Today in Space: The Evolution of Commercial Spaceflight
(Alamogordo, New Mexico, May 24, 2019) – In 2004, the Ansari X PRIZE competition awarded $10,000,000 to Scaled Composites for becoming the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into suborbital space two times within a two week period. Many considered that competition to be the launch of today’s commercial space industry, much like the Orteig Prize launched commercial aviation in the early ‘30s. On Friday, June 7, join special guest speaker Casey DeRaad at the New Mexico Museum of Space History for the free monthly Launch Pad Lecture and learn not only about the history of commercial spaceflight but what its future holds for New Mexico.
DeRaad is the founder and director of New Space New Mexico and former Chief of Technology Outreach at the Air Force Research Lab, Kirtland AFB, in Albuquerque. New Space NM is a public-private platform designed to help grow the commercial space industry in the state.
The Launch Pad Lecture is free to the public and is held at 9 a.m. on the Museum’s first floor on the first Friday of each month. Coffee and donuts are compliments of the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation. The next Launch Pad Lecture will be on July 5, 2019, and the topic will be Where Were You: Apollo XI with Museum Executive Director Chris Orwoll.
The Launch Pad Lectures are streamed live on Periscope and are also available after the lecture on the museum’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SirhgX3NsxcREfOVLjHeA.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum/
Photo cutline: Virgin Galactic’s White Knight, carrying Space Ship One, does a flyover of Spaceport America during the runway dedication event in 2010. Virgin is expected to fly its first commercial passengers out of the spaceport sometime in 2019. (Photo courtesy Virgin Galactic)
About Casey DeRaad:
Casey Anglada DeRaad is Founder and Director of New Space New Mexico, a public-private partnership to grow the commercial space industry in New Mexico. Casey was a 30 year executive of the Air Force Research Laboratory, leading the Technology Engagement Office for academic, industry and community partnerships for AFRL and other Air Force partners on Kirtland Air Force Base. Casey developed strategies to support the local academic and industrial community to help them leverage the $3.8B/annual economic impact of Kirtland to the state of New Mexico. Casey is a 10th generation New Mexican from Taos, New Mexico and has earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico in 1992 and 1985, respectfully. She recently received the New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering 2018 IMPACT! Award.
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About the New Mexico Museum of Space History: www.nmspacemuseum.org
The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Governor’s Commission to the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Programs and exhibits are supported by the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation through the generous support of donors.
Dedicated October 5, 1976, as the International Space Hall of Fame, the New Mexico Museum of Space History’s mission is to inspire and educate, to promote and preserve, and to honor the pioneers of space exploration.
A Smithsonian Affiliate, the museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and stresses the significant role that the state of New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program through collecting, preserving, and interpreting significant artifacts relevant to the history of space. The museum campus facility includes: the Museum of Space History, International Space Hall of Fame, John P. Stapp Air & Space Park, Daisy Track, Clyde W. Tombaugh Education Center, New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium, Astronaut Memorial Garden, Hubbard Space Science Research Building, and Museum Support Center.
3198 State Route 2001 | Alamogordo, NM 88310 (Mailing: PO Box 5430, Alamogordo, NM 88311-5430) For more information: (575) 437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589. Hours 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Noon – 5:00 p.m. Sunday (closed Tuesday), closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Events, news releases and images about activities at the New Mexico Museum of Space History and other divisions in the Department of Cultural Affairs can be accessed at www.media.newmexicoculture.org
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