What's Happening in Space Policy September 21-25, 2015

Here is our list of space policy related events for the week of September 21-25, 2015 and any insight we can offer about them.  The Senate is in session this week except for Wednesday (Yom Kippur), while the House is in session only on Thursday and Friday.

During the Week

The visit to Washington, DC by Pope Francis Tuesday-Thursday takes the spotlight this week, not because he is expected to say anything about space policy, but because just about everyone’s attention is focused on that instead of other things (like funding the federal government after September 30 — the clock’s ticking! — not to mention finalizing the FY2016 NDAA or the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act).  If you haven’t heard, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has advised federal agencies to let their employees work from home to avoid the traffic meltdown that’s expected as roads are closed throughout town and Metro is overwhelmed.

Intrepid souls who are willing to venture out anyway have interesting events they can attend, however.  On Tuesday, the Secure World Foundation and the Alliance for Space Development will hold a panel discussion on “Commercial Space Stations in LEO: Preparing for the Future.”  It’s from 12:30-2:00 pm ET and should be over before the Pope’s plane lands at 4:00 pm ET, so you might be able to get in and out without too much trouble (but check local traffic information sources to find out when the roads you need to use will close and the status of Metro).  NAC’s Ad Hoc STEM Task Force meets that day at NASA Headquarters (9:30-3:30) and there’s an interesting talk at the National Museum of American History at 4:00 on the history of agricultural use of Landsat data during the Cold War era (tea and cookies at 3:30).  Travel might be a bit tricky by the time those are over – bring your patience!  On Thursday, the National Academies Space Technology Industry, Government, University Roundtable (STIGUR) meets all day at the Keck Center on 5th Street, NW.  The Pope will be addressing a joint session of Congress Thursday morning and leaves for New York later in the day, so hopefully the traffic tie-ups will be closer to the Hill and not the Keck Center, but give yourself plenty of time if you plan to attend.

On Monday, before he arrives, the Washington Space Business Roundtable is holding a luncheon panel on the Export-Import Bank situation, which could be quite interesting.  Congress has not reauthorized the bank so it no longer can help finance U.S. aerospace exports.  It’s a prickly political issue that could have significant consequences for companies like Boeing, one of the largest users of the bank.  Jeff Trauberman will be on the panel to talk about Boeing’s point of view, along with Ted McFarland from Orbital ATK and other industry representatives.

If you’re lucky enough to be in South Korea rather than Washington, DC, the annual Asia Pacific Satellite Conference and Exhibition is taking place in Seoul on Tuesday-Thursday.

Those and other events we know about as of Sunday morning are listed below.

Monday, September 21

• WSBR Luncheon with Export-Import Bank panel, University Club, Washington, DC, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm ET

Tuesday, September 22

• NASA Advisory Council Ad Hoc Task Force on STEM Education, NASA HQ, Washington, DC, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm ET
• Commercial Space Stations in LEO (SWF/ASD), 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 12:30-2:00 pm ET
• Farming from Space: Agricultural Surveillance During the Cold War, 1965-1978 lecture by Brian Jirout, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, 4:00 pm ET

Tuesday-Thursday, September 22-24

• Asia Pacific Satellite Conference and Exhibition, Seoul, South Korea

Thursday, September 24

• National Academies Space Technology Industry, Government, University Roundtable (STIGUR), Keck Center, 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 8:15 am – 5:00 pm ET
• NASA News Conference with Upcoming ISS Crew, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, 2:00 pm ET (watch on NASA TV)