GREENBELT, Md. – “Earth and Beyond: The Next Decades,” is the theme for the 48th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium to be held March 10 – 11, at the Greenbelt, Marriott. The American Astronautical Society (AAS) with support from the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. sponsors this annual event.

This is the first major professional general aerospace conference since the release of the President’s FY11 budget and accompanying NASA announcement about changing agency priorities in science and human space flight. “There is no better opportunity to hear directly from leaders of our nation, NASA, the aerospace industry, academia, science and politics,” says Dr. Harley Thronson, chairperson of the symposium committee.

Invited guests include Dr. John Holdren, Science Advisor to the President; Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator; Rob Strain, Director, NASA Goddard; and Dr. John Grunsfeld, Deputy Director, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

Symposium sessions are open to all credentialed media. News media representatives are requested to confirm their plans to attend the event by contacting Jim Kirkpatrick of AAS at 703-866-0020. Media interested in arranging interviews with NASA speakers should contact Dewayne Washington in advance at 301-286-0040. The symposium program can be viewed at:

http://astronautical.org/