Final Info on Our Upcoming Conference, Space Access '05, April 28-30, Phoenix Arizona This is our final mailing on the Space Access conference getting underway this Thursday in Phoenix, with useful last-second info plus the definitive conference agenda (subject only to on-site changes needed.) Quick notes: - Speakers should be aware we do ask everyone to pay admission to the conference. Old hands know this, but we've been remiss in informing newer arrivals this year - our apologies. Any speakers caught off guard by this belated announcement should feel free to ask Registration for the pre-reg discount, as it's too late to pre-register without paying most of the discount in overnight mail fees. - Our $79 conference hotel room rate is still available for now, but the hotel tells us they're filling up fast and the rate may not be available at the door. The only way to get our rate is to call our hotel direct (the Four Points by Sheraton Phoenix Metrocenter, 602 997- 5900, mention "space access") between 8 am and 4 pm weekdays Mountain Standard Time (EDT-3) since outside those hours calls automatically get switched to the Sheraton national reservations center, which no longer has our rate listed. - We will have use of a credit card machine this year, at the conference only. You can register at-the-door for Space Access via credit card. We will also (as always) accept personal checks or cash. - The forecast for our dates is clear and sunny, highs around eighty, overnight lows around sixty, brief thunderstorms possible Friday. Final Conference Agenda (Subject to change in emergency - speakers who hit a travel snag or otherwise can't make your scheduled time, contact us ASAP at the hotel direct via 602 432-5022 and we'll try to figure out a way to fix it.) Thursday, April 28th Between noon and one, depending on how setup goes: - Space Access '05 Hospitality opens, Suite 317 (just off the hotel lobby elevators, two floors up) - Registration opens, in the "library" (between the hotel lobby and the Mesquite Room where our sessions will be) (Note - that overworked A/V tech in t-shirt and jeans doing setup Thursday is NOT the Executive Director; leave him alone to get his job done. The Executive Director is the one who'll show up a bit later dressed respectably; he'll be glad to chat.) 2 pm - brief welcome, Henry Vanderbilt, Executive Director of SAS 2:05 - Henry Spencer, "Sustainable Spaceflight Beyond LEO" 3:15 - Wes Kelly, Triton Systems 3:45 - break 4:15 - George Herbert, Venturer Aerospace, "Manned Capsules For Earth Orbit and Beyond" 4:55 - Lt. Cole Doupe, AFRL, with DARPA/Air Force FALCON Small Launcher and ARES Reusable Rocket Stage Demonstrator briefings 5:40 - Steve Harrington, Flometrics, with a pistonless pump demo 6 pm - break for dinner 8 pm - Registration closes 8 pm - Jordin Kare, on "Laser Launch: It's Steamship Time" 8:50 - Gerry Nordley, Tethers Unlimited 9:20 - Parker E C Bradley, Heron Aerospace, "Cannon Assisted Rocket Launches: Opening A New Commercial Frontier" 9:50 - Henry Cate, "Bootstrapping LEO Tethers" 10:10 - Vincent Cate, "Regolith Return Tether" 10:30 - end of Thursday sessions late - Hospitality closes Friday, April 29th 8 am - Registration and Hospitality open 9 am - Tim Hughes, majority counsel to the House Science Committee, on the intent behind various sections of the recent Space Launch Amendments Act 9:40 - George Nield, Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, FAA AST 10:20 - break 10:50 - Michelle Murray, FAA AST, on the mechanics of the rulemaking process whereby new law becomes detailed regulations 11:30 - panel discussion - Rocket entrepreneurs discuss what they're looking for from various current FAA rulemaking processes. Chuck Lauer, Jeff Greason, John Powell, John Carmack, ? 12:20 - break for lunch 2 pm - Eric Anderson, Space Adventures 2:40 - Jeff Greason, Dan Delong, Aleta Jackson, XCOR Aerospace 3:30 - break 4 pm - Mitchell Burnside Clapp, Pioneer Rocketplane Inc 4:40 - Charles Pooley, Microlaunchers 5:10 - panel: Questions To Ask Before You Wire The Money: A Space Startup Investor's Checklist. Fleming, Olson, Pistritto, ? 6 pm - break for dinner 8 pm - Registration closes 8 pm - Brooke Owens, X-Prize/X-Prize Cup 8:40 - David Hoerr, author of "The Rocket Company" 9:10 - Pat Bahn, TGV Rockets 9:40 - panel: "When Physics, Economics, and Reality Collide - The Challenge of Cheap Orbital Access" - John Jurist, Sam Dinkin, David Livingston 10:30 - end of Friday sessions late - Hospitality closes Saturday, April 30th 8 am - Registration and Hospitality open 9 am - John Powell, JP Aerospace 9:50 - Len Cormier, PanAero LLC, "Space Van 2009" 10:20 - break 10:50 - Chuck Lauer, Rocketplane LLC 11:30 - Rick Tumlinson, Space Frontier Foundation 12:00 - Dave Masten, Masten Space 12:20 - break for lunch 2 pm - Registration closes 2 pm - John Carmack, Phil Eaton, Russ Blink, Armadillo Aerospace 2:50 - Jim Muncy, T/Space, PoliSpace 3:30 - break 4 pm - Dennis Wingo, Orbital Recovery 4:40 - David Anderman, Constellation Services 5:20 - Tom Taylor, Lunar Transportation Systems 6 pm - break for dinner 8 pm - Dr. Jerry Pournelle 8:40 - George Whitesides, National Space Society 9 pm - Pat Bahn, The Suborbital Institute 9:20 - panel: Cheap Access Politics: Where To Next? Henry Vanderbilt, Rick Tumlinson, George Whitesides, Jim Muncy, Pat Bahn, with feedback from the floor. 10:30 - Space Access '05 sessions end late - Hospitality closes - see you next time! Hotel: Our hotel is the Four Points by Sheraton Metrocenter, 10220 N Metro Parkway East, Phoenix Arizona 85051. The Four Points is in Phoenix's "Metrocenter" shopping complex, fourteen freeway miles from the Phoenix airport (cab rates in Phoenix vary; it's $12 by blue "Super Shuttle" airport van, approximately twice that via cab) with countless stores and restaurants within walking distance. Directions: - From the Phoenix airport, head toward the west (24th St) end of the airport then follow the signs to Interstate 10 West. - Once on I-10 West, look for exit 143 to I-17 North in a few miles. (I-10 and I-17 connect twice in Phoenix - don't worry, either way you find I-17, take it north.) - Once on I-17 North, take it to exit 207, Dunlap Road. Turn left at the top of the ramp (west) onto Dunlap. (Ignore the Sheraton visible to your right as you pass through this intersection - it's the wrong one.) - Stay to the right on Dunlap; you'll be turning right at the first light, in a couple hundred yards. - At the first light, turn right onto 29th Ave and head north. - three hundred yards up 29th, at the first light, turn right onto Metro Parkway East. You're now on the loop road around Metrocenter Mall. - Follow Metro Parkway East for roughly 3/4 mile, just short of halfway around the loop. The Four Points Sheraton will be on your left, at 10220 N Metro Parkway East. It's not a high-rise, so you probably won't spot it till you're right in front of it. There's a "Bennigan's" sign on the right, just before the Sheraton entrance - if you pass Barnes & Noble, you've gone too far. Sheraton parking is free, and the lobby and registration desk are right off the front driveway. 602 997-5900 is the main hotel number if you need it. Coming in from the west on I-10, take exit 143 to I-17 north then follow the above directions from there. Coming in from the north down I-17, take exit 208, Peoria Ave. Turn right onto Peoria, take a left at the light onto 28th Drive, take your second left onto Metro Parkway East, and the Four Points will be a couple hundred yards down on your right. Space Access '05 will once again be a mix of the usual suspects and some interesting new additions, once again providing an intensive informal snapshot of where this fast-moving new cheap space access industry has gotten to as of spring 2005. Be there! Space Access '05 registration once again holds steady at $100 in advance, $120 at the door, $10 off for SAS members. $30 Student rate, no member discount. Day rates available at the door only. One year's SAS membership is $30.