NRO Director Bruce Carlson Slated for 27th National Space Symposium

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 28, 2010) — National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Director Gen. Bruce A. Carlson, USAF (Retired), will be a featured speaker at the 27th National Space Symposium, which will be held April 11-14 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Presented by the Space Foundation, the 27th National Space Symposium brings together all sectors of space to highlight accomplishments and address opportunities and issues facing the global space community today. The Symposium offers presentations and panels covering all aspects of space, plus special events and presentation of several prestigious space-related awards.

About Carlson
The 17th director of the NRO, Carlson directs the agency responsible for space reconnaissance systems, intelligence-related U.S. national security activities and collection from space.

Carlson’s career includes a broad range of military, space and intelligence assignments. He was commissioned as an Air Force officer after graduating with distinction from the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

A command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours in ten different aircraft, his flying assignments included commanding the Air Force’s first stealth fighter wing, the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, N.M. His staff assignments included positions at Tactical Air Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and the offices of the Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of Defense. He also served as the director of force structure, resources and assessment on the Joint Staff; commander of the 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La.; and Joint Functional Component Commander for Space and Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.

Prior to his retirement from the U.S. Air Force, Carlson served as Commander Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which is responsible developing, testing, acquiring, and sustaining Air Force weapons systems. He was promoted from Lieutenant General to General in 2005.

Among Carlson’s many awards and decorations are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Order of the Sword, Air Force Materiel Command. He holds a master’s degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.

About the NRO
Headquartered in Chantilly, Va., the NRO identifies potential trouble spots around the world, supports military planning and monitors the environment. Funded through the National Reconnaissance Program, which is part of the National Intelligence Program, the NRO is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) and is one of 16 members of the U.S. intelligence community.

Carlson reports to both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, for whom he is the principal advisor for overhead reconnaissance. The NRO was established in 1961 as a classified DoD department and was declassified in 1992.

About the 27th National Space Symposium
Carlson is among a wide range of speakers at the 27th National Space Symposium who represent military and government national security, civil space, industry, academia and space organizations from around the world.

A special event at this year’s 27th National Space Symposium will be the Industry Salutes the Space Shuttle luncheon, to be held on April 12, 2011, the 30th anniversary of the initial Space Shuttle launch. The luncheon, co-sponsored by the Space Foundation and United Space Alliance, will include a presentation to NASA in honor of the men and women who contributed the nation’s longest-duration and most productive space program.

New to the 27th National Space Symposium will be expanded exhibit space with the extraordinary Boeing Exhibit Center occupying three halls in 2011.

Returning for 2011 will be the popular cyberspace and new generation events. Cyber 1.1 will be held on Monday, April 11, and requires separate registration. An expanded New Generation Space Leaders program for young, up-and-coming space professionals, age 35 and younger, will be offered throughout the four-day Symposium.

Register Now
Online registration and more information, including agenda, speakers and exhibitors, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

Industry attendees who register before Jan. 14, 2011, can save up to $500 with the Super Early Bird rate. 

27th National Space Symposium Co-Sponsors
Confirmed co-sponsors of the 27th National Space Symposium include a.i. solutions; Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI); ATK; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.; The Boeing Company; Booz Allen Hamilton; Cisco Systems, Inc.; General Dynamics; Integral Systems; International Space University; Lockheed Martin; Northrop Grumman; Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; Raytheon; SpaceX; Stellar Solutions; and United Space Alliance. Space News International and Aviation Week are official media partners. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available; interested companies should contact [email protected]. 

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is a global, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry – civil, commercial, military and intelligence. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, including the National Space Symposium, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity.” An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification and Space Technology Hall of Fame® programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation 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. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

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