Space Solar Power Symposium
May 26-27
(Included with ISDC registration)
Space solar power, or SSP, has been a core interest of the NSS since the 1970s, when the conversation about beaming power from Earth orbit to needy societies began in earnest. First developed as a concept in the United States, space solar power was then closely studied in Japan and is now a central part of China’s space efforts. Recent developments both domestically and abroad have signaled the arrival of SSP as a subject of not just study, but a contender for major technological development in the coming decades. With our planet suffering from dangerous levels of climate change related to the consumption of fossil fuels, and the boundless energy of the sun arriving at our doorstep, largely unutilized, 24 hours a day, the time for space solar power has arrived. What are some of the newest technologies and who will master them? Join us at this world-class gathering to learn more.
Co-Chair:
Gary Barnhard
President and CEO
Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc.
National Space Society Board of Directors
Co-Chair:
Gary Barnhard
President and CEO
Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc.
National Space Society Board of Directors
Gary Barnhard – a self-described synergistic technological philanthropist, entrepreneur, and serial venture capitalist now serving as the President & CEO of Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc. (XISP-Inc) a start-up company focused on International Space Station technology development work as well as Barnhard Associates, LLC, a systems engineering consulting firm and Internet Service Provider (Xisp.net) based in Cabin John, Maryland. He is a robotic space systems engineer whose professional work includes a wide range of robotic, space, and computer systems engineering projects. He received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park in 1982 combining Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, with graduate work in science policy, solar physics, and artificial intelligence/knowledge-based systems. He served as a Space Systems Engineer and Information Systems Architect for EER Systems, and as a Senior Space Systems Engineer on the Grumman Space Station Systems Engineering and Integration Contract (SSEIC) responsible for advanced automation and robotic systems support. He was the Executive Secretary of the Space Station Freedom Program Robotics Working Group and received a NASA Group Achievement Award for the Robotic Systems Integration Standards Interface Design Review Team, as well as an Outstanding Support Award from the Canadian Space Agency Space Station Freedom Program Liaison Office. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and a life member of the National Space Society.
Co-Chair:
John C. Mankins
Mankins Space Technologies, Inc.
National Space Society Board of Directors
Co-Chair:
John C. Mankins
Mankins Space Technologies, Inc.
National Space Society Board of Directors
John C. Mankins, President of Mankins Space Technology is an internationally recognized leader in space systems and technology innovation, and as a highly effective manager of large-scale technology R&D programs. Mr. Mankins’ 25-year career at NASA and CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ranged from flight projects and space mission operations, to systems level innovation and advanced technology research & development management. He is also well known as an innovator in R&D management. For example, building on the original NASA ‘technology readiness level’ (TRL) scale for technology assessment (defined first with 6 or 7 levels in the 1970s), he extended the scale to flight systems and operations in the late 1980s (TRLs 8 and 9), published the first detailed definitions of the TRLs in 1995, and promoted the use of the scale by the US Department of Defense in the late 1990s. Before leaving NASA, Mr. Mankins was the manager of Exploration Systems Research and Technology within the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate with responsibility for a $416.8M annual budget, involving more than 100 individual projects and over 3,000 personnel. For 10 years, he was the manager of Advanced Concepts Studies at NASA, and the lead for critical studies of space solar power, highly reusable space transportation, affordable human exploration approaches, and other topics. He was the creator or co-creator of numerous novel concepts, including the ‘MagLifter’ electromagnetic launch assist system, the Internet-based NASA ‘Virtual Research Center’ the ‘Solar Clipper’ interplanetary transport vehicle, the ‘SunTower’ space solar power system, the ‘Hybrid Propellant Module’ for in-space refueling, the ‘HabBot’ mobile planetary outpost architecture, the Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS), and others. In recognition of his accomplishments, he has received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (of which he was the first recipient).
Speakers
Kevin Barry
Co-Founder
LightBridge Strategic Consulting
Kevin is a student of history, an avid gamer, a real estate developer, and a business analyst. He has published several papers on historical economic trends and how they apply to commercial space development observing the correlation between the rise and fall of civilizations and the quality of their infrastructure. He is an active member in several international space forums, part of Foundation for the Future’s financial sub-committee, and is a Co-Founder of LightBridge Strategic Consulting. LightBridge’s mission is to ‘Get Good Ideas Financed and Built’. Kevin and his business partner Eduardo specialize in Economic Analytics, Business Analysis, Thought Leadership, and Financial Support.