MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – Researchers, educators, venture capitalists and NASA officials will convene at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., Oct. 2-4 to begin identifying and crafting pioneering research opportunities for the International Space Station.
Chaired by Nobel Laureate Baruch S. Blumberg of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pa., the International Space Station National Laboratory Workshop will feature panel discussions, presentations and remarks by a variety of space exploration experts. William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, and Astronaut Don Pettit, who served aboard the International Space Station and launched the Saturday morning science class from the space station, will be keynote speakers.
“This major workshop affords an opportunity to bring together some of the best minds in the business of space exploration to discuss future research opportunities for the International Space Station,” said S. Pete Worden, director, NASA Ames Research Center. “We’re delighted to be a co-sponsor of this conference and look forward to some engaging discussions,” he added. The workshop is hosted by the Alliance for Commercial Enterprises in Space.
“The International Space Station is nearing completion and will soon be prepared to increase its research activities,” said Blumberg. “There have been several developments that will support and enhance the research program. A number of things have changed that make me believe that research on the International Space Station warrants a closer look,” added Blumberg. A 1976 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Blumberg was instrumental in discovering the cause of one of the world’s most prevalent and deadly diseases, hepatitis B, and developing the vaccine to combat it. He also was the founding director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
The 2005 NASA Authorization Bill established the International Space Station as the first National Laboratory beyond Earth. Topics to be discussed by workshop participants include the research needed to achieve scientific discoveries enabled by the unique environment of space; knowledge and technology products that benefit humanity; and educational opportunities that inspire and train the next generation of space explorers.
Among the invited speakers are researchers who have conducted pioneering investigations in space that offer benefits for advancing science, medicine and commerce. Other invited speakers include NASA officials who will discuss the resources, accommodations and constraints of conducting research in space. Venture capitalists and investors in new space enterprises will discuss some of the opportunities afforded by the International Space Station National Laboratory, and educators will discuss how the laboratory can inspire the next generation of students to increase their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“This is the study of the only life in the universe we know in its first generation beyond the planet of origin,” Blumberg noted. “The possibilities for discovery are exciting and unique.”
For more information about the workshop, contact Bruce Pittman, 650-604-4655, bpittman@earthlink.net or Jim Grady, 650-400-8937, jgrady@alliancespace.net.
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