Return to BTJ Online

The 8th Annual Spaceport Symposium addresses new space policies

by Kathy Hagood
Brevard Technical Journal

The 8th Annual Cape Canaveral Spaceport Symposium will offer Brevard County's technical community the chance to find out how new national space policies will be implemented on the Space Coast.

The Space Shuttle's return to flight, President George Bush's space exploration mandate and military use of space will be among the hot topics.

The symposium, to be held June 15 through 16 at the Radisson Resort in Port Canaveral, is being sponsored by the Air Force 45th Space Wing, NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Space Authority. "The symposium will give us all the chance to get up to speed," said Glenn Vera, deputy director of the Florida Space Authority While Space Congress, which was held in April, focused on a broad range of space-related subjects of interest to both mainstream and technical audiences, the symposium will focus on key areas of space policy.

"The information will be much more condensed and deal with specific operational and business issues," said John Hudiburg, NASA lead for business development. New military, NASA and commercial initiatives will be discussed by five panels during a day and a half of programming. The panel topics include global aerospace operations, future military space operations, future space transportation, exploration frontiers, and space recreation and tourism.

The event is expected to draw about 350 participants. About half of them will be coming from out of the state or the country. Members of the Air Force's Space Command in Colorado and representatives from NASA headquarters will be among the attendees.

"When the symposium began about a decade ago, it offered those who used the Eastern Test Range the opportunity to review common issues," Hudiburg said. "It's grown each year and is now attended by both government and industry, including satellite processing companies."

Representatives of the three sponsoring organizations will kick off the event. Brig. Gen. Gregory Pavlovich, commander of the 45th Space Wing; James Kennedy, director of Kennedy Space Center and Capt. Winston Scott (USN, Ret.), executive director of the Florida Space Authority will offer opening comments. Then Rick Blucker, chief plans and programs for the 45th Space Wing, will provide an overview of the symposium.

The keynote address will be given by Patricia Grace Smith, associate administrator for commercial space transportations with the Federal Aviation Administration. She will discuss the role of the FAA in airspace and space lift operations, which continues to evolve as the U.S. launch industry continues to expand to other areas of the country beyond the East and West Test Ranges.

The first panel will then look at the development of an architecture that will allow future vehicles to safely navigate in the National Airspace System. The discussion will include a concept for the integration of space and air traffic management systems. Space launch consultant Vic Villard, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton in Colorado Springs, will serve as the panel moderator.

Panelists will be Vickie Moser, vice president and program director of ITT Industries, Systems Division's Spacelift Range System Contract; Shelia Helton-Ingram, project manager, Space and Air Traffic Management System; and Darin Skelly, program manager, Range Technology Development.

Brian Chase, vice president of the Washington Operations for the Space Foundation is scheduled as the luncheon speaker.

The second panel will examine the potential for using space for our nation's defense in the next 30 years. Future military operational use of space, space policy challenges, control of global air and space, and military space application technologies will be addressed.

Brig. Gen. Roosevelt Mercer Jr., director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, will moderate panel members Col. Thomas Shearer, chief, Strategy and Planning Integration Division, National Security Space Office of the Undersecretary of the Air Force; Brig. Gen. John Sheridan, director of requirements, Headquarters Air Force Space Command; and Steven Walker, program manager, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology Office.

Panel No. 3 will look at current and future launch systems, including the evolution of the Space Shuttle and Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Delta IV and Atlas V families. The development of revolutionary new launch systems will also be discussed.

John Kelly, senior space team lead for Florida Today, will moderate. Howard DeCastro, vice president and program manager for the Space Shuttle Program for United Space Alliance; Jim Sponnick, vice president of Atlas Programs for Lockheed Martin; Dan Collins, vice president, program manager of the Boeing Delta programs; and Donald McMonagle, director of strategy and development for Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion. A networking session will then follow.

The next day's programming will begin with comments from Col. Glenn Vera (USAF Retired), deputy director, Florida Space Authority.

The symposium's fourth panel will then discuss President Bush's space exploration mandate and what it means for the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and other launch sites.

Dan Billow, WESH News Channel 2 space reporter will moderate Lt. Col. USAF Michael Good, a NASA astronaut; Alan Newhouse of Nuclear Systems Technology Division at NASA Headquarters; William Sample, president of Space Gateway Support; and Garry Lyles, deputy director of Project Constellation.

The fifth and final panel will examine the technology and business aspects of present and future space tourism. Scott will moderate Troy Thrash, program manager of Futron Corp., Eric Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Space Adventures; and Daniel LeBlanc, chief operating officer of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts at KSC.

For more information or to register for the symposium, visit www.capecanaveralspaceport.com.