The View From Here
The Space Age is Downright Ancient
Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC), held in Guadalajara, Mexico. Guadalajara is a high-tech center of Mexico, and the Mexican Space Agency was eager to show the world its interests, plans and capabilities to an international audience of several thousand attendees. I think most people, whether they…
The Importance of Space Through the Transition
With the 2016 elections only a month away, a lot of time, energy and focus in Washington, D.C., space circles is on “the transition” — the hand-off of the executive branch from the Obama administration to a new team, be it Democrat or Republican. Much of this focus will be on engineering the non-perturbation, to…
Time for more confidence in U.S.-China space cooperation
I was in Beijing recently when it was announced that President Obama will meet with President Xi in China later this month. I’m not sure it is part of a larger pattern, but, it is true that I was also in Beijing the first time an Obama-Xi meeting was announced. That particular meeting was notable,…
100,000 Reasons We Appreciate Your Support
A few weeks ago, the Space Foundation surpassed a critical milestone in the pursuit of our mission when we celebrated the 100,000th visitor to the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs. Perhaps even more significant, as our fiscal year ended on June 30, we exceeded the design capacity of the Discovery Center (40,000 per…
Expanding the Suez Canal, and other Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
If you don’t live in North Africa or the Mediterranean, you’re likely not aware that one of the biggest, oldest and largest man-made features on the planet — the Suez Canal — recently underwent an immense transformation. Even if you were aware of the amazing, one-year, $8 billion expansion of one of the planet’s most…
International Partnerships: Mission Critical and a Two-way Street
Space is a global commons, and the exploration, development and utilization of space increasingly requires global perspective and engagement. Over the past decade, the shift to a more global role has become crucial for the Space Foundation as we continue to pursue our mission, “To advance space-related endeavors, to Inspire, Enable and Propel Humanity.” Humanity,…
The Politics of Space Exploration
by Leroy Chiao, Ph.D., Space Foundation Special Advisor – Human Spaceflight, and Elliot Pulham, Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Humankind is poised on the launch pad of the most exciting, transformational age of space exploration since the orbiting of Sputnik started it all, back in 1957. Despite the forces that are…
E pluribus unum – astra praeter
Out of many, one — to the stars and beyond. As the curtain prepares to go up on the 32nd Space Symposium, I am mindful of the fact that, despite the amazing growth and many transformations of the event over the years, its purpose has never really changed. As we first stated in our charter…
"Essential Infrastructure" Includes Space Infrastructure
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is far from over, and the subject of national infrastructure will no doubt continue to pop up in debates and whistle stops between now and November. Living in Colorado Springs, a.k.a. “The Pothole Center of the Universe,” I’m particularly sensitive to the disconcerting disrepair of America’s roads, bridges and highways.…
Raytheon's MathAlive! Gives Latest Boost to Space Foundation STEM Education Platform
The Space Foundation opened the first and only science center museum in the Pikes Peak region, the Space Foundation Discovery Center, about three and a half years ago. There have been a lot of exciting events and developments since then, with major sponsors like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, AGI and others helping us create enriching…