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News Release
International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight gathers visionaries, builders of the future
Some of the speakers slated for this year's conference are (left to right): Alan Stern, Former NASA Associate Administrator for Space and Earth Sciences; Jeff Greason, President, XCOR; Ken Bowersox, Vice President of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance, Space X; Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA; Michael Lopez Alegria, Assistant Director for ISS, Flight Crew Operations Directorate NASA Johnson Space Center; Gary Payton, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs
New Mexico State University will host the fifth International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight during Homecoming week this year. The Symposium theme is “Delivering on the Promise of Spaceflight for Mankind.”
The free Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 8:30-noon at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Panels include:
- The Role of Government in Building a Spaceport Community
- The Role of Business in Building a Spaceport Community
- The Role of Education in Building a Spaceport Community
On Wednesday and Thursday, October 21-22, the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) will be held at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The symposium is the industry’s leading gathering for the visionaries and builders delivering the promise of spaceflight for mankind. The symposium features information sessions, networking opportunities and provides attendees with the latest news, topics, trends, and best practices that demonstrate personal and commercial spaceflight is a reality.
Alan Stern, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space and Earth Science will chair a session titled “The Suborbital Future Beyond Tourism: The Research and Education Market.”
Panelists include: Josh Colwell, Assistant Professor, Physics Department, University of Central Florida; Steven Collicott, Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, Purdue University; Larry Paxton, Head of Atmospheric Effects, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; and Erika Wagner, Executive Director of the X PRIZE Lab at MIT.
Additional session titles include:
- University Aerospace Research Programs as Enablers of Growth of Commercial Space
- Flight Safety: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
- A Pilot’s Perspective Flying the New Space Vehicles
- Survey Results on Commercial Human Spaceflight
- Augustine Committee Review of Manned Space Flight at NASA
- The Suborbital Future Beyond Tourism: The Research and Education Market
- Small Satellites for Orbital and Sub-orbital Applications
- Launch Vehicle Options for Future Operators in the Sub-orbital Environment
- Unique Capabilities in New Mexico for RLV and Payload Processing
- Space Operations: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
Friday, October 23 includes a hardhat tour of Spaceport America.
Registration is required. On-line registration closes October 16. You may register at http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/ispcs/
October 2009