Under the theme, "The Value Proposition for Space: Security, Prosperity, Discovery," the conference will explore the importance of space access and exploration for civil, commercial, security and scientific purposes, as well as the associated science, technology, logistics and economics.

Panel discussions and technical sessions will address topics such as "The New Race for Commercial Value in Space," "Emerging Entrepreneurs and Their Business Cases," "Space Partnering Initiatives" and "Technologies to Enable Global Security."

Approximately 1,000 representatives from government, industry and academia are expected to attend the three-day event, and more than 50 organizations and companies are expected to exhibit.

During the conference, "Education Alley," a special interactive exhibit hall for local K-12 students and teachers, will feature educational science and technology exhibits, demonstrations and presentations. More than 3,000 students are expected to participate.

LM is the corporate sponsor for this year's conference. Space News is the official conference media sponsor. AIAA's premier annual space conference, Space 2006 serves as a venue for senior government and industry leaders and technologists.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., AIAA serves over 35,000 members in 65 regional sections and 79 countries. AIAA membership is drawn from all levels of industry, academia, private research organizations and government and focuses on emerging technologies in aviation, space and defense.

The Space and Missile Systems Center is the technical center of excellence for researching, developing and acquiring military space systems.

Conference co-chairs are: Lt. Gen. Michael A. Hamel, commander, U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif.; S. Pete Worden, director, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.; and Joanne Maguire, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Related Links
AIAA conference information
Lockheed Martin