In Stanley Kubrick’s movie, “2001: A
Space Odyssey,” a scientist takes a fictional Pan Am flight to
a Hilton space station on his way to a colony on the Moon.
But in the real
year 2001, there has been only one commercial flight to a space station, and
there are no colonies on the Moon.
“And yet, these things have moved out of
the realm of science fiction and into business plans circulated to venture
capitalists,” notes Brook Mantia, Coordinator of this October’s Space Frontier
Conference 10 in Los Angeles.
“We have the scientists, policymakers and
entrepreneurs working on real life space odysseys, getting together to discuss
what went wrong, what’s going right, and when and how we’re going to get
there.
They all have strong opinions, so sparks may fly.”

The Space Frontier Foundation, an organization of people dedicated to
opening the space frontier to human settlement as rapidly as possible, goes
“In Search of 2001” Thursday, October 18 through Sunday, October 21 at the
Sheraton Gateway Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.
It’s an
opportunity to meet and talk with the people making things happen in space,
hear their latest papers and progress reports, and sit in as they discuss and
debate their different approaches — sometimes heatedly.

Space Frontier’s Conference presentations and workshops will cover not
only developments toward private space travel and tourism, but timely issues
such as getting solar energy from space.
Space elevators, asteroid research,
space education, space colonies, a return to the Moon and women in space are
some of the other topics.
Then there’s the subject of Mars exploration —
send robots?
send astronauts?
terraform and colonize it? — what to do with
the Red Planet always stimulates passionate debate.

There will also be exhibits, receptions, an art show and parties, offering
a chance to hang out with the people opening the space frontier and see what
they’re like after hours.
Pod doors are always open on this space odyssey.

Visit the Space Frontier Foundation website at
http://www.space-frontier.org for online registration, a preliminary
conference agenda, and information on student discounts and corporate
packages, or call the Foundation at (800) 78-SPACE.
(Tell them “HAL” sent
you.)