May 4-6, 2021
Online
In recognition of several milestones in space exploration, the 2021 Goddard Symposium will examine the history and future of the science and technology of exploring our home planet, our solar system, and beyond. Join us online for the 58th Goddard Symposium!
Members of the media that meet AAS Media Guidelines should contact AAS to register. Click to email or call 703.866.0020.
Sponsorships are available. Please send us an email or call +1 703.866.0020 for information.
Goddard Symposium Opening Reception
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Game Room and Lounge
7:00 - 8:30 AM - Registration and Breakfast
Registration and Breakfast
AAS Corporate Member Breakfast
Location: Mezzanine
8:30 - 8:50 AM - Welcome Remarks
Introduction and Welcome: American Astronautical Society and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
9:20 - 10:20 AM - Scoping it Out: Mapping Future Exploration Missions
Scoping it Out: Mapping Future Exploration Missions
Speakers
Moderator: Janet Karika, Principal Advisor for Space Transportation, NASA HQ
Sandra Connelly, Deputy Associate Administrator, SMD, NASA HQ
Douglas Loverro, Associate Administrator, HEO, NASA HQ
James Reuter, Associate Administrator, STMD, NASA HQ
Description
The future of America’s dynamic civil space portfolio offers multiple challenges and opportunities. This session will discuss future planned missions and proposals.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
10:20 - 10:40 PM - Networking Break
Networking Break
Location: Mezzanine
10:40 - 11:40 AM - Big Ideas: Management Strategies to Enable Innovation
Big Ideas: Management Strategies to Enable Innovation
Speakers
Moderator: Julie Crooke, Deputy Chief Technologist, NASA GSFC
Nick Cummings, Director, Civil Space Advanced Development, SpaceX
Bill Hite, Deputy Director, Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate, NRO
Ronald O’Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
Steve Shinn, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, NASA HQ
Description
NASA and its partners have successfully built, launched, and operated hundreds of missions since its founding. While smaller and medium-sized missions continue to flourish and be delivered on schedule and budget, this discussion will explore the unique challenges that NASA’s large strategic (“flagship”) missions face and potential innovative strategies to enable their delivery on schedule and within budget to achieve science and longevity.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
11:40 AM - 12:00 PM - Goddard+
Goddard+ Makenzie Lystrup, Vice President and General Manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
12:00 - 2:00 PM - Luncheon and Awards Presentation with Guest Speaker
Luncheon and Awards Presentation with Guest Speaker: Charlie Bolden – Workforce Development and Diversity
Awards
AAS Fellowship: J.R. Edwards
Carl Sagan Memorial Award: Michael Werner
Sally Ride Excellence in Education Award: David Seidel
Emme Award: John Logsdon
Speaker
Charlie Bolden, Former NASA Administrator, Former Astronaut
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
2:00 - 3:00 PM - By Air, By Sea, By Foot: New Platforms for Planetary Exploration
By Air, By Sea, By Foot: New Platforms for Planetary Exploration
Speakers
Moderator: Melissa Trainer, Deputy Principal Investigator, Dragonfly Mission, NASA GSFC
Dina Bower, Research Scientist, University of Maryland
Ken Hibbard, Mission Systems Engineer, Dragonfly Mission, JHU APL
Britney Schmidt, Associate Professor, Georgia Tech
Description
This panel will discuss technology development and the science they enable via “new” platforms for planetary exploration, including autonomous submersibles for ocean worlds, autonomous aerial vehicles for rocky worlds, and astronaut-held instruments for the moon and Mars.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
3:00 - 4:00 PM - Looking for Answers: Innovation in Astrophysics
Looking for Answers: Innovation in Astrophysics
Speakers
Moderator: John O’Meara, Chief Scientist, W.M. Keck Observatory
Sarah Lipscy, Mission Area Lead for Astrophysics, Ball Aerospace
Allison Nordt, Senior Manager for Astrophysics, Lockheed Martin
Jeremy Weirich, Vice President for Corporate Strategy, AURA
Description
Astrophysics finds itself at a unique time as we have a roadmap scientifically and technologically to answer two of the most fundamental questions we can ask: “How alone are we?” and “How did the universe get that way?” This panel will discuss how significant innovation, coordination, and collaboration might help answer these Great Questions.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
4:00 - 4:25 PM - Networking Break
Networking Break
Location: Mezzanine
4:25 - 5:25 PM - A Recipe for Success: Mission Diversity for a Complementary Mission Portfolio
A Recipe for Success: Mission Diversity for a Complementary Mission Portfolio
Speakers
Moderator: Ann Zulkosky, Director of NASA Programs, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Vanessa Griffin, Director, Office of Satellite and Product Operations, NOAA
Paul Hertz, Director, Astrophysics Division, NASA HQ
David Young, Deputy Director, NASA Langley Research Center
Description
Balancing missions in terms of size and resource consumption with science and exploration objectives requires coordination across NASA, other agencies, industry, and international partners to enable the highest science and exploration value for the entire agency. This gorp will discuss diverse mission managements between inter-governmental and international partners to best leverage the assets and expertise needed.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
5:25 PM - 5:45 PM - Goddard+
Goddard+ Liane George, VP Human Resources, United Launch Alliance
Maintaining and Developing an Innovative Workforce
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
5:45 - 7:45 PM - Reception in the Mezzanine
Reception in the Mezzanine
7:00 - 8:30 AM - Registration and Breakfast
Registration and Breakfast
Location: Mezzanine
8:30 - 8:45 AM - Welcome Remarks
Introduction and Welcome: American Astronautical Society and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
8:45 - 9:45 AM - Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons: Commercialization for Sustainability
Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons: Commercialization for Sustainability
Speakers
Moderator: Brian Weeden, Director of Planning, Secure World Foundation
Walt Everetts, Vice President, Satellite Operations and Ground Development, Iridium Communications Inc.
Mike Gold, Acting Associate Administrator, Office of International and Interagency Relations, NASA HQ
Jennifer Warren, Vice President, Technology Policy & Regulation, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Description
The space world is experiencing rapid growth in the number of space actors and breadth of space activities across government, industry, and the world. The democratization of space promises new innovations and benefits, but also challenges in ensuring the long term sustainability of the space environment and avoiding tragedies of the commons with orbital debris, radio frequency spectrum allocation, resource utilization, and conflict. This panel will discuss how industry and commercial operators can play a role in creating norms of behavior and avoiding these tragedies.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
9:45 - 10:10 AM - Networking Break
Networking Break
Location: Mezzanine
10:10 - 11:10 AM - Data Deluge: Innovative Approaches to Exploit the Flood of Big Data
Data Deluge: Innovative Approaches to Exploit the Flood of Big Data
Speakers
Moderator: Mark Clampin, Director, Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA GSFC
Megan Ansdell, Program Scientist, NASA HQ
Newton Campbell, Senior Principal Solutions Architect, SAIC
Hannah Kerner, Assistant Research Professor, University of Maryland/NASA Harvest
Barbara Thompson, Research Astrophysicist, NASA GSFC
Description
This panel examines big data challenges for science, engineering, operations, and strategic planning and explores potential solutions, including the role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and their emerging applications in unexpected ways.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
11:10 - 11:30 AM - Goddard +
Goddard+ Charlie Precourt, Vice President and General Manager, Propulsion Systems, Northrop Grumman Space, Former NASA Astronaut
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
11:30 AM - 1:15 PM - Luncheon with Guest Speaker
Luncheon with Guest Speaker: Neil Jacobs
Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
1:15 - 2:15 PM - No Place Like Home: Emerging Architectures for Earth Observations
No Place Like Home: Emerging Architectures for Earth Observations
Speakers
Moderator: Sandra Cauffman, Acting Director, Earth Science Division, NASA HQ
Pete Epanchin, Science Advisor, Global Climate Change Office, USAID
Scott Braun, Research Meteorologist, NASA GSFC (A-CCP)
Tim Newman, Program Coordinator, National Land Imaging Program, USGS
Karen St. Germain, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Systems, NOAA
Description
Earth Observing satellites provide a broad view of our home planet. Significant progress has been made over the last few decades in understanding the Earth as a system and the impact of human actions. In this panel we will compare and contrast the different approaches US agencies have taken or planned to take to provide and/or utilize Earth observations for improving life on Earth.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
2:15 - 3:15 PM - Fun in the Sun: Advancing the Exploration of Space Weather
Fun in the Sun: Advancing the Exploration of Space Weather
Speakers
Moderator: Nicole Duncan, Advanced Systems Manager, Heliophysics, Ball Aerospace
Antti Pulkkinen, Scientist, NASA GSFC
Nour Raouafi, Senior Scientist, JHU APL
Louis Uccellini, Assistant Administrator for Weather Services, NOAA, Director, National Weather Service
Description
Heliophysics research and exploration focuses on studying the Sun, the heliosphere, and planetary environments as elements of a single, interconnected system, one that contains dynamic space weather and evolves in response to solar, planetary, and interstellar conditions. Such a understanding represents not just a grand intellectual accomplishment for our time, it also provides knowledge and predictive capabilities essential to future utilization and exploration of space.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
3:15 - 3:35 PM - Networking Break
Networking Break
Location: Mezzanine
3:35 - 4:35 PM - We're All in This Together: Sustaining Human Exploration for the Future
We’re All in This Together: Sustaining Human Exploration for the Future
Speakers
Moderator: Joe Cassady, Executive Director, Space, Washington Operations, Aerojet Rocketdyne
Tom Cremins, Associate Administrator, Strategy and Plans, NASA HQ
Sylvie Espinasse, Head of the ESA Washington Office, ESA
Masami Onoda, Director, Washington D.C. Office, JAXA
Description
NASA and its commercial and international partnerships are creating innovative processes, capabilities, and technologies to ensure a sustainable pathway to the Moon and Mars. This group will discuss these new approaches to exploration.
Location: Solidarity Ballroom
5:15 - 7:15 PM - Reception in the Mezzanine
Reception in the Mezzanine