Celebrating 30 Years of Innovation at the 2017 Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner

The Spirit of Exploration was the theme of this year’s Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner, celebrating 30 years of the program. Featured speaker for the evening was humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson, skillfully portraying Thomas Jefferson, visionary, statesman and student of the Enlightenment. He spoke in a fireside talk style, while interviewed by leading political satirist and journalist P. J. O’Rourke. Their lively discussion linked modern space exploration with the famed Lewis & Clark Expedition, (pictured below right).

Master of ceremonies for the dinner was British space journalist and science broadcaster Sarah Cruddas, and serving as corporate host was Col. Lee Rosen, USAF (Ret.), Vice President, Customer Operations & Integration, SpaceX.

The dinner was the last of three events at the Symposium celebrating the 2017 induction of two technologies into the Space Technology Hall of Fame:

• The Space Technology Hall of Fame® Private Induction Ceremony
• The Space Technology Hall of Fame® Cocktail Reception, co-sponsored by ManTech International Corporation
• The Space Technology Hall of Fame® Dinner, co-sponsored by SpaceX

The 2017 inducted technologies were:

• Radiant Catalytic Ionization (RCI), enhanced technology creating hydroxyls through photocatalytic oxidation technology
• Staged Nutrient Release (SNR) Fertilizer, precise timed released polymer coated fertilizer granules that reduce fertilization applications and environmental damage

Learn more about the Space Technology Hall of Fame, and how to nominate for 2018, here.

This article is part of Space Watch: May 2017 (Volume: 16, Issue: 5).