Opening Comments • Ron Birk, President, American Astronautical Society
Day 1
March 12th, 2026
Speaker • Casey Swails, Deputy Associate Administrator, NASA
Fireside Chat • Chris Scolese, Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
with Ron Birk, President, American Astronautical Society
Advancing Next Generation Capabilities in Space
Joint Use Solutions Across the Space Enterprise
Luncheon: Awards Presentations
AAS Patti Grace Smith Award – Presented to Mahhad Nayyer
AAS John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award – Presented to Steve Isakowitz
Luncheon: Speaker • Steve Isakowitz with David Radzanowski
Navigating and Communicating from the Moon to Mars
Space Policy 2026: A Look Ahead
Accelerating Commercial Space Solutions
Speaker • Kelsey Young, Science Flight Operations Lead, Artemis Internal Science Team, NASA GSFC
Enabling Science and Exploration from the Moon to Mars
Day 2
March 13th, 2026
A View from the Hill
Space Weather Discussion
Space Science: Impacts on the Economy and National Security
Luncheon: Awards Presentation
AAS Space Technology Award – Presented to Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1
AAS Advancement of International Cooperation Award – Presented to Virgin Galactic ‘Galactic 01’ Mission
Luncheon Speaker • Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA
