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COMPLETED PROJECTS

Space and the Polar Regions International Seminar
Arlington Campus
April 24-25, 2007

To highlight the contributions of space assets to polar regions, the Embassy of France and CAPR, in conjunction with the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales organized a one-and-a-half day seminar, which took place at GMU's Arlington Campus, 24-25 April 2007. Experts in various science disciplines and in a variety of satellite applications areas discussed how satellites and other space technologies are aiding in the study and development of the polar regions.

Dr. Arden L. Bement Jr., Director, National Science Foundation

Contributions to Space Exploration:
Global Objectives, Plans and Capabilities

An AAS/AIAA Initiative, organized in conjunction with George Mason University

The American Astronautical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in conjunction with George Mason University has carried out a series of events to highlight global space exploration objectives, plans and industrial capabilities and develop a single integrated data base of space exploration activities worldwide. The events focused on the comprehensive range of plans, encompassing Moon and Mars programs and other missions and precursor research that contribute to space exploration overall. National space exploration objectives, plans and industrial capabilities worldwide are being reviewed in relation to a standard template. The template approach aided an independent assessment of the overall space exploration endeavor and the roles of individual national space exploration components within it. The template approach also aided in the identification of gaps, overlaps and strategic redundancies, providing useful input to discussions on and planning for exploration activities for the coming decades.

This initiative was accomplished through a public seminar, a data synthesis working group and an invitation only follow-on workshop. It is the first activity undertaken by AAS and AIAA under a new collaborative agreement on international activities.

Public Seminar: November 1–2, 2006

The public seminar was held November 1-2, 2006, at the George Mason University, Arlington Campus, Virginia. It highlighted the full range of national exploration, objectives, plans and industrial capabilities (including purely commercial initiatives)

Seminar Program consisted of:

• A keynote by NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale on the important role international cooperation will play in space exploration
• Presentations by space agencies on their national exploration objectives, plans and industrial capabilities. Speakers provided a template so that all presentations could be made in the same manner, thus allowing an "apples-to-apples" comparison.
• Panels on commercial interests in space exploration Transportation and Infrastructure)
• A NASA presentation on status of the Global Space Exploration Strategy
• Panel on Congressional Prespectives on Space Exploration
  

Additional Seminar details and copies of the presentations can be found on the AAS web site at http://www.astronautical.org/

Synthesis Group

A small synthesis group worked during November and and December 2006 and early January 2007, using the data obtained from the Seminar, and additional information obtained by 'data mining' on the World Wide Web, developed an initial draft of an integrated space exploration database.

Invitation Only Workshop: January 30 – February 1, 2007

Workshop participants including many seminar speakers or their representatives from government and industry, along with other invited experts reviewed and discussed the approach used in developing the data base (Proof of Concept) in terms of its utility, both to government agencies and the commercial sector, within the overall context of global space exploration. The potential evolution of the database was also discussed and a number of improvements were suggested. The role such a database could play in the development of what was, at the time, referred to as "The Global Reference Architecture" was also considered.

Written Report; Promotion of Outcome

Workshop results have been presented in a number of fora including the International Space University's 11th International Symposium (February 2007) and the AAS's 45th Goddard Symposium (March 2007). A paper has also been accepted for the upcoming International Astronautical Congress in October this year. Complete results of the Workshop, and a copy of the draft database, can be found in the Workshop Report.

Short Courses: The U.S. Government Space Sector (October 2006)

For the fourth year in succession George Mason University, with the co-sponsorship of the American Astronautical Society and the Space Foundation, offered a short course on "The U.S. Government Space Sector". Developed by the George Mason University School of Public Policy's Center for Aerospace Policy Research, the course provides an overview of the departments and agencies, both civil and military, involved with U.S. Government space programs. Topics covered include a history of the space age, budgeting, Departments and Agencies of the Administration involved in space matters, the Congressional process, interfacing within and with the government and space policy. This year a new session was added to the program on “The Role of the Government in Regulating Space Activities”. Speakers were drawn from State Department, NOAA-NESDIS and DoT/FAA/AST. The two-and-one-half-day course has been developed primarily for individuals who would benefit from a broad-based understanding of the overall extent of the U.S. Government's involvement in space.

Interoperability and Space Exploration Seminar
Arlington Campus
September 6-7, 2006

For space exploration to be successful and sustainable, space exploration must absorb and implement the lessons and best practices of interoperability from other sectors. To address this issue, the Human Space Exploration Initiative (HSEI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Center for Aerospace Policy Research of the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, and the American Astronautical Society co-organized a major international seminar on Interoperability in Space Exploration. The seminar included panels with case studies from both inside and outside the space sector, followed by discussions of lessons learned from the private and public sectors.

Workshop Series: Issues in Space Exploration
Workshop 1 (April 2005)

George Mason University, in conjunction with the International Space University (ISU), co-organized the first in a planned series of invitation-only experts' workshops addressing different significant aspects of space exploration. Hosted by ISU in Strasbourg, France, April 19-22, 2005, the first workshop brought together nineteen experts from nine countries to develop a coordination scheme to optimize exploration efforts around the world.
The conclusions and recommendations of the experts were published in a report distributed to space policy decision makers to assist them as they consider and develop mechanisms for international cooperation in space exploration. They have also been presented at numerous conferences. Structuring International Cooperation in Space Exploration

Workshop 2 (August 2006)

GMU’s second exploration related Workshop, held on the Fairfax Campus, August 1-3, 2006, addressed the topic of “Building and Maintaining the Constituency for Long Term Space Exploration”. Two working groups, each of nineteen invited experts, addressed the same topic. One group, the “Veterans” was made up of individuals with a long experience in the space field or other relevant disciplines. The other, SpaceGen, consisted of individuals in the early phases of their careers (less than 35 years of age). In this way two different viewpoints were brought to bear on the issues under discussion.
Final Report
Space Generation Working Group

NASA Engineering Training Program

The Aerospace Center's three-year, $17 million agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provided management evaluation, research, and policy development for the NASA Engineering Training program (NET). The overall objective was to promote greater interchange of ideas among the ten independent centers at NASA.