That's when the annual Meet the Astronauts Panel will convene at the 39th Space Congress. The room will be packed with families, many of whom have kids that participated in science fairs held across Florida's Space Coast this year.

Science fair awards will be given and then a panel of current astronauts, and maybe even a former astronaut or two, will be in attendance to make presentations and spend a lot of time answering questions. Autographs and posing for photos usually follows afterwards.

Participating astronauts are to include: Bonnie Dunbar, Terry Wilcutt, Dan Burbank and Joe Tanner. Former shuttle astronaut, now a senior NASA manager at KSC, Jim Halsell will chair the panel.

Jim Banke, Senior Producer in the Cape Canaveral Bureau.

Wednesday, May 1, 2002

NASA Sees Surge in Demand for Astronomers to Use Hubble
With the upgrades provided by shuttle Columbia in March, the Hubble Space Telescope has become very popular with scientists.

Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Shuttleworth's Space Adventure Half Over, Soyuz Crew Staying Busy
Speaking from orbit to the opening panel session of the 39th Space Congress in Cape Canaveral, space station Alpha crewmembers Dan Bursh, Carl Walz and Yuri Onufrienko said Shuttleworth and his two Soyuz taxi mission colleagues were staying busy on the Russian end of the frontier outpost.

Editorial: Space Congress Aims at Adventures Ahead
In the changes in attitude, changes in latitude department, consider this: At the moment, a 28-year-old South African tycoon named Mark Shuttleworth is hanging out aboard NASA's International Space Station after spending $20 million for a ride there last week aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

Ribbon Cutting Opens Space Congress Exhibits

Following some obligatory messages of welcome from appropriate dignitaries, the Mayor of Cape Canaveral and the Chairman of the 39th Space Congress cut a ceremonial ribbon Monday night to officially open this year's Space Congress and its Exhibit Hall at the Raddison at the Port in Cape Canaveral.

Brig. Gen. Donald Petit, commander of the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, had some particularly insightful comments Monday when he implored the gathered crowd to do whatever they could to bring as many students to Space Congress as possible during the next few days.

While some of the panel and paper sessions may not be as thrilling to watch as the Spider-Man movie, students very well might find some of the discussions of interest, especially when you consider some of the far out technical theories on display in the Exhibit Hall from Space Coast Science Fair students.

The Science Fair projects alone are worth taking a look at if you're along Florida's Space Coast this week. Those projects and the Space Congress exhibits are on display in a giant tent alongside the Raddison's Convention Center on A1A in Cape Canaveral, just south of Port Canaveral.

Space Congress officials already are expecting more than 700 students from area schools to visit this week.

Check the Space Congress Web site for times when the Exhibits are open this week.

-- Jim Banke, Senior Producer in the Cape Canaveral Bureau.

Monday, April 29, 2002

Cape Canaveral's Future Depends on Versatility, Spaceport Planners Say
Planners are just two months away from releasing a long-term master land-use plan for the Cape Canaveral spaceport.

Upcoming New Commercial Launchers May Set Tone for Industry's Future
The future of the Space Coast's launch industry could be determined this summer, when two new large rockets lift off for the first time.