Every Space Congress has made its unique presence felt along the Space Coast. This year will be
no different when we celebrate the 35th installment of the oldest forum of its kind and the 40th anniversary
of NASA, the agency that made it all possible.
Our theme this year, “Horizons Unlimited”, is extremely appropriate when we consider the
extraordinary scientific achievements reached during the last eighteen months and the imminent launch
of the first elements of the International Space Station. We are truly at the beginning of a new era of space
exploration, exploitation and discovery, with our horizons limited only by our imaginations.
Not since American astronauts landed on the moon 29 years ago, has the world been treated firsthand
to the wonders of space exploration as it was on July 4, 1997. Around the globe people watched their
televisions and were enthralled as a gutsy piece of manmade machinery and electronics landed on Mars
and almost instantaneously shot back images to Earth. As if that wasn’t enough, millions of people
monitored the Rover’s whereabouts, on-line, at web sites, created by commercial ventures as well as
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab scientists. These achievements were followed by the Global Surveyor that will
orbit the Red Planet and map its surface for the next two years. Some of those resourceful, brilliant
scientists will be here to relate their experiences firsthand to Congress participants.
While there has been some debate about whether we should continue to share our knowledge and
our astronauts with the Russians and their Mir station, our astronauts and their cosmonauts have used
their resourcefulness and ingenuity to keep the aging station operational. No one accepts equipment
malfunctions as “nominal” operations but the lessons we have learned on Mir are vital to a successful
International Space Station project and will be instrumental to our future journeys throughout the solar
system. Astronauts, and perhaps cosmonauts, will be here to discuss their experiences and why the U.S.-
Russian partnership is essential.
In addition, there will be panels and paper sessions addressing the growing demand for the
commercial use of unmanned vehicles and the sophisticated constellations of communications satellites.
There will also be discussions about the future of reusable launch vehicles, the trends in military payloads
and launch vehicles, and the benefits education and our day-to-day lives receive from the various space
programs. As in the past, we will continue to have the popular exhibits hall, science fair and Meet the
Astronauts panel.
The 35th Space Congress is sponsored by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies (CCTS) and
supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense
(DoD). In addition, local citizens and aerospace contractors are involved in planning and organizing this
conference.
The Space Congress committee and I welcome you the scientists, engineers, educators, aerospace
and defense industry experts and the space enthusiasts, whose achievements and support keep
expanding the envelope of our “Horizons Unlimited.”
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