Former astronaut to explain benefits of space exploration at campus conference

A three-time Space Shuttle astronaut will lead a discussion of the benefits of space exploration and how space affects every day life during a campus-based technical symposium of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

James Reilly II, a veteran of three shuttle missions and more than 850 hours in space, will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 24 campus meeting of the AIAA-RMS Technical Symposium. Reilly’s remarks will be delivered during lunch of the daylong symposium that will bring more than 200 aerospace professionals and educators to campus.

Reilly, now an instructor and curriculum developer for Colorado Springs-based Delta Solutions and Strategies, will share his personal experiences aboard the Space Shuttle as well as what it means to engineer the capability to fly in space and to stay there. In particular, his comments will focus on the International Space Station and the involvement of 14 nations in that effort.

“Jim will examine some of the ‘whys’ in going back to the Moon and in pursuing the first human footprints in the red dust of Mars,” Taylor Lilly, assistant professor, College of Engineering and Applied Science, said. “As engineers and scientists, we will be charged with not only deciding how we will travel to and live on the Moon and Mars but we will also help shape the opinion and policy of why we want to go.”

Lilly serves as the technical symposiums organizer and vice chair of the AIAA’s Rocky Mountain Section. He encouraged all who are interested in aerospace to consider attending the conference. Registration for the daylong symposium is $60 for professionals, $30 for students. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.aiaa-rm.org/ATS or contact Lilly, 255-3430 or [email protected].

Reilly, a Dallas native, flew on STS-89 in 1998, STS-104 in 2001 and STS-117 in 2007. He was selected by NASA in 1994 following a career as an exploration geologist where he was involved in the application of imaging technology for industrial applications in deep water engineering and biological research. For more information, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/reilly.html.

Taylor acknowledged the sponsorship support of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Ball Aerospace for their support of the conference.