On December 17th, this year’s
Centennial of Flight celebrations will culminate in a re-enactment of the
Wright Brothers’ first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, NC. On December 18th a
new century of flight will begin, and leading figures in space will meet to
discuss the future of human space exploration.

Aviation Week’s “Next Century of Flight Space Imperatives Conference” will
be held on December 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade
Center, Washington, DC. It will feature space experts from the aerospace
industry, NASA, Congress and the Executive Branch, along with eight of the
nine living Apollo astronauts who walked on the men, who will explore and
discuss the alternatives before us for the future of space flight. The goal
is to garner a new resolve for renewed efforts in support of a new vision and
bold initiative to advance human space flight and exploration, re-ignite
public support for America’s space program, and fuel public enthusiasm for
human space travel and the advent of space tourism.

Among the participants are:

  • Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut; founder and Chairman of ShareSpace Foundation
  • Alvin Toffler, Ph.D., futurist and author
  • Norman Augustine, Chairman Emeritus, Lockheed Martin
  • The Honorable Robert Walker, Chairman, Commission of the Future of the
  • Aerospace Industry; Chairman, Wexler Walker; former US Congressman
  • The Honorable Jake Garn, former US Senator; Chairman, Global Space
  • Travelers; Managing Director, Summit Ventures, LLC; Payload Specialist, Discovery Shuttle Mission 51-D
  • The Honorable Tidal (Ty) McCoy, Chairman, Space Transportation Association; Managing Director, Washington Capital Partners
  • Roger Launius, Chair, Division of Space History, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
  • Bob Thompson, former Manager of NASA Skylab and Shuttle Programs
  • Neil Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium
  • Dr. Hans Mark, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas
  • Bo Bobko, Commander of Discovery Shuttle Mission 51-D and President of Association of Space Explorers

Honored Apollo astronauts participating in the conference include:

  • Alan Bean, Apollo 12
  • Gene Cernan, Apollo 10/17
  • Charlie Duke, Apollo 16
  • Ken Mattingly, Apollo 16
  • Ed Mitchell, Apollo 14
  • Alan Bean, Apollo 12
  • Gene Cernan, Apollo 10/17
  • Charlie Duke, Apollo 16
  • Ken Mattingly, Apollo 16
  • Ed Mitchell, Apollo 14

“America’s human space flight program is at a critical crossroads,” said
Kenneth E. Gazzola, Aviation Week Executive Vice President/Publisher. “With
the Columbia shuttle tragedy grounding NASA’s shuttle fleet and the results of
the Columbia Accident Investigation Board calling for substantial changes in
NASA’s way of doing business, as well as advancing Chinese and European space
objectives, it is imperative that a new vision for the future of human space
flight be generated. By gathering together into one forum a broad scope of
elite space experts from the aerospace industry, NASA, the Department of
Defense, Congress, and the executive branch, we hope to contribute to the
creation of such a vision.”

Additional information and online registration for the Next Century of
Flight Space Imperatives Conference is available at
http://www.aviationnow.com/conferences, or by calling (800) 240-7645.

The Next Century of Flight Space Imperatives Conference is presented by
Aviation Week and ShareSpace Foundation in association with Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, and with American Airlines as the official airline sponsor.
It is sponsored by Meade Instruments Corporation in collaboration with the
Centennial of Flight Commission.

Aviation Week Conferences & Exhibitions is the professional education and
events arm of Aviation Week, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. With
nearly 50 products and services, including Aviation Week & Space Technology
magazine and a core audience of some 1 million professionals and enthusiasts,
Aviation Week is the world’s largest multimedia information and service
provider to the aviation and aerospace market.

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