Washington Updates

The Space Foundation is demonstrating how astronauts conduct experiments on the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Oct. 23-24 at the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. Using gloveboxes similar to the ones used in space to prevent experiments from floating away and to keep scientists and astronauts safe, the Space Foundation will…

The Obama administration has announced changes to rules governing the export of sensitive military and other technologies, which will streamline export processes and free up U.S. space companies to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. The changes to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) come after a year-long review by departments of State,…

During July, Congress was focused heavily on the future of the nation’s space policy as space authorization and space appropriation bills came to vote. Authorization bills detail how the various committees believe funds should be spent and generally play a major role in shaping the final allotment of funds. With the controversy in Washington over…

The United States’ ever-increasing dependence on space and cyber capabilities in a highly “contested environment” was the main topic of discussion when Dr. James Miller, principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy, spoke to industry and government space leaders at a Space Power Lecture Breakfast last month on Capitol Hill. The event was hosted…

“Wow… “There really is a larger universe out there and bigger things than just what we focus on day-to-day. You really sparked my interest and imagination. Thanks for doing this.” That’s a comment from one of the attendees of a Space Foundation breakfast held July 15 in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Ronald Greeley and Dr.…

On July 22, the Space Foundation and the Global Technology Institute held a discussion on the recently released U.S. Space Policy featuring keynote speaker Peter Marquez, director of space policy for the National Security Council. Marquez, who is responsible for development and oversight of the President’s space policies, said the administration is trying to maintain/re-focus…