FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 MEDIA CONTACT:  Eric Solomon

April 30, 2001

202-994-3087

"NASA LANDS AT GW TO CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALAN SHEPARD'S HISTORIC FIRST FLIGHT" MAY 8

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and "Expedition 1" Commander William Shepherd Headline Space Flight Symposium
EVENT

The George Washington University's Space Policy Institute, a research policy program of the Elliott School of International Affairs, will host the only celebration marking the 40th anniversary of Alan Shepard's 15-minute suborbital mission on May 5, 1961. Organized in collaboration with NASA's History Office and Office of Policy and Plans, the symposium will feature three panels: historical perspectives on the

past forty years of U.S. human space flight; perspectives on the next forty years of human space flight; and astronauts' perspectives on the experience of space flight.  Speakers will include Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin; Homer Hickam, author of October Sky; and NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. Keynote remarks will be provided by Charles Murray, Bradley Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of Apollo: Race to the Moon, and the closing speaker will be William Shepherd, commander of Expedition 1 to the International Space Station. The complete symposium rundown may be viewed at http://www.gwu.edu/~spi and the event will be carried live on NASA Television. 
WHEN

Tuesday, May 8, 2001
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WHERE

The George Washington UniversityMarvin Center (H Street entrance)Dorothy Betts Theater800 21st Street, N.W.Washington, D.C.Foggy Bottom/ GWU Metro (Blue and Orange lines)

COST

The forum is free and open to the public. Advance registration is advised. To do so, please call 202-994-7293 or e-mail spi@gwu.edu.

Background: 

Established by The George Washington University in 1987, the Space Policy Institute operates as a research and policy program of the Center for International Science and Technology Policy of GW's Elliott School of International Affairs.  The Institute focuses its activities on policy issues related to the space efforts of the United States as well as cooperative and competitive interactions in space between the United States and other countries.  It provides a setting in which scholars, policy analysts, practitioners, and students can work together to examine and evaluate options for the future in space. 

The Elliott School is The George Washington University's professional school of international affairs. It consciously seeks to blend the best of current academic theory with forward-looking practice. Its focus is the macro-environment: the fundamental forces that shape opportunities and pose threats to institutions and nations. 

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business/public management and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of 20,500 undergraduates, graduate and professional students.

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