Franceska Schroeder will present "US Space Exploration in the Next 20 Years" at The Dupont Summit 2011 in Washington, DC sponsored by The Policy Studies Organization.

The vision of the US National Space Policy has remained remarkably consistent for the past 2 decades. International collaboration using robotic platforms for space and Earth sciences and an incremental strategy for a human visit to Mars and other Solar System targets of opportunity, are the core tenets of the national strategy. The discovery of distant planets and the establishment of the NASA Astrobiology program, to search for life beyond the planet Earth, is a rapidly evolving field of science and technology. NASA has been using commercial launch vehicles and satellites for many years. In the late 1990 NASA has also purchased passage for its astronauts on the Russian space crafts. The major focus for Low Earth human crews transportation is currently contemplated to be accomplished by commercial means, while the planetary human exploration will continue to be the purview of the government. Commercial space is now firmly established. However the scope and extent of the commercial involvement in space exploration is subject of many debates. The panel will explore the current policies and political trends shaping space science and exploration in the next two decades.

Additional speakers include:

Mark Uhran Assistant Associate Administrator for Space Station Research (NASA)
Richard Williams, MD Chief Health and Medical Officer (NASA)

For more information or to register, click here.