Press Release

Space exploration significant focus at 22nd National Space Symposium

By SpaceRef Editor
February 27, 2006
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With featured speeches from the administrator and deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a panel highlighting robotic and human exploration, a panel featuring the chairman and ranking member of the House Science Committee’s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, and an address from the deputy administrator of the China National Space Agency (CSNA), space exploration will be in the spotlight at the 22nd National Space Symposium. The conference takes place April 3-6, 2006, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Ms. Shana Dale, deputy administrator, NASA, will be the first featured speaker of the conference Tuesday, April 4 at 8:30 a.m. Dr. Michael Griffin, administrator, NASA, will be the closing featured speaker, Thursday, April 6 at 3:00 p.m.

Dale’s speech April 4 will be followed at 8:50 a.m. by a panel session focusing on Human and Robotic Space Exploration of the Solar System. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and director, Hayden Planetarium, Rose Center for Earth and Space, American Museum of Natural History, will moderate the panel. Mr. James W. Kennedy, director, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, and Dr. Firouz Michael Naderi, associate director, Programs, Project Formulation & Strategy, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, will serve as panelists.

Immediately following at 9:45 a.m., United States Representatives The Honorable Ken Calvert and The Honorable Mark Udall will participate in a featured session. Calvert is chairman and Udall is the ranking member of the House Science Committee’s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, which oversees NASA.

Attendees also will hear from Mr. LUO Ge, vice administrator, CNSA, one of the most senior Chinese space officials ever to address a United States audience.

The National Space Symposium is the premier annual space industry conference and draws the most senior leaders from all sectors of the global space industry – civil, commercial, and national security.

Additional featured speakers include The Honorable Thomas Feeney, United States House of Representatives; The Honorable Maria Cino, deputy secretary, United States Department of Transportation; The Honorable Dr. Ronald M. Sega, under secretary of the Air Force; The Honorable Marion Blakey, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration; and Lt Gen C. Robert Kehler, USAF, deputy commander, United States Strategic Command.

Other highlights of the conference include the opening ceremony, co-sponsored by Northrop Grumman; the opening night reception, co-sponsored by ITT; the opening night fireworks and dessert reception, co-sponsored by General Dynamics; the Corporate Partnership reception, co-sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; the Corporate Partnership dinner, co-sponsored by Raytheon Company; the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award luncheon, co-sponsored by the Colorado Space Coalition; the Space Technology Hall of Fame reception, co-sponsored by United Space Alliance; the Space Technology Hall of Fame dinner, co-sponsored by The Boeing Company; and the largest ever Lockheed Martin Exhibit Center.

Additional co-sponsors include Analytical Graphics, Inc., ASRC Federal, ATK, BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Cisco Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation, Florida Space Authority, Harris Corporation, Inmarsat, Integral Systems, MTC Technologies, Nortel Government Solutions, Space News, SpaceVest, Spherical Magic, Stellar Solutions, and Swales Aerospace.

An updated program agenda, confirmed speaker list, exhibitor list, complete list of sponsors, and secure registration can be found online at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

About the Space Foundation

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that vigorously advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and educational excellence. The Space Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., and Cape Canaveral, Fla. In addition to the National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation annually conducts, along with its partnering organizations, Inside Aerospace, April 24-25, 2006; Strategic Space and Defense, 10-12 Oct. 2006, in Omaha, Neb.; and Florida Space, Dec. 5-7, 2006, in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.

SpaceRef staff editor.