Note: The proceedings of the fundraising gala by the Space Frontier Foundation, being held at the Playboy Mansion on Thursday evening (November 15th), will be webcast at http://www.earthship.tv

On November 15, the Space Frontier Foundation will host a gala dinner at the
Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles to honor Sir Arthur C. Clarke, eminent author
and scientist, before the year 2001 comes to an end. Reflecting many of the
central themes in Sir Clarke’s work, 2001 marks the beginning of a new era in
space exploration and development. The assembly of Space Station Alpha,
humanities‚ first permanent outpost in space, points the way towards that new
future of greater international cooperation, involving, as it does, nations
who were former adversaries.

We hope that this Gala will also celebrate the union of great storytellers
and space exploration. It is a long and honorable tradition, which includes
the likes of H.G. Hells, Jules Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick and
others. Such artists have inspired us over the years to grasp the grandeur,
beauty, and drama of humanity’s venture outward to the stars.

Consequently, the “2001” Gala will be the occasion to announce a series of
awards that will be given out annually. The Arthur C. Clarke Award for Film &
Television and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Screenplay will recognize
work that best represents the realistic and compelling portrayal of the human
exploration and settlement of space.

THE HOST

The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization of space activists,
scientists and engineers, media and political professionals, entrepreneurs,
and citizens from all backgrounds and all nations. The organization‚s central
goals are the expansion of life beyond the Earth and the permanent settlement
of space. We believe all people have the “right stuff” and that everyone will
benefit from opening the space frontier. We believe that a partnership
between the heroes of our space programs and the democratic and free
enterprise pioneers who are now taking on the frontier will become an
unstoppable force in the opening of this new domain to the life and people of
Earth. For information on the Foundation, call 1-800-78SPACE or visit our
web site at www.space-frontier.org. Our e-mail address is
information@space-frontier.org.

BENEFICIARIES

This event will benefit several space related charitable organizations and
projects. They encompass several aspects of the work going on today to open
space, inspire our culture and provide new opportunities for the children of
tomorrow. Permission to Dream is an international project
of the Space Frontier Foundation, using space to inspire and motivate
underprivileged children. The project’s first phase is “focused” on placing
telescopes and computers in the hands of children in three very different and
disadvantaged areas of the world, Sri Lanka, Africa and East Los Angeles.
Under the guidance of world famous astronomer Alan Hale (co-discoverer of the
comet Hale-Bopp) students will be asked to seek out and describe celestial
objects such as planets, stars, comets and asteroids and then to interact
with each other via the internet – connecting them with each other and the
cosmos.

– The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

Headed by Gemini-Apollo astronaut James. A. Lovell (its President and
Chairman of the Board) the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was established
in 1984 by the six surviving members of America’s Mercury Seven astronauts,
Malcolm Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Walter M.
Schirra, the late Alan B. Shepard Jr. and the late Donald K. (Deke) Slayton.
The foundation raises money for scholarships for upper level college students
and those pursuing masters or doctorates in the fields of science and
engineering.

– The Arthur C. Clarke Centre for Modern Technologies (ACCMT)

ACCMT was created in 1984 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to support the development
of modern technologies in the fields of Communications, Computers, Energy,
Space Technologies and Robotics, through the provision of training and
research facilities. The institute has the infrastructure and human resources
for development of products, systems and techniques for industrial
applications in electronics, communications and IT (ECI) sectors, with
exports in mind. Besides extensive R&D activities, the Institute is heavily
involved in continuing professional development (CPD) activities and youth
training programs.

– SETI Haughton Mars Project

The Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) is an international, interdisciplinary field
research program studying the Haughton meteorite impact crater and its
surrounding terrain on Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada, located inside the
Arctic Circle. Implemented through a cooperative agreement between the SETI
Institute and NASA Ames Research center, HMP research focuses on Devon Island
as an ‘Earth analog’ for the planet Mars, and comprises two main programs:
comparative geological and biological studies between Earth and Mars, and
research on the technologies, strategies and factors relevant to the future
exploration of Mars and other planets by robots and humans. Funds from this
event will be focused on educational outreach and support of this important
project.