Washington, D.C., June 23, 2010 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), the former Chair of the Senate Science and Space Subcommittee, will be hosting an event for his Senate colleagues and their staff on June 24 to discuss commercial spaceflight.
Senator Brownback said, “The private sector brings to the table many ideas for the next chapter of America’s mission in space, and I look forward to hearing from leaders in the spaceflight industry about the best ways to achieve a thriving commercial spaceflight industry. The growth of commercial spaceflight will lead to the creation of many highly-skilled, high-paying jobs. My home-state of Kansas has been a leader in general aviation for years now, and I have no doubt that we will also be leaders in commercial spaceflight.”
The keynote speaker is Norm Augustine, chairman of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, and other panelists include:
– Ken Bowersox, SpaceX’s Vice President of Astronaut Safety
– George Sowers, United Launch Alliance’s Vice President of Business Development and Advanced Programs
– William Claybaugh, Orbital Sciences’ Senior Director for Human Spaceflight
– Mark Sirangelo, Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems Chairman and Commercial Spaceflight Federation Chairman
In his invitation letter, Senator Brownback asks his Senate colleagues and staff to “hear some of the leading private aerospace companies about what they believe the private sector can contribute to America’s mission in space, and what Congress can do to make it possible.”
The event, titled “Opportunities and Challenges in Commercial Space Flight,” will take place 10:30am-noon in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 562 on June 24. The event is open to the media.
For more information, please contact Stacy Cervenka in Senator Brownback’s office at Stacy_Cervenka@brownback.senate.gov or at 202-224-6521.
Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, stated, “We are very appreciative of Senator Brownback for hosting this important event. We believe that commercial spaceflight can make important contributions to NASA’s space program, as well as serving as an important engine of job creation in the space sector and inspiring youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. By allowing the commercial sector to handle the job of transportation to Low Earth Orbit, NASA can free up its own resources to accelerate exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit.”
Senator Brownback has served as a U.S. Senator for over 13 years and is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. From 2003 to 2005, Brownback served as chairman of the Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, holding hearings on U.S. space exploration, the space shuttle, the International Space Station, and lunar and Martian exploration.
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.
