Musical Treasures of Colorado Springs Will Set the Stage for the 25th National Space Symposium

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 17, 2009) — The musical treasures of Colorado Springs will set the stage for the 25th National Space Symposium March 30 with a star-studded opening ceremony program, featuring live space-themed music performed by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra – southern Colorado’s premier professional symphony orchestra. The majestic opening ceremonies will include performances by Colorado Springs vocal soloist Crystal Bliss, the Colorado Springs Chorale, and Cirque de la Symphonie aerialist Christine Van Loo – all to the accompaniment of dramatic space video and photography.

The 25th National Space Symposium, the premier annual gathering of the global space community, will take place March 30 – April 2 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. Presented by the Space Foundation, the symposium brings together all sectors of space – civil, commercial, national security, new space entrepreneurship, and finance – to highlight accomplishments and address opportunities and issues facing the space community today. With its theme The Next Space Age, this year’s program focuses on major shifts in the economies, philosophies, and mechanics of the global space industry. More than 7,500 registrants, guests, speakers, exhibitors, and media representatives from around the world are expected to attend.

“We are proud to showcase some of the cultural treasures of our home town to such a large, international audience,” said Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Pulham. “We’re especially pleased to partner again with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and conductor Thomas Wilson. The Philharmonic is one of the finest professional symphonies in the country, and they were as excited as we were about the possibilities of integrating space, music, and art.

“We’re also thrilled to have local vocalist Crystal Bliss and The Colorado Springs Chorale join us for this very special 25th Anniversary performance.”

The Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Thomas Wilson, will “cue up” and set the tone for the 25th Anniversary National Space Symposium by performing music from popular space epics, ranging from “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” and “Apollo 13” to the Star Wars and Star Trek motion pictures.

“The Philharmonic is more than proud help open the 25th National Space Symposium,” said Colorado Springs Philharmonic Executive Director Nathan Newbrough. “And what an honor to resume our partnership with the Space Foundation and its members in this historic year! It’s a very rewarding partnership because, like the space movement, orchestral music has exploration and creativity at its core.”

The performance, which will be integrated throughout the opening ceremony, will be accompanied by large-scale, high-definition visuals by Motion Pixel Lab, a local Colorado Springs creative production firm, and by Space City Films based in Houston, as well as high-definition photography from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s recent robotic mission to the Moon.

The opening ceremony kicks off the 25th National Space Symposium and includes presentation of prestigious awards for technology in education, public outreach, space achievement and space exploration. For details on awards, go to www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org/symposium-awards. Following the ceremony, attendees will be treated to a fireworks display.

The symposium is not open to the general public, but the Philharmonic will perform a similar concert, “A Space Odyssey,” at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts on April 4. Further, the Space Foundation and the Philharmonic are in discussions about teaming up this autumn for a local pops concert, “The Final Frontier.”

The opening ceremony is co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin and the late-night events, including fireworks, are co-sponsored by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Additional 25th National Space Symposium co-sponsors include Aerojet, The Aerospace Corporation, a.i. solutions, Analytical Graphics, Inc., ATK, ARES Corporation, ASRC Federal, Boeing, Braxton Technologies, Cisco Systems, Inc., Cobham, General Dynamics, Hitachi Consulting, Honeywell, IBM, Infinite Links, Intelsat General Corporation, International Space University, ITT, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, The Mitre Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Pikes Peak Workforce Center, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Raytheon, Regis University, SAIC, SEAKR Engineering, Inc., SERCO, Stellar Solutions, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, United Space Alliance, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Webster University. Media partners are Aviation Week, Space News, and Via Satellite.

Online registration and more information, including an updated program agenda, confirmed speaker list, and exhibitor list, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity. A leader in space awareness activities, major industry events, and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom, the Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. It conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. In addition to the 25th National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation, along with partnering organizations, will also conduct Space Business Forum: New York on June 4, 2009, in New York, N.Y., and an event with the United States Strategic Command this fall in Omaha, Neb. For more information visit www.SpaceFoundation.org/