SPACE.com -- Space Forum To Tackle Hot Button Issues


	Space Forum To Tackle Hot Button Issues By Leonard David Senior Space Writer posted: 05:34 pm ET 31 March 2000

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Whether its military space power for the 21st century, the fledgling commercial space business or the merits of cheaper, better, faster spacecraft, theres enough debate in each of these topics to fill a decade

Earth-Bound Applications of Space-Faring Sciences Honored

Tthe Space Technology Hall of Fame is honoring those spinoff products and services that stem from work done at NASA. The Hall, sponsored by NASA and the U.S. Space Foundation, has picked noteworthy spinoffs each year since 1988.Want to Learn More About this Year's Winners?

But if you want to save time and jump in on the hot-button battlegrounds shaping space policy today, look no farther than an upcoming super-conference coming here next week.

The 2000 National Space Symposium, entitled "Space, to Dare Greatly," is organized by the U.S. Space Foundation in Colorado Springs and runs from April 3 to April 6.

SPACE.com is the official web site sponsor: http://www.ussf.org/symposium00/program.html.
Special reports from the conferences will appear throughout the week on SPACE.com.

"Those attending the symposium rely on us to produce the most valuable forums for frank discussion of ideas. And for that to happen, we have to embrace the difficult, as well as not so difficult subjects. These discussions, no matter how controversial, are designed to create an environment that strengthens the use and development of space," said Bill Knudsen, president and CEO of the U.S. Space Foundation.

"We try to not promote controversy but we wont shy away from it either," he said.

Among the speakers will be top officials from the U.S. Space Command, NASA, the White House science office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office and executives from aerospace companies big and small.

One daunting issue to be addressed has industry and government in head-to-head combat: What are appropriate controls on the overseas transfer of technology from U.S. aerospace companies?

As space becomes more a global marketplace, private firms are struggling to compete against what they say are stifling government rules surrounding the sale of high-technology abroad. The issue is whether the sale of U.S. high-tech goods feeds the ability of "rogue nations" to harm American interests.

Another hot topic is the outlook for commercial space growth this year.

As the multi-billion dollar Iridium satellite network falls from grace (and will literally fall from space), how does the investment community view this commercial debacle? Buy, sell or hold? Wall Street experts will rate the best and worst in space for 2000 during the four-day program.