Space conference at UCF set for 2011

In 2011, UCF will host the Second Annual Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference. The three day event will be held Feb. 28 to March 2 and will attract people interested in the fields related to suborbital science and microgravity research from all over the world.

This year's first conference was held in Boulder, Colo. Joshua Colwell, an associate professor at UCF and leading organizer of the 2011 event, expects the attendance next year to be double that of the 2010 conference.

"We anticipate up to 500 individuals from colleges and universities, NASA, commercial launch providers, museums and science centers and other government agencies," Colwell said.

The conference will provide a forum for researchers, engineers, educators, government officials and launch providers to learn about progress in research. Independent companies and developers will showcase their suborbital vehicles under development and discuss the educational and public outreach possibilities. Some of the companies include Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace. 

"This is a chance for developers and scientists to come together and discuss the new capabilities," said Bretton Alexander, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and co-host of the conference.

These commercially owned and operated suborbital vehicles will provide an opportunity for research and educational crews to fly with and perform their experiments. Space tourists will have the chance to experience the planet,  flying about 62 miles above sea level, falling short of a full orbit around Earth. According to a UCF news release, the vehicles promise to reduce the cost of travel while increasing the frequency of trips to outer space.

"We hope to see the beginning of science experiments on these vehicles next year and a NASA program to fund experiments on these vehicles should also be in place," Colwell said. "The meeting will be an opportunity for all the latest developments and progress to be shared between interested parties."

Colwell is one of three picked to launch his own research experiment on a next generation vehicle. Teaming with the Southwest Research Institute and the University of Braunschweig in Germany, the experiment will focus on collisions and interactions in the formation of planets. It is scheduled to launch a test flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital rocket sometime in 2011 or 2012, with no compensation from the researchers.

Last year officials in Boulder announced that UCF would host the second annual conference.

Colwell is in charge of planning the program of events as well as chairing on the local organizing committee, made up of the UCF Planetary Sciences Group. Co-organizing the event will be the Southwest Research Institute, Space Florida, Universities Space Research Association and the Commercial Space Federation.

According to Daniel Britt, associate professor and co-worker of Colwell at UCF, the university was picked to host the conference because it is one of the fastest expanding centers for planetary science research and home to leading suborbital research staff.

"The conference will bring national and international recognition to UCF," said Alan Stern, co-host of the conference.

Stern is the associate vice president of Southwest Research Institute, which offers research and development contract services to companies like the independent suborbital vehicle developers.

"There will be a level of excitement across the campus and space coast of Florida," Stern said.