MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – News media and the public are invited to join students who recently arrived at NASA Ames Research Center for the 2009 International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program for a series of Space Panels in July and August.

Panel discussions will take place from 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. PDT in Building 3 in the NASA Research Park and will be followed by a reception and news media interview opportunity from 9:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. PDT, on the following dates:

Wednesday, July 1: Space Policy and the Asia-Pacific Region. This panel will examine current and prospective future space relationships in this dynamic region. Participants will include:

  • Pete Worden, director, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.;

  • Jeong-Joo Rhiu, vice president of the Korean Aerospace Research Institute;

  • Kazuto Suzuki, from the Public Policy School at Hokkaido University, Japan;

  • Clay Moltz, associate professor at the Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif.

Moderator: John Logsdon, Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington.

Tuesday, July 7: Space and Media. This panel will address how space is reported in the news and treated by the entertainment industry. Participants will include:

  • Leonard David, reporter, Space.com;

  • David Perlman, science reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle;

  • Michael Potter, documentary filmmaker;

  • Miles O’Brien, veteran news reporter;

  • Jeff Roth, founder and president of Jeff Roth Productions;

  • Harry Kloor, film producer;

Moderator: David Livingston, host of The Space Show.

Wednesday, July 15: Entrepreneurial Space Business. This panel will feature entrepreneurs who have worked to open space to commercial ventures for sustainable exploration and development. Participants will include:

o Peter Diamandis, chairman, X Prize Foundation, Playa Vista, Calif.;
o Eric Anderson, president and chief executive officer, Space Adventures Ltd., Vienna, Va.
Moderator: Gary Martin, director of the New Ventures and Communications Directorate at NASA Ames.

Monday, July 20: International Astronaut Panel. The Astronaut Panel is a long-standing highlight in ISU’s Space Studies programs. The objective is to give the participants an opportunity to pose questions to astronauts. The astronauts come from different space agencies, with different areas of expertise, and provide a diverse perspective. Participating astronauts will include:

  • Chiaki Mukai, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA);

  • Chris Hadfield, Canadian Space Agency (CSA);

  • Don Pettit, NASA;

Moderator: Walter Peeters, dean and vice president of academic affairs for ISU.

Tuesday, July 28: Emerging Space Nations. Several developing countries are conducting space missions or entering the space arena. The discussion will explore strategies being pursued that benefit the public. Participants will include:

  • Gilberto Camara, director, Brazilian National Institute of Space Research;

  • Sergio Camacho, secretary general, Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean;

  • Felix Menicocci, of the National Space Activities Commission in Argentina

Moderator: Ray Williamson, executive director, Secure World Foundation, Superior, Colo.

Wednesday, Aug. 5: Gerald Soffen Memorial Panel – What’s Next For Mars Exploration? Building on the groundbreaking work of the late Gerry Soffen during the Viking missions to Mars in the mid-1970s, this panel will explore plans for the next generation of Mars probes. Participants will include:

  • Hajime Yano, assistant professor, Department of Planetary Science, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science for JAXA;

  • Jim Green, director, NASA’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, Washington;

  • David Southwood, director, Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency;

  • Pascale Ehrenfreund, of the Space Policy Institute in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, Washington.

Moderator: David Kendall, director of General Space Science, CSA.

Tuesday, Aug. 11: The Space Panel will be hosted by the NASA Lunar Science Institute at Moffett Field, Calif. The panel will focus on new science being done of, on and from the moon, as well as the institute’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of lunar scientists worldwide. The panel will be chaired by David Morrison, NLSI director. Participants are pending.

The International Space University was founded in 1987 with the vision of a peaceful and prosperous future through the study, exploration and development of space for the benefit of humanity. The space studies program is a nine-week course for postgraduate students and young professionals from all over the world. The curriculum covers technical and non-technical, space-related fields and ranges from engineering and satellite applications to policy and the humanities. An international cadre of distinguished professors will teach the classes, which will be held June 29, 2009 to Aug. 28, 2009.

Through this and other college and university programs, NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to strengthen the future workforce of NASA and the nation and to explore our planet, the moon and beyond.

Building 3 located in the NASA Research Park at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate. Guards at the main gate will direct reporters to NASA Research Park.

For information about NASA’s education programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education

For more information about the International Space University and to view recorded videos of the panels on demand, visit: http://www.isunet.edu