The very latest developments in current and future space activities will be presented by leading figures in the field at the Appleton Space Conference. The event will take place just two days after the expected launch date for Virgin Galactic’s White Knight Two and will feature a talk from the company’s President Will Whitehorn.

Date: Thursday, 10 December 2009
Registration time: from 9:00 a.m.
Start time: 9:25 a.m.
Location: STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire, UK

The 5th Appleton lecture on NASA’s Plan for Exploring the Moon and
Mars will be given by Dr. Chris Scolese, Associate Administrator,
NASA.

Other speakers include:

* Lord Drayson, Minister of State for Science & Innovation
* Dr. David Williams, Director General BNSC
* Martin Ditter, ESA’s Harwell Project Manager
* Professor Matt Griffin, Cardiff University

Members of the media are also invited to tour Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s Space Science and Technology Department which is the largest in Europe. It is from here that spacecraft instruments such as MIRI, one of the instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope, have undergone thermal calibration and that flagship missions such as SOHO are commanded.

The full program for the day can be viewed here:
http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/5th_Appleton_Conference/

Some presentations may be webcast; check the conference website for details.

Contact:
Sarah Smart
STFC’s Space Science & Technology Department
+44 (0)1235 445742 / +44(0)7909 553495
sarah.smart@stfc.ac.uk

Note for Editors

For further information and to register your interest in attending any part of the day, and to get the most out of your participation, please contact Sarah Smart well in advance of the conference.

Directions to STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory can be found here: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About/Conts/Find/RAL/Introduction.aspx