Space Studies Students Hear from Space Foundation CEO

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Apr. 24, 2009) — Students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s space studies seminar program enjoyed a wide-ranging lecture and question-and-answer session about the global space industry April 23 with Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Holokauahi Pulham – himself a native of the “Big Island” of Hawai’i who attended UH Hilo as a college freshman.

Linked via the distance learning center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Pulham covered a wide range of space-related topics, citing recently reported information from The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity.

The students, principally junior and senior undergraduates majoring in astronomy and physics, had a variety of questions for their guest lecturer, including the impact of restrictive U.S. trade regulations (ITAR) on the viability of U.S. space companies, the capabilities of non-U.S. space players, the willingness or lack of willingness of U.S. space agencies to cooperate or collaborate internationally, the skills required for winning a good career in the space industry, and the viability of current U.S. government space procurement practices in the new global economy.

The lecture was part of UH-Hilo’s space studies seminar program, supervised by Dr. Robert Fox, Professor of Physics and Deputy Director of the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems on the UH-Hilo campus.