The loss of the Space shuttle Colombia was a shock to the nation but especially to the leadership of NASA who believed that they were providing strong protection against just such an event. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board went beyond the technical causes of the accident to the cultural history and human factors which lead to catastrophe. After Colombia, Wayne Hale was appointed to leadership in the Space Shuttle program with the instructions to not merely correct the technical problems but also address the management culture. Hale has briefly described the history and management culture at NASA prior to Colombia and then delve into the changes - both technical and human - that were made as the space shuttle was returned to flight. These changes affect NASA today as it gears up for the next phase of deep space exploration.

Event Date: 9/11/2014

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and was serviced by astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle five times. This talk will focus on the final Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, STS-125, which took place in May 2009 on-board Space Shuttle Atlantis. During that mission the crew upgraded the telescope through a series of five spacewalks, setting a record for spacewalking time on a single space shuttle mission. The spacewalks included the first-ever repair in place of Hubble science instruments.

Event Date: 03/13/2014

When NewSpace Global (NSG) launched in 2011, it tracked approximately 125 companies in the NewSpace industry. Today, NSG analysts cover nearly 600 companies around the world. In addition to the ubiquitous SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, and Virgin Galactic, there are hundreds of innovative companies from university or garage-born start-ups to Fortune 500s, building potentially world-changing products or services developed in or for space. This talk will start by providing an introduction to the unique characteristics that define NewSpace. Then, by examining the innovations of the recent past and forecasting such exciting developments into the near future, we will come to understand how NewSpace is emerging as today's great innovation economy.

Event Date: 2/26/2014