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Structure
This year's conference will be a single tracked event consisting of panels, plenary sessions and stand alone speakers. There will also be a handful of off agenda, product based workshops focused upon accomplishing the real behind the scenes goals primary to the Foundation.
Theme
The theme of this year's conference is "The Next Space Age." This year has been a very momentous one in the space community. The return to flight of the Space Shuttle, the announcement by Virgin Galactic that they will be moving ahead with Scaled Composites to build the first civilian spacecraft within the next few years and the accomplishments of the deep impact mission are all signs that visions of spaceflight are being achieved all around us. On the horizon we have opportunities for the first true commercial businesses in space. This year's event will be designed to focus on those opportunities and potential opportunities which will truly move the nation forward in the creation of a new space age.
| Times |
Friday, October 21 |
9:45 am –
11:00 am |
Potential of Commercial Space (Vehicles) Panel – It is by now clear to nearly all that the future of our nation in space lies with the commercial sector. While government activity in space will always be a key aspect of the new frontier, the question we must ask ourselves is who are the operators willing to risk it all to make space a place where normal everyday people live and work? |
11:15 am –
12:15 pm |
Business of Space – It has long been argued that the primary barrier to successful active business in space is the prohibitively high cost of accessing space. The purpose of these panels will be to furnish discussions by companies not traditionally associated with space, but which could reap benefits from working in the space environment if the cost of access to space was cheaper. Essentially this panel is meant to be a two part (orbital and sub-orbital) forum featuring potential CUSTOMERS of space access services.
Sub-Orbital Panel – The ability to regularly access suborbital space is now right around the corner. While some of the markets are very clear others are less obvious. To date the companies that have been developing vehicles have focused on markets which are clear and easy to quantify. Are there other opportunities that can be realized in the short term? |
1:30 pm –
2:30 pm |
Business of Space – continued
Orbital Panel – The entrepreneurial space community has long pointed to cheap access to orbit as being the keystone of real economic development in space. Until recently however, a clear path to how such access would be achieved was hard to discern. Now the road is clearer and the question before us is: What will we be doing in near earth space just ten years from now? |
2:45 pm –
3:45 pm |
Terrestrial Support Companies Panel – The space industry is going to involve companies beyond vehicles and customers there are a wide variety of infrastructure and support industries. These companies will actually be the backbone of the industry, but will remain on Earth. They enable other companies to actually work in space. They include computer companies, infrastructure builders, information technology, insurance, materials, fuel, ground support, logistics and many more. |
| Times |
Saturday, October 22 |
9:45 am –
11:00 am |
Spaceports Panel – A new industry is emerging which will be taking adventurers, researchers, engineers, and perhaps even astronauts in training into space on a near daily basis. A future is now clearly discernible where the brave and the brilliant will begin making fortunes and discoveries alike in space. Where will they be operating from? A handful of forward looking states and spaceports have begun working hard to make sure that they can begin reaping the benefits of this new industry. |
11:15 am –
12:30 pm |
Role of Government in Space Development Panel – Throughout the history of spaceflight, the defining role has been played by NASA. Now however, space is becoming a place where people live and work rather than solely a place where government employees learn, experiment, and push the limits of technology. |
1:45 pm –
2:45 pm |
Regulation – The rules and regulations that surround spaceflight at present are critical to the success or failure of new space ventures. As humanity begins to move forward into space this trend will only become more prevalent. Taking a thorough look at these issues is therefore critical to the success of the next space age.
Spaceflight Regulation Panel – One of the most immediate concerns surrounding the emerging human spaceflight industry is how strict the rules will be when they actually begin to accommodate the first passengers. While for the moment these questions are academic, the first flights are only a handful of years away and many questions remain unanswered. |
3:00 pm –
4:00 pm |
Regulation – continued
ITAR Panel – Despite improvements at the State Department when it comes to processing technology requests, the International traffic and Arms Regulations as they apply to space still places a substantial burden on American companies. So much so, that many have argued that these regulations have done more to damage the U.S. economy than they have done to protect national security. |
4:15 pm –
5:15 pm |
Hollywood and Space Plenary – How space is perceived by the general public is partly determined by how Hollywood chooses to portray it. This plenary session will explore how and why Hollywood portrays space the way it does. |
| TBA |
Asteroids Plenary – The resources of tomorrow are the threats of today. Understanding asteroids, learning about them, and trying to figure out how we will one day access their promise is a question worth asking. |
| Times |
Sunday, October 23 |
9:00 am –
11:00 am |
Space Tourism Plenary – That this will be a market for the first providers of commercial space access is clear, the details of how it will develop remain to be seen and the speakers in this session will strive to illuminate the issue. |
11:15 am –
12:15 pm |
Space Settlement Plenary – That larger numbers humans will soon be living and working in space on an increasingly permanent basis is a goal that all in our community strive for. The first of these facilities are being designed researched and even assembled on the ground at the present time. |
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