.carr@usa-spaceops.com
Members of the news media may pre-register with Sharon Grace, AIAA.
