International Space Development Conference
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The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) is the annual conference of the National Space Society. These conferences connect the general public and the NSS membership with leaders of contemporary space efforts.
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[edit] 2007
The theme for ISDC 2007 is "From Old Frontiers to New" and is being hosted by The National Space Society of North Texas chapter of Dallas, Texas over the Memorial Day weekend of May 24-28, 2007
For the third straight year the presenting sponsor for ISDC '07 is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This year's ISDC will have two pre-conference events; the Symposium on Space Venture Finance on Thursday, May 24 and the bi-annual meeting of the Aerospace Technology Working Group (ATWG) from May 22 - May 24. ISDC provides a nexus for industry, government, scientists, advocates, and the public to meet and discuss the latest issues in space technology, science, policy, commerce, medicine, exploration, settlement and much more.
ISDC 2007 will include programs, presentations and exhibits focused on space exploration and settlement, astronomy and scientific research, commercial space ventures, space tourism, and other exciting topics. The conference will also feature displays of real spaceflight hardware, such as Armadillo Aerospace’s historic ‘Quad’ rocket vehicle. The Quad vehicles were built by space entrepreneur John Carmack and his Armadillo Aerospace team from Mesquite, Texas. One of the Quads, named "Pixel," recently competed in the Wirefly X Prize Cup in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
ISDC 2007 will be held in Addison, Texas (metro Dallas area) at the Intercontinental Hotel. For the most current information on this event, or to register to attend, visit the National Space Society's ISDC 2007 website.
[edit] 2006
Although typically held over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, ISDC '06 was moved up to the first weekend in May to coincide with Space Day activities sponsored nationwide by Lockheed Martin.
The "Silver Anniversary" conference was held May 4 through May 7, 2006 in Los Angeles, California -- coming full circle to the very first ISDC 25 years earlier. Held at the LAX Sheraton Gateway Hotel, this was also the first ISDC to be jointly co-sponsored with the Pasadena, California-based Planetary Society. Speakers and special guests included Buzz Aldrin, Burt Rutan, Elon Musk, Hugh Downs, Dennis Tito, Gregory Olsen, Bill Nye, Kim Stanley Robinson, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and dozens of others from various scientific, entrepreneurial and artistic fields.
For a listing of papers scheduled to be presented at the conference, access the ISDC Archives, ISDC2005: Your Ticket to Space, or the ISDC 2006 Call for Papers
Additionally, the National Space Society teamed up with the Space Tourism Society to host the 2nd annual ORBIT Awards, celebrating leadership in space tourism on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Mr. Dennis Tito’s historic flight as the world’s first private space traveler, and the 25th anniversaries of STS-1, the first space shuttle mission and the ISDC.
[edit] 2005
ISDC 2005 was held in Washington, DC May 19-25, 2005 at the Sheraton National Hotel with the NSS Space Pioneers Awards banquet held at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, hosted by NSS Board of Governors chairman and former ABC-TV "20/20" host Hugh Downs and the Honorable Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation.
NSS members met and debated aerospace pioneers like Burt Rutan, Elon Musk, and Peter Diamandis, while hearing the latest on the explorations of Saturn, Mars and extrasolar planets. A few of the many highlights: Presenting sponsor Transformational Space brought a new twenty-foot mockup of its new space vehicle, the t/Space CXT.
The Spaceward Foundation erected a forty-foot model of its upcoming space elevator competition. IMAX director Mark Cowen wowed the crowd with the inside story of NSS Governor and Academy Award winning actor-producer Tom Hanks' latest IMAX film release, Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D. Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart announced a bold new plan to study the threat of Near Earth Object 2004MN4.
NASA's Centennial Challenges program announced a new prize competition for producing oxygen from Moon rocks. Virgin Galactic's Will Whitehorn shared the latest plans for their new personal spaceflight experience. Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites received the coveted Wernher Von Braun award from German rocket engineer and Project Apollo space pioneer Konrad Dannenberg, then shared his personal vision of the future.
[edit] Past conferences
Previous ISDCs have rotated around the United States and Canada in the following major cities:
- 1982 - Los Angeles, California
- 1983 - Houston, Texas
- 1984 - San Francisco, California
- 1985 - Washington, DC
- 1986 - Seattle, Washington
- 1987 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 1988 - Denver, Colorado
- 1989 - Chicago, Illinois
- 1990 - Anaheim, California
- 1991 - San Antonio, Texas
- 1992 - Washington, D.C.
- 1993 - Huntsville, Alabama
- 1994 - Toronto, Canada
- 1995 - Cleveland, Ohio
- 1996 - New York City, New York
- 1997 - Orlando, Florida
- 1998 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1999 - Houston, Texas
- 2000 - Tucson, Arizona
- 2001 - Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 2002 - Denver, Colorado
- 2003 - San Jose, California
- 2004 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2005 - Washington, D.C.
- 2006 - Los Angeles, California
