Posts Tagged ‘New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum’

The 5^th Annual International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) will held in Las Cruces, New Mexico on October 21 and 22 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. This annual conference brings together the current space community, academics, the innovators and entrepreneurs, and the civil and military government communities to discuss the current and future growth of global space commercialization.

Keynote speakers and panel chairs for the event include:

• Gary Payton, Deputy Under-Secretary of the Air Force, Space Systems
• Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA
• Yngve Bergqvist, CEO and Founder, Ice Hotel
• Wayne Hale, Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships, NASA
• James Van Laak, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Transportation, FAA
• Bill Klanke, Vice President and Publisher, Space News
• Jeff Greason, CEO, XCOR Aerospace
• Tom Burton, Department Head, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , New Mexico State University
• Alan Stern, former NASA Associate Administrator for Space and Earth Science
• Clay Mowry, President, Arianespace, Inc.
• Marshall Kaplan, Ph.D., Space Department – Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University
• Keith Beck, General Manager, Jacobs Technology

As a prelude to this year’s conference, a workshop and tour of the NASA White Sands Test Facility is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20^th.  It will include a panel of experts who will speak to assets in the local community that are capable of supporting the commercial space industry.  On Friday, October 23^rd, there will be a tour of Spaceport America led by Steve Landeene and Dr. Jerry Brown.  Both tours require separate registration and seating is limited.

All ISPCS sessions are plenary, allowing everyone to receive the same information simultaneously. Responding to feedback, ISPCS has created multiple means of engaging the audience in discussions with speakers during the sessions. Additional networking opportunities are scheduled throughout the two days.

A video from the 2008 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight is available on YouTube.

A complete agenda of session topics and panelists is available on the ISPCS website. Early bird conference registration ends October 1^st and online registration closes October 16^th.

The first Spaceport Community Council Meeting was held on July 21, 2009 at the Dona Ana County Government Center.  The public meeting was sponsored by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce‘s Commercial Space Committee. The event was moderated by Garrey Carruthers, former governor and Dean of the New Mexico State University College of Business.

Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, provided the audience an update on the progress of Spaceport America. His presentation included videos (click the links to view) of the May 2^nd New Mexico Education Launch and the June 19^th Spaceport America ground breaking event.  Videos are also available on YouTube.

Wayne Savage, Chair of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Space Committee provided an overview of the committee’s activities in the community to help develop and publicize business opportunities related to the Spaceport. He announced that the next public forum would be held on October 20, 2009 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The event, The Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum, is part of the 2009 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS).

Following the presentations, questions from the audience were answered by representatives from Spaceport America, the Las Cruces Public Schools, MVEDA, and elected officials, including State Representative Andy Nunez, County Commissioner Scott Krahling, and City Councilor Dolores Connor. The event was taped and is being aired on the City of Las Cruces’ CLC-TV cable channel 20 for those that are unable to attend.