25th National Space Symposium Blasts Off Next Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 23, 2009) — Register Now! The premier annual gathering of the global space community, the 25th National Space Symposium, is set to begin next week. The symposium offers an outstanding program consisting of spectacular special events, prominent speakers, timely panels, and innovative education activities.

Themed The Next Space Age, the four-day conference brings together more than 7,500 participants from across the United States and many foreign countries on March 30 – April 2 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Symposium highlights include:

Speakers from all sectors of space – civil, commercial, national security, and new space entrepreneurships – who will highlight the accomplishments and address the opportunities and issues facing the space industry today. Featured speakers include Anousheh Ansari, co-founder and chairman, Prodea Systems, first female private space explorer, and first space ambassador; The Honorable Michael B. Donley, secretary of the Air Force; Lt. Gen. Larry D. James, USAF, commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command and commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, United States Strategic Command; Gen. C. Robert Kehler, USAF, commander, Air Force Space Command; Scott F. Large, director, National Reconnaissance Office; Alexis C. Livanos, Ph.D., corporate vice president and chief technology officer, Northrop Grumman Corporation; Maj. Gen. William T. Lord, USAF, commander, Air Force Cyberspace Command (Provisional); Vice Adm. Carl V. Mauney, USN, deputy commander, United States Strategic Command; Elon Musk, chief executive officer and chief technical officer, SpaceX; Lt. Gen. John T. “Tom” Sheridan, USAF, commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command; and David W. Thompson, chairman and chief executive officer, Orbital Sciences Corporation.

Panel discussions featuring key NASA, NOAA, FAA, and military leaders and senior industry executives. Topics include The Next Space Age, featuring Futurist Alvin Toffler; The Challenges of The Next Space Age; Regulating The Next Space Age; A New Generation for The Next Space Age, featuring emerging space leaders; Space Commanders’ Forum, featuring 20+ years of leaders of the U.S. Space Command; Changing Applications and End-User Products for The Next Space Age; Changing Relationships for The Next Space Age; Our World in The Next Space Age – Addressing Climate Change Through Space; Changing Business Models for The Next Space Age; Today’s Top Companies Look at The Next Space Age; Talking About NASA and The Next Space Age; and International Agencies Look to The Next Space Age, featuring space agency representatives from three continents.

The extensive Boeing Exhibit Center with more than 140 companies and organizations represented.

The spectacular Opening Ceremony, co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin and featuring the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Chorale, soloist Crystal Bliss and aerialist Christine Van Loo of Cirque de la Symphonie, accompanied by dramatic high-definition space photography, plus award presentations to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Phoenix Mars Lander Team, China’s Shenzhou 7 Mission, and educator Ricardo V. Soria.

Opening night fireworks sponsored by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

The Corporate Partnership Dinner co-sponsored by Northrop Grumman, featuring Lt. Gen. Kevin T. Campbell, USA, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and commander, Joint Functional Component Command – Integrated Missile Defense, U.S. Strategic Command.

Presentation of the Space Foundation’s highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, to former Under Secretary of the Air Force and former Director of the National Reconnaissance Office Peter B. Teets at a luncheon co-sponsored by Raytheon.

The exclusive Space Technology Hall of Fame Private Induction Ceremony, co-sponsored by Cisco Systems, and the grand finale, the gala Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner honoring the 2009 inductees and featuring speaker Bill Nye the Science Guy®, co-sponsored by SpaceX.

Other highlights of the 25th National Space Symposium include:

The Opening Night Reception, co-sponsored by United Space Alliance.

The Corporate Partnership Cocktail Reception, co-sponsored by Intelsat General Corporation.

The Space Technology Hall of Fame Cocktail Reception, co-sponsored Integral Systems, Inc.

In addition to the regular agenda, the 25th National Space Symposium also features a full slate of events for teachers and students, including:

A full-day workshop for Space Foundation Teacher Liaisons on March 31.

Student programs on April 1 including “Audience with a Astronaut” sessions for 3rd – 8th graders sponsored by the New Mexico Space Grant, and Boeing Exhibit Center tours for high school students.

A Space Career Fair on April 2, co-sponsored by Aerojet; The Aerospace Corporation; Analytical Graphics, Inc.; ARES Corporation; ASRC Federal; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.; Integral Systems, Inc.; International Space University; ITT; The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; Lockheed Martin; The Mitre Corporation; Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Pikes Peak Workforce Center; Regis University; SEAKR Engineering, Inc.; SERCO; SpaceX; United Launch Alliance; the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; and Webster University.

Other co-sponsors include a.i. solutions; ATK; Booz Allen Hamilton; Braxton Technologies; Cobham; General Dynamics; Hitachi Consulting; Honeywell; IBM; Infinite Links; Landstar Carrier Group – Salt Lake City, UT; Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; SAIC; Space Florida; and Stellar Solutions. Media partners are Aviation Week, Defense Systems, Space News, and Via Satellite.

There is still time to register for the 25th National Space Symposium. For information, including an updated program agenda, confirmed speaker list, and exhibitor list, go to 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.

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