Science, Industry Leaders Serve as Judges

Seven high-profile international space leaders have been tapped by the Space Foundation to select technologies for induction into the prestigious Space Technology Hall of Fame® in 2012. The program honors innovations by organizations and individuals who transform space technology into commercial products that improve life on Earth.

Award ceremonies for the 2012 inductees and honorees are part of the 28th National Space Symposium, which will be held at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 16-19.

The 2012 judges are:

• Robert Appleton, executive director, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
• Gen. Duane W. Deal, USAF, Ret., senior vice president for national security programs, SGT, Inc., Greenbelt, Md.
• J. Walter Faulconer, president, Strategic Space Solutions, LLC, Glenelg, Md.
• Richard A. Garriott, vice-chairman of Space Adventures, Vienna, Va.
• Amitabha Ghosh, Ph.D., planetary scientist for the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Washington, D.C.
• Rachel Stephen-Smith, Minister-Counsellor for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C.
• Norimitsu Kamimori, director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Washington, D.C.

The Space Foundation established the Space Technology Hall of Fame® in 1988 to increase public awareness of the benefits that result from space exploration programs and to encourage further innovation. Since that time, 65 technologies have been inducted.

Inducted technologies include energy-saving technologies, life-saving medical devices, health improvement technologies, satellite and telecommunication technologies and practical commercial devices. Some noteworthy examples are the automatic external defibrillator; non-invasive breast biopsy technology; MRI and CAT scan imaging; anti-shock garments; LASIK eye surgery; implantable pacemakers and hearing aids; and technologies that power cellular phones, terrestrial networks and satellite broadcast television and radio communications.

The 2011 inductees were two diverse technologies: Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellites, which have broad-reaching applications for national security, logistics and disaster prevention and relief; and Intrifuge CellXpansion technology, which promises help for a wide variety of diseases.

Additional information about the Space Technology Hall of Fame®, including a complete list of inducted technologies, is available at www.SpaceTechHallofFame.org.