Saturday, August 16, 2008

Countdown to lift off

Thursday, August 21st, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m., the State Capitol will be home to some of the biggest players in the Aerospace Industry. They will be here to talk about Hawaii's role in the industry today, and the potential for the future given Hawaii's advantages, challenges and assets.

Here's the news release that went out Friday:

Explore Potential for Hawaii's Aerospace Industry at State Capitol

Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hawaii State Legislature announced today that it will host a day-long event exploring the potential of the Hawaii Aerospace industry for diversifying and fortifying the economy of the state. The event is sponsored by the State Senate and the House of Representatives, in cooperation with the Office of Aerospace Development.

WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 2008
8:30 a.m. (Registration)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Program)

WHERE: Hawaii State Capitol – Auditorium (Chamber Level)

LIVE BROADCAST: Olelo, Channel 53. Live stream on http://olelo.org/

A stellar lineup of guest speakers will address Hawaii's future in the Aerospace industry including its assets and challenges. Former Governor George R. Ariyoshi will provide introductory remarks. Ariyoshi currently serves as a U.S. Advisor to the Japan-U.S. Science, Technology & Space Applications Program. Much of Hawaii's infrastructure for astronomy and space-related programs were initiated under Governor Ariyoshi's administration.

In 2007, the State Legislature approved Senate Bill 907, which expanded and renamed the Office of Space Industry to the Office of Aerospace Development. It directs the office to identify and promote opportunities to expand and diversify aerospace activities in the state, including space exploration and settlement.

The Legislature wants to position Hawaii to be nationally and globally competitive, and recognized in the field of aerospace development.

"This is an exciting venture for Hawaii, especially for our young people," said Senator Carol Fukunaga, Chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development & Taxation. "Take our emerging robotics programs. Our children will be able to compete on a global level with the proper tools and skills set. With Hawaii emerging as a regional leader in robotics competition, it's a natural step towards future careers in aerospace industries."

"What young child has not dreamed of space travel?" asked Rep. Kyle Yamashita, Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns. "Hawaii has unique advantages that we should build upon to develop a viable aerospace industry in the state. The industry has a distinguished history here, but new technology makes it possible for Hawaii to play a larger role. The potential is unlimited."

What's Happening Now…
The University of Hawaii is home to over $60 million in annual grants for space-related programs from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The U.S. Military has also made significant investments in Hawaii's aerospace industry, such as the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) which sits atop Haleakala. It supports the largest space surveillance site in the nation.

Local companies such as Oceanit, Novasol, and Trex Hawaii, are developing new products to support aerospace activities such as atmospheric monitoring and weather forecasting, advanced air traffic control, advanced optical communications and electro-optical tracking systems.

National companies such as Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are already established in Hawaii.

What's Possible…
Rocketplane Global will discuss Hawaii's potential as a commercial launch site. Hawaii's location near the equator makes our state an ideal sit to support commercial space launch. In fact, Hawaii is the only state in the country from which payloads may be launched into orbit, polar or equatorial, without flying over populated areas.

In the next coming months, NASA will be identifying strategic locations across the U.S. that may be able to simulate extraterrestrial conditions on earth. NASA's goal is to return humans to the Moon by 2020, and to Mars in the following decade. Hawaii's environment, geography, terrain, and technological assets make the state very competitive in this site selection.

Here are program highlights and a list of distinguished speakers:

9:20 a.m. Aerospace Industry in Hawaii: The Big Picture
*Jim Crisafulli – Director, Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development
*The Honorable George R. Ariyoshi – Former Governor; U.S. Advisor, Japan-U.S. Science, Technology & Space Applications Program


9:40 a.m. Enabling the Next Frontier: Our National Vision for Aerospace
*Elliot Pulham - President & Chief Executive Officer - The Space Foundation
*David Kerr - Director of Partnership Management, Joint Planning & Development Office/FAA
*Chris Moore - Program Executive for Technology Exploration Systems Mission Directorate - NASA Headquarters
*Charles Smith - Chief, Space Technology Division - NASA Ames Research Center


10:45 a.m. Building Bridges: Hawaii as a Catalyst for Multinational Partnerships
*Frank Schowengerdt - Director - The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, U.S. Vice Chair - The Japan-U.S Science, Technology & Space Applications Program
*Michael Crosby - Interim Vice Chancellor for Research - University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Grady - Chief Strategy Officer - Alliance for Commercial Enterprises and Education in Space
*John Strom - Program Manager for Aerospace - Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Vice President for Business Development - Enterprise Honolulu
*Chris Moore - Program Executive, Exploration Technology Development - NASA Headquarters
*Bill Larson - Chief, Applied Sciences Division - NASA Kennedy Space Center

1:00 p.m. Innovating the Next Frontier: Dual-Use Applications in Aerospace
*Joe Lehman - Director, Government Affairs - Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
*Timothy Dolan - Business Development Executive - Raytheon Honolulu Field Office
*Rick Holasek - President - NovaSol
*Ken Cheung - Science & Technology Manager - OCEANIT
*Daron Nishimoto - R&D Space Superiority Program Manager – Trex Hawaii
*John Benzie - Technical Director - Pacific Missile Range Facility (Kauai)
*Lt. Col. Scott Hunt - Manager, Space Situational Awareness Program – Maui Air Force Research Laboratory
*Keith Knox - Boeing LTS Chief Scientist – Air Force Maui Optical & Supercomputing Site (AMOS)

2:30 p.m. The Heavens in View: Pioneering Astronomy & Planetary Geosciences
*Nick Kaiser - Associate Director for National Telescope Projects - U.H. Institute for Astronomy

*Peter Mouginis-Mark - Director - U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology

*Jeff Taylor - Lunar Scientist - U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology


3:30 p.m. Reaching for the Stars: NextGen Aviation & Commercial Space Launch
*Ramsey Pederson - Manager, Aviation Development - University of Hawaii
*Chuck Lauer - Vice President for Business Development - Rocketplane Global
*Luke Flynn - Director, Hawaii Space Grant Consortium & Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory - University of Hawaii

4:15 p.m. Training the Next Generation: Aerospace Education in Hawaii
*Wayne Shiroma - Co-Director, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory - University of Hawaii
*Joe Ciotti - Director, Center for Aerospace Education - Windward Community College
*Robert Fox - Chairman, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy - University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Dator - Director, Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies - University of Hawaii at Manoa
*Art Kimura - Director, Future Flight Program - Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, University of Hawaii

5:00 p.m. Special Presentation: In the Shadow of the Moon
Introduced by Nainoa Thompson - President, Polynesian Voyaging Society

Here's the trailer to the film In the Shadow of the Moon from director Ron Howard:

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