Aerospace Industries Association
AIA Hosts a Congressional Briefing on the International Space Station
AIA brought four experts on the International Space Station together at a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill in August that stressed the need for its continued utilization and for funding beyond 2015 that would accomplish this goal.
“The station is an example of international cooperation among engineers, scientists and the space agencies of many nations,” said AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey. “The labs offer promise in the study of cancer and life-saving vaccines, benefitting everyone.”
More than 70 Hill staff and other Washington decision-makers attended. The briefing’s panel was moderated by JP Stevens, AIA’s vice president for space systems, and welcomed William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, NASA Space Operations Directorate; Joy Bryant, Boeing's vice president and program manager for the International Space Station; John Porter, CEO of Astrogenetix; and Dr. J. Milburn Jessup, chief of the diagnostics evaluation branch at the NIH.
The panel began with technical discussions of the station’s status and the challenges it faces. After providing an update of the ISS, Gerstenmaier talked about its transition from construction to the utilization phase as an orbiting laboratory. Bryant addressed the scope of the engineering challenge for building and maintaining the station, which will weigh 1 million pounds upon completion and is capable of being visited by five different types of space vehicles from four different space agencies.
The panel then shifted gears to discuss the research potential of the ISS. John Porter discussed the role of Astrogenetix as a biotechnology company engaged in drug development utilizing microgravity. “Using space, years could be eliminated from R&D pipeline activities, to allow fast-tracking of promising agents and termination of unsuccessful agents at earlier time points,” Porter said. Dr. Jessup concluded the panel’s presentations with a discussion on the importance of the station’s weightless environment to cancer research.
“Just last month we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the moon landing and among the many news articles some asked, 'What has NASA done lately? Is NASA resting on its laurels?'" said Blakey in her closing remarks. “When I hear about the size, complexity and the research that is coming from the ISS, I think it is safe to say NASA continues to do amazing things.”
AIA Source: andrew.barber[at]aia-aerospace.org