Space Frontier Conference goes “In Search of ‘2001’”
From Dennis Tito to Space Hotels, from Space Shuttles to Space
Elevators, Experts, Entrepreneurs and Astronauts Gather to Plan Our
Future in Space
LOS ANGELES – In Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” a scientist
took a Pan Am flight to a Hilton space station on his way to a colony on
the Moon. In the real life 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 the L.A. 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 Conference 10 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 medicine, nearby
asteroid tracking, 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-a
chance to hang with the people opening the space frontier and see what
they’re like after hours. Pod doors are always open on this space
odyssey.
The Space Frontier Foundation website at http://www.space-frontier.org
has online registration, a preliminary conference agenda, and
information on student discounts and corporate packages. Information is
also available by calling (800) 78-SPACE (tell them HAL sent you).
