Posted by Chris Radcliff in News on November 25, 2008
Today, Space.com reported that NSS Executive Director George Whitesides was appointed to Barack Obama’s NASA transition team:
U.S President-elect Barack Obama has added a Virgin Galactic adviser and two more former NASA officials to the team leading the transition at the U.S. space agency.
The selection of Alan Ladwig, NASA’s associate administrator for policy and plans under U.S. President Bill Clinton; Ed Heffernan, then-NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s chief of staff; and George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society and senior adviser to Virgin Galactic; brings the number of NASA transition team members to five.
George joins a team headed by Lori Garver, a former NSS Executive Director herself. The Society will be well-represented, and hopefully both public and private space concerns will be brought to the table when talking about NASA’s role going forward.
SD Space members got a chance to meet George in September, when he attended the AIAA conference in San Diego. We chatted for a while about topics ranging from the Space Ambassadors program to starfaring dinosaurs at Stout Public House downtown. We congratulate George on his appointment and wish him luck.
Posted by Chris Radcliff in News on November 5, 2008
SD Space board member James Pura spent some time as an intern at SpaceX this summer, and he’s written an article at Discovery Space about it:
I was one of these interns, and what was in store for me was plenty enough to make my heart beat just a little faster for the rest of my life.
A spacecraft meant to ferry people calls for a window, so I was given the task to design a testing apparatus (from scratch) for the windows on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
It’s an inspiring story; taking an active role in the new space revolution is something we all hope to do. James recently shared his experiences with us at an SD Space program meeting. Please join us for the next one; you never know who you might meet.
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Events on November 3, 2008
On Saturday, November 15th, the San Diego Space Society and the Orange County Space Society are planning a fieldtrip and tour of the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex located about 35 miles north of Barstow, CA on the Ft. Irwin Military Base.
The tour begins at the Goldstone museum where three large areas are dedicated to current missions, past missions, and Deep Space Network history — plus there is a hands-on room for children. The guided tour then travels around the 53-square-mile complex to view the large antennas.
Carpools will be leaving from San Diego at 8:00am and will rendezvous with the Orange County carpools for lunch before the tour.
Email events@sdspace.org for more information or to reserve your spot.
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Calendar on November 1, 2008
Sat, Apr 4, 2009
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location:
Balboa Park (map)
San Diego, CA
The 2009 San Diego Science Festival (SDSF) is the first and largest celebration of its kind on the West Coast. Celebrating this year’s theme, “The Science of You,” the Festival will provide 500+ free and entertaining science outreach activities to Greater San Diego County throughout the month of March. Programs include on-site activities at local schools, once-in-a-lifetime field trips, and science workshops at local businesses and research facilities suitable for all ages.
The Festival concludes with Expo Day in Balboa Park on Saturday, April 4, 2009. On Expo Day, science takes over the museums, cultural centers, and the central corridor of Balboa Park with over 300 hands-on activities, demonstrations, experiments, contests, and performances.
SD Space, The Mars Society – San Diego, OCSS, and Spaceport Academy will all have booths during Expo Day. The SD Space booth will feature rocket launches and a space elevator. The Mars Society booth will feature the Mars Rovers and a full-scale MarsPod.
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Calendar on November 1, 2008
February 19, 2009 to February 22, 2009
Spacefest, the largest gathering of pioneer astronauts in the area, will be held in San Diego this year at the Town and Country Resort (map). The San Diego Air & Space Museum is co-sponsoring the event.
An amazing list of astronauts will attend, including Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Over two dozen astronomers, spacecraft managers and authors are scheduled to give presentations, including Carolyn Porco, Peter Smith, Phil Plait, and Francis French.
SD Space and The Mars Society – San Diego will both have display booths at Spacefest 2009. If you’re interested in volunteering at one of the displays, or at Spacefest in general, send email to events@sdspace.org.
