SWF Space Symposium update

The 25th National Space Symposium, organized by the Space Foundation and co-sponsored by a large number of aerospace organizations, is currently under way in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event will take place from March 30 to April 2.

The first day of the symposium took place with an opening ceremony complete with fireworks, but the highlight of the day was honoring the Chinese Shenzhou 7 crew which launched last year and gained notoriety for a successful spacewalk.

Today started off with an excellent panel focusing on the future of spaceflight with Michael Simpson, president of the International Space University (ISU) as moderator. Panel members included futurist Alvin Toffler, former FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Patty Grace Smith and Keith Hall of Booz Allen Hamilton.　

General Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, delivered an interesting talk focused on USAF plans to deal with what he called a "battle sphere," an integrated, multi-faceted volume consisting of Earth, space and cyberspace. He also mentioned USAF plans to shift command of ICBMs (currently Minuteman III) to a new Global Strike Command. Finally, General Kehler used the term "space commons," though he did not go into detail regarding what he meant in this context.

"Challenges for the Next Space Age" was addressed, featuring a panel moderated by Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel (Ret.). Panel members included Dr. Mark Albrecht, Senior Aerospace and Telecommunications Executive; Vice Admiral Lyle Bien (Ret.), Independent Assessment Panel member; David McGlade, CEO of Intelsat; and Dr. Scott Pace, Director of the Space Policy Institute at The George Washington University.

Rachel Yates, attorney with Holland & Hart and SWF Advisory Committee Member moderated a panel on "Regulating the Next Space Age" featuring FAA/AST Associate Administrator George Nield and SWF Communications Director Phil Smith. Discussion started on the subject of the current regulatory environment regarding commercial space flight in the United States, in addition to future plans. Also discussed was international efforts to address space governance issues, specifically orbital debris mitigation and space traffic management.

Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, Executive Officer with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and SWF Space Policy Consultant, moderated a panel on views regarding the future of spaceflight among the younger generation (under 35 years old). Panel members included Paul Engola of Lockheed Martin, Nicole Jordan of X Prize Foundation, Captain Genevieve Minzyk of USAF Space Command and Brooke Owen of FAA/AST. Of particular interest was a discussion on how this generation of interested space participants use new communication technologies to inspire and promote issues related to space, especially the international effect this has. Another topic addressed was gender bias in the aerospace industry, if any. Captain Minzyk mentioned that one challenge the U.S. has is perceiving itself as the dominant space power, neglecting the space affairs of others.

More entries and photos will be posted.