Bolden, Elachi, Stone Headline American Astronautical Society's 60th Anniversary Celebration

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden is among the dignitaries who will be on hand to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the American Astronautical Society (AAS) on July 16, 2014.  JPL Director Charles Elachi will also be there to present the AAS Lifetime Achievement Award to Ed Stone, former JPL Director and project scientist for the Voyager probes.

Voyager 1 and 2 continue to return data from the outer edges of the solar system almost 40 years after they were launched.  Their primary mission was returning data as they flew past the outer planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus — but they have continued a mission of discovery since then.  Voyager 1 recently became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space.

Bolden will join former astronaut and AIAA Executive Director Sandy Magnus, AAS Board member Laura Delgado López of the Secure World Foundation, and Trevor Waddell of the Aerospace Industries Association in a panel discussion about the future of the space program after a showing of the film “I Want to be an Astronaut,” which aims to encourage STEM education. NASA Associate Administrator for Science Mission Directorate and former astronaut John Grunsfeld will moderate the panel.

The event will be held from 6:00-9:00 pm ET at the National Academy of Sciences building, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.  A reception follows in the NAS building’s Great Hall.   Coincidentally, July 16 is also the 45th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11.

The event is free, but RSVP by July 11 is REQUIRED to dthompson@astronautical.org.