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The California Space Authority (CSA) announced today that “Back to the Future” would be the theme for its third annual Transforming Space 2007 Conference on November 5-8 at the Sheraton Gateway LAX. Building off the successful movie trilogy that started in 1985 about “Marty McFly” (played by Michael J. Fox) who is thrown backward and forward in time, the conference planners hope to give attendees a taste of past, current, and future gadgets, products, and ideas that have and continue to shape space enterprise.
“It is a great theme,” explained CSA Executive Director Andrea Seastrand, “because it captures the connection on how past actions shape future events—just like the movie. In a similar way, the Transforming Space 2007 Conference will have events, products, and discussion panels that will remind us of how far we have come in space and where we are going for the future.”
The conference that runs from Monday through Thursday is co-hosted by the California Space Education and Workforce Institute (CSEWI), a charitable, nonprofit organization that focuses on space education and workforce issues. Several hundred attendees representing a wide range of space professionals and enthusiasts are expected to attend. The conference hosts a space fashion show with real space suits from the past, bottled space water, and a number of panel discussions and keynote speakers sharing on issues that include space tourism, climate change, space workforce needs in science, math and engineering, new commercial applications for satellites, and transformation of supply chains and manufacturing dynamics. The conference culminates with the Spotbeam Awards dinner on Thursday evening where CSA recognizes individuals and companies involved in advancing space enterprise interests in California.
Keynote speakers at the conference include: The Honorable Jane Harman, Chair of Intelligence, Information-Sharing & Terrorism Risk Assessment Subcommittee; Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, Commander of Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), U.S. Air Force Space Command; Elon Musk, CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX); Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chairman/CEO, Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G); Anousheh Ansari, first female private space explorer; The Honorable Adam Schiff, member, House Appropriations Committee; The Honorable Ken Calvert, member of House Appropriations Committee; Shana Dale, Deputy NASA Administrator; Gen. Kevin Chilton, Commander of U.S..Air Force Space Command; and Jack O’Connell, California Superintendent of Public Instruction.
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William.Simon[.]CaliforniaSpaceAuthority.org 
