Virgin Galactic is widely regarded as the world's first commercial spaceline and is one of a small number of companies democratizing access to space: opening up space travel to the public. In the six-decade history of human spaceflight, a little over 550 individuals have traveled above Earth's atmosphere into space. Will Pomerantz of Virgin Galactic hopes to change that with their human spaceflight system: WhiteKnight Two and SpaceShip Two. The number of space explorers could triple in the next few years.

Pomerantz will provide an update on Virgin Galactic's progress on their commercial human spaceflight program, SpaceShipTwo's return to flight, and the ongoing development and testing of the LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program. He will briefly discuss research opportunities on suborbital flights and employment and internship opportunities suitable for undergraduate and graduate students.

Event Date: 10/29/2015

50 years after we first began, Americans continue to fly into space not so much because the public strongly wants it to be so, but because space exploration dominated by the vehicles and astronauts of other nations seems unthinkable. Yet human spaceflight among the longest of long-term endeavors—can not be successful if held hostage to short-term decisionmaking and budgetary processes. The "Pathways to Exploration” report, requested by Congress and commissioned by NASA through the National Research Council, describes findings, principles, and goals that may be helpful to revive human spaceflight and create a sustainable program of human exploration of the endless frontier of space.

Event Date: 4/15/2015

NASA is currently planning a robotic mission to search for water and evaluate Europa's potential for life. The mission would investigate Europa's icy crust probable ocean, chemistry, and geology. It would also scout out sites for a possible future landed mission. Europa may hold answers to one of humanity's most fundamental questions: Are we alone in the universe?

Event Date: 03/19/2015