ISSRDC 2023 Online Series: Watch on Demand

ISSRDC 2023 Day 1 – Welcome

ISSRDC 2023 Day 1 – Morning Keynote: Igniting Innovation to Accelerate Disease Research on the ISS

ISSRDC 2023 Day 1 Panel – The Future of R&D in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

In March of this year, the National Science and Technology Council released the National Low Earth Orbit Research and Development (R&D) Strategy. The approach outlined in the strategy is expected to realize and institutionalize the scientific, economic, educational, and diplomatic benefits of LEO research platforms of the future. These platforms will benefit humanity while enabling a sustained human presence in space. Join Low Earth Orbit Science and Technology Interagency Working Group members as they discuss the policy objectives and supporting activities outlined in this new and transformative plan.

ISSRDC Day 1 Lightning Talk – STEM Engagement and Workforce Development

A key objective of the National LEO Research and Development Strategy is to stimulate STEM education and workforce development through creative programming like Genes in Space™. Started in 2015 as a collaboration between Boeing and miniPCR bio, Genes in Space™ inspires young minds to solve real-world problems in the biological and physical sciences. Each year, the contest invites students in grades 7-12 to design pioneering DNA experiments, with one winning experiment to be carried out by astronauts onboard the space station. Genes in Space™ has received thousands of inspiring, student-led proposals, and alums have enabled outstanding space biology milestones.

ISSRDC Day 1 Fireside Chat – Getting to the Heart of the Matter in LEO

Previous studies on the space station have shown that microgravity changes the overall size, shape, and strength of astronauts’ hearts. But until recently, no one looked at individual heart cells. Join Dr. Donna Roberts, Chief Science Officer at the ISS National Lab, for a conversation with previous space station researcher Dr. Arun Sharma and ISS National Lab Implementation Partner BioServe as they discuss the innovative approach used to tackle this complex research, with results that could profoundly impact humanity.

ISSRDC Day 1 Lightning Talk – From Argonaut to Astronaut: What the Gold Rush Can Teach Us About the Commercialization of Space

The events that followed the first discovery of gold in the West changed America and how it thought about California, its newly acquired territory. California and the lives of people worldwide who would go West to participate in the gold rush would be affected by the ripple effects of this discovery for decades to come. Join Dr. Ken Savin, chief scientist at Redwire Space, as he demonstrates why revisiting the gold rush of the late 1840s and early 1850s can help us understand how the commercialization of space might play out, what to expect, and how to best use this opportunity to our advantage.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 1 Panel – Building Startups During Market Volatility

Following a difficult 2022 with negative U.S. financial market returns and space SPACs failing to deliver on their promises, markets have remained volatile entering 2023, presenting funding challenges for space entrepreneurs. With representation from leading venture capital and private equity firms, this panel will focus on funding and growth strategies suitable for early-stage companies to navigate the current environment. It will also provide perspectives on investment landscape expectations over the coming year.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 2 Keynote – Advancing Space-Based Scientific Knowledge Through Fundamental Research

ISSRDC Day 2 Lightning Talk – Vast: Building the World’s First Crewed, Independent Space Station

Vast Space: Building the World’s First Crewed, Independent Space Station.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 2 Panel – Pioneering Low Earth Orbit (LEO): Building the Future on Lessons Learned

Join us for a conversation with space industry leaders building on America’s pioneer heritage, scientific preeminence, and economic strength to create a new frontier in space. The companies on this panel were some of the first to partner with the U.S. government to develop new and innovative technologies that serve as the foundation for the LEO economy. Participants will discuss the successes and challenges they are encountering as their companies move forward with innovations that benefit life on Earth and a thriving space-based economy.

ISSRDC Day 2 Lightning Talk – Leidos: Innovation with Purpose

The next phase of space commercialization and exploration requires intelligent innovation. At Leidos, we push the frontier of innovation to drive discoveries and their practical applications. Together, we can overcome the greatest challenges and expand our human universe.

ISSRDC Day 2 Fireside Chat – Intersection of Innovation: Bringing Together Legacy Automobile Brands and the Medical Community

What do fast cars and implantable medical devices have in common? This fireside chat will explore the relationship between Automobile Lamborghini, one of the most iconic legacy automobile brands in the world, and the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) as they joined forces to create more effective delivery of therapeutics for patients on Earth through space-based R&D. While the team at the HMRI has a long history of forging unique relationships with entities to enable the development of an implantable medical device through station utilization, it’s collaboration with Lamborghini at first glance might be surprising. Explore why this partnership made sense for both entities and how it could pave the way for future non-traditional collaborations in space.

ISSRDC Day 2 Lightning Talk – Gateway: A New Era of Utilization in Deep Space

Hear from Stephanie Dudley, the Mission Integration and Utilization Manager for NASA’s Gateway Program, about how the Gateway space station builds on more than 20+ years of science and international partnership on ISS in low-Earth orbit to provide unique opportunities for science utilization in the deep space lunar environment.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 2 Panel – Innovating in the Space Landscape

Over the last decade, there has been a significant surge in interest and investment in the space industry. This panel will focus on new companies that have entered the space market to advance technologies and commercialize space in unique ways. The discussion will include a conversation about the innovation each company brings to the industry and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 3 Panel – International Space Station International Partners

ISSRDC Day 3 Lightning Talk – NASA CLD Requirements in a Commercial Model

Angela Hart serves as Program Manager for the Commercial LEO Development Program Office at Johnson Space Center to manage the implementation of the Agency’s Commercial LEO strategy.

ISSRDC Day 3 Fireside Chat – NASA’s Human Research Program

A crucial part of achieving mission objectives in the NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) is to perform critical spaceflight research using the low Earth orbit (LEO) space environment to do the following: characterize risks associated with spaceflight, develop risk mitigation strategies or countermeasures, and test or validate countermeasures needed for both Artemis and Mars exploration missions. These spaceflight studies are currently performed on the space station ISS. However, with the ISS orbiting lab set to retire in 2030, HRP has been investigating feasible spaceflight studies using alternative LEO analogs such as commercial LEO destinations (CLDs). This panel will highlight potential studies and the capabilities needed to perform and complete these studies successfully.

ISSRDC 2023 Day 3 Panel – Space Workforce of the Future

The pool of qualified applicants for the growing space industry must catch up to the demand. The National Space Council recognizes this critical gap. It has called on the U.S. government, private sector companies, education and training providers, and philanthropic organizations to support space-related STEM education initiatives to inspire, prepare, and employ the next generation of the space workforce. What is being done to address this challenge, and what can you do?

The next generation must be informed, educated, innovative, and resilient to stay competitive. “While humanity extends its reach further into space, our workforce must reflect all the people of Earth and the values to which we aspire.” Space Workforce 2030

ISSRDC 2023 Day 3 Luncheon Keynote – Speaker Dr. Katherine Calvin

NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Katherine Calvin advises NASA leadership on the agency’s science programs and science-related strategic planning and investments. As senior climate advisor, she provides insights and recommendations for the agency’s climate-related science, technology, and infrastructure programs. Calvin will highlight the critical importance of the space station for the research community, how the orbiting laboratory furthers NASA’s mission of living and working in space, and how the agency can leverage the unique orbital path of the space station in low Earth orbit to observe our planet and the effects of climate change on humanity.