Space policy experts to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 3

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327

Jeff Falk
jfalk@rice.edu
713-348-6775

Space policy experts to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Oct. 3

HOUSTON – (Sept. 28, 2016) – Just over a month out from the conclusion of a contested presidential election, and with uncertainties facing the nation’s space program, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will convene a panel of space policy experts Oct. 3 to review the state of NASA and future U.S. space policy.

The panel of seven will include the same six space policy experts who served on a January 2013 panel at the Baker Institute titled “Lost in Space: The Need for a Definitive U.S. Space Policy.”

Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Space Policy Program, the event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Who: Panelists Mark Albrecht, board chairman of U.S. Space LLC; Leroy Chiao, former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander; Joan Johnson-Freese, professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College; Neal Lane, senior fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute; Michael Lembeck, president of CEPStone LLC; Eugene Levy, the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice; and John Logsdon, professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

George Abbey, senior fellow in space policy at the Baker Institute and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, will serve as moderator.

What: A panel titled “Lost in Space 2016.”

When: Monday, Oct. 3, 6-7:30 p.m. (A reception begins at 5:30.)

Where: Rice University, Baker Hall, Doré Commons, 6100 Main St.

The public must RSVP for the event at www.bakerinstitute.org/events/1819.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

For a map of Rice University’s campus with parking information, go to www.rice.edu/maps. Media are advised to park in the Central Campus Garage.

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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top five university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.