Media are invited to meet leaders in space exploration at the 59th annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium, taking place on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park, from March 23 to 25. Attendees also have the option to watch the symposium online.
Hosted by the American Astronautical Society, in conjunction with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the symposium is an opportunity for Goddard and NASA to engage with leaders across government, industry, policy, and academia to assess the current state of exploration and discovery while collectively working toward future breakthroughs.
This year’s theme, “Envisioning Our Future in Space,” will highlight the space community’s recent successes while discussing a blueprint for moving beyond the traditional tools of exploration. It will encapsulate the challenges of science, engineering, technology and human spaceflight.
“The Goddard Memorial Symposium is one of the major events of the year for the entire space community,” said Michelle Thaller, Goddard co-chair of the symposium planning committee. “It’s a chance to highlight the latest science and technology innovations to a wide audience, with organizations ranging from government to academia to major aerospace companies.”
Katherine Calvin, NASA chief scientist and senior climate advisor, will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday, March 23. The first day will feature panels on the James Webb Space Telescope, future space observatories, and the decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics.
Stephen Volz, assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will serve as the luncheon keynote speaker on Thursday, March 24. Panelists will discuss the exploration of Venus, future space technologies, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test and NASA’s Artemis program.
The final day of the symposium on Friday, March 25, will include a luncheon keynote by Thomas Zurbuchen – associate administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate – as well as panels on the International Space Station, the future of climate science, and space weather. Antonella Nota, associate director for ESA (European Space Agency) at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, will also address attendees.
For more information on the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium and the full schedule, or to register as a media representative, visit https://astronautical.org/events/goddard/.
For more information on NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, visit http://www.nasa.gov/goddard.
