The Sky’s No Limit: Aerospace Expo to Convene Here
By Don Jergler, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.
Sep. 17–LONG BEACH — Call it “Geeks-R-Us.” A lot of far-out subjects are sure to be covered this week at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2007 Conference & Exposition in Long Beach.
The conference, which runs Tuesday through Thursday at Long Beach Convention Center, serves as a venue for senior government and industry leaders and technology experts.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Space: The Next 50 Years.”"How do we build on that foundation for the next 50 years,” said Bob Dickman, executive director of AIAA, adding that the conference’s blend of big-name speakers and hundreds of technical papers covers “the whole spectrum of what goes on in the space world.”
About 800 experts are expected to attend the conference, which Dickman laughingly terms “Geeks-R-Us.” The three-day event, which takes place a few weeks before the anniversary of Sputnik I, will highlight advances in space technologies and applications over the past 50 years and will take a look at the next 50 years of space exploration.
Leaders from government, industry and academia will share ideas and offer their perspectives on the political, economic and social issues that must be addressed to take space utilization to the next level, according to a statement from conference organizers.
The trade event, which is not open to the general public, is co-chaired by The Boeing Co., NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the U. S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, and supported by The Aerospace Corp., Raytheon, Space Florida, Stellar Solutions Inc., Cimarron/DKI and California Space Authority.
Andrea Seastrand, executive director of the California Space Authority, and Roger Krone, who is executive co-chair of the conference and president of network and Space Systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, will speak.
Other speakers include Charles Elachi, director of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lt. Gen Michael A. Hamel, commander of Space and Missile Systems Center for the U.S. Air Force, Maureen P. Heath, vice president of Civil Space for Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Jeff Greason, president, CEO and co-founder of XCOR Aerospace and John Douglass, president and CEO of Aerospace Industries Association.
The AIAA will present five awards for key contributions to space science and technology: Burt Rutan, president and CEO of Scaled Composites in Mojave, will be recognized as the AIAA Engineer of the Year.
Antal Bejczy, former technical manager at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, will be recognized with the Space Automation and Robotics Award.
NASA’s Thermal Protection System Tile Repair and Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Repair Teams, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, will be recognized with the AIAA Space Operations and Support Award.
The XSS-11 Team from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, Colorado, and Lockheed Martin Corp., Denver, will be recognized with the AIAA Space Systems Award.
Glen Fountain, program manager, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, will be recognized with the AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management.
Another conference emphasis is on work force development and the question of “How do we get young people interested in aerospace?” Dickman said.
More than 1,500 Long Beach area teachers and students will learn about the space industry during Education Alley, sponsored by Boeing.
Education Alley provides hands-on demonstration of space-related technologies. Education sessions include: on shuttle design challenges, NOAA, science fun, ask a rocket scientist, GPS demonstrations, and California’s newest space science center.
Interactive exhibits include those from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Raytheon, and Boeing. Students from public and private schools grades 3 through high school have already signed up to participate.
Aimed at college students and recent graduates, the Future Space Leaders Networking Event introduces today’s leaders to tomorrow’s workforce. College students from local area universities, recent college hires and entry-level managers from government, industry and academia, along with SPACE 2007 registrants, will attend the Tuesday event.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.
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