Big Island Students Get the Big Picture from the Space Foundation

Students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo's space studies seminar program enjoyed an information-packed 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.

Pulham talked about the dramatic increase in commercial space ventures, which now comprise 67 percent of the global space economy; the significant impact space has on our everyday lives – from weather forecasting to HD TV to nutritional supplements developed from “space food;” the growing international involvement in space and the need for increased international cooperation and collaboration; the potential space has to stimulate the economy; the promising outlook for space employment; and the challenges the U.S. faces in educating future scientists.

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.

This article is part of Space Watch: May 2009 (Volume: 8, Issue: 5).