The President’s Commission on
Moon, Mars and Beyond has invited experts from organized labor, the
media, the Aerospace Engineering department of Georgia Tech, and the
world of space commerce to testify at a public hearing March 24 and 25,
2004. The hearing will be held at the Georgia Centers for Advanced
Telecommunications Technology (GCATT) Auditorium on the campus of
the Georgia Institute of Technology, 250 14th Street, NW, Atlanta, Georgia.

On March 24, a panel of Space Entrepreneurs will lead off the
hearing, which convenes at 1:00 p.m.; the next panel will provide
input from the Georgia Institute of Technology ; and a presentation
on Developing Public/Private Partnerships will conclude the first
day’s testimony.

On March 25, beginning at 9:00 a.m., Building Space Jobs will
feature labor representatives, followed by Lessons Learned
Regarding a “System of Systems” and a National Research Council
Report: “Safe on Mars.” Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will address the
Commission at 11:45 a.m.

At 1:15, a panel on Commercial Space and Economic Feasibility will be presented; and at
2:15, journalists who cover space will discuss the exploration vision from their
perspective. At 3:00, through a lottery system, individuals in the audience will be given
an opportunity to present comments to the Commissioners. And at 3:45 p.m., a news
conference for accredited media journalists will be held.

The schedule of witnesses with timeline is attached.

The President’s Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy (Moon, Mars
and Beyond) is charged with building consensus, providing recommendations to the President
regarding moon research activities, increasing young people’s interest in space science, and
bringing in industry and other countries as space partners.
Information about the President’s Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond is
also available at: http://www.moontomars.org.

Editors note:

The Commission hearing is available live on NASA TV on AMC-9, transponder 9C, CBand,
located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 38880.0 MHz. Polarization
is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.

WITNESS LIST AND TIMELINE FOR ATLANTA, GEORGIA, HEARING

Hearings will take place at the Georgia Center for Advanced
Telecommunications Technology
250 14th Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

1:00 – 1:15 p.m. Welcome and Introductions

  • Chairman Pete Aldridge

1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Space Entrepreneurs

  • Mr. Elon Musk, Founder, Zip2 and PayPal
  • Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chair & CEO, ZeroGravity Corp.
  • Mr. Jeff Greason, XCOR Aerospace

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. BREAK

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Dr. Narayanan Komerath, Professor of School Aerospace Engineering – Field of Research: Developing Space-based Economy
  • Mr. Daniel Hegeman, Student, Aerospace Engineering – Student government representative and research member of “Mars Desert Research Station”
  • Dr. Paul Ohme, Director, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Developing Public/Private Partnerships

  • CAPT Winston Scott, (USN, retired) Executive Director, Florida Space Authority
  • Mr. John Hager, Homeland Defense, Virginia
  • Mr. Tim Huddleston, Executive Director, Aerospace States Association

4:00 p.m. Commission adjourns

Thursday, March 25, 2004

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Welcoming Remarks

  • Chairman Pete Aldridge

9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Building Space Jobs

  • Dr. Michael Balzano, Executive Director, National Industrial Base Workforce Coalition
  • Mr. Charlie Bofferding, Council of Engineering and Scientists
  • Mr. Jeff Rainey, Business Representative of District 166, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Lessons Learned Regarding Managing a “System of Systems”

  • Mr. Gary Payton, Deputy for Advanced Systems Missile Defense Agency

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. BREAK

11:00 – 11:45 a.m. National Research Council Report: “Safe on Mars”

  • Mr. Frederick H. Hauck, President & CEO, AXA Space
  • Professor Harry Y. McSween, Jr., University of Tennessee
  • Dr. Ronald E. Turner, Principal Physicist, ANSER Corporation

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

  • Mr. Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Astronaut

12:15 – 1:15 p.m. LUNCH

1:15 – 2:00 Commercial Space & Economic Feasibility

  • Mr. Michael E. Kearney, President & CEO, Spacehab, Inc.
  • Mr. Marco H. Caceres, Senior Analyst & Director Space Studies The Teal Group
  • Mr. Stephen Fleming, EGL Ventures

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. BREAK

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. Media Panel

  • Mr. Daniel Stone, President & CEO, Space Holdings (Space.com,Space News, Starry Night)
  • Mr. Miles O’Brien, CNN
  • Mr. Gary Robbins, Orange County Register
  • Mr. Scott Heiferman, Meetups (invited)

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Audience Comments

3:45 – 4:30 p.m. Press Conference

4:30 p.m. Hearing adjourns