Speakers Announced for Centennial Challenges Workshop

NASA’s Centennial Challenges program will feature prominent speakers and panelists during its inaugural workshop, June 15 and 16, at the Hilton Hotel, Washington.

Centennial Challenges is a new NASA prize competition program designed to tap the nation’s ingenuity to make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space Exploration and NASA goals. The 2004 Centennial Challenges Workshop is also an opportunity for potential participants to provide input to NASA about future competitions.

Featured speakers:

Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kan., Chairman, Commerce Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space

Dr. John H. Marburger III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge, Chairman, President’s Commission on Moon, Mars and
Beyond

Elon Musk, CEO and CTO, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

Panels include:

Financing Prize Competitors
The panel will provide tutorials on various fundraising sources for potential Centennial Challenge competitors. Panelists: Jay Coleman, Founder and President of Electronic Marketing and Communications International Ltd.; Monty Deel, President of GST Protocol Services; Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Florida’s Space Finance Corporation; and Marco Rubin, Managing Partner of Exoventure Associates, LLC.

Past, Present, and Future Prize Competitions
The panel will provide a broad perspective on prize competitions, including early 20th century aviation prizes, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Grand Challenge, and the privately funded Ansari X PRIZE and future X PRIZE Cup. Panelists: Eric Lindbergh, Vice President of the X PRIZE Foundation and grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh; Air Force Colonel Jose Negron, Program Manager for the DARPA Grand Challenge; and Peter Diamandis, Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation.

Launch Vehicles for Spacecraft Prize Competitions
The panel will provide an overview of existing and emergent launch vehicle capabilities for potential competitors in Centennial Challenges spacecraft competitions. Panel presenters: Kistler Aerospace Corporation; Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (Space-X); and XCOR Aerospace.

NASA invites interested individuals and organizations to attend the 2004 Centennial Challenges Workshop. For agenda and registration information on the Internet, visit:
http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/workshop.htm

NASA plans to have annual Centennial Challenges workshops. For information about the program on the Internet, visit:
http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

Original Source: NASA News Release