The Louisville Science Center will host a conversation on the future of the manned space program Friday March 11, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Louisville Science Center.

The conversation is the first in the 2011 series of after-hours informal dialogue around timely science topics. The series, “Scientific Proofs,” will include several conversations throughout the year, designed to foster a more scientifically literate community by encouraging idea exchange, information sharing, and educational opportunities in an impartial setting.

The conversation, Our Future in Space, will explore the direction of the U.S Space Program with the impending decommission of the Space Shuttle fleet. Invited guests will jump start the conversation by delving into the topics of the privatization of the space program and its impact on the average citizen; the pros and cons of manned vs. robotic missions; the possibilities of space as a destination for continued research and societal advancement; and the emotional and inspirational impact of all of this. Audience participation is invited and encouraged.

The March 11 dialogue features:

June Scobee Rodgers, Ph.D.
June Scobee Rodgers, originally from Alabama, is the widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee. Rodgers serves as the Founding Chairman of the Board and as a Founding Director for Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Holding a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a Master’s from Chapman College, both in Curriculum and Instruction, she has taught in every grade-level classroom from Kindergarten through college. Rodgers recently served on the President’s National Advisory Council on Education and provided testimony to President George W. Bush’s Commission to Moon, Mars and Beyond. Rodgers is married to retired Army Lieutenant General Don Rodgers. They live in Chattanooga, Tennessee and have three grown children.

Kris Kimel, Kentucky Space. LLC
Kentucky Space, LLC is a nonprofit enterprise involved in designing and developing educational, R&D, and entrepreneurial space platforms. It collaborates with state universities and
businesses and uses their combined resources and capacities including technical expertise and physical facilities. It involves university students in its projects, providing them hands-on training towards workforce development. Supported by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, Kentucky Space, LLC is an initiative of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC). Kimel is President and founder of KSTC and founder of Kentucky Space.

Chris Graney, Professor of Astronomy, Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Prof. Graney specializes in the history of astronomy. With recent publications such as Changes in the Cloud Belts of Jupiter, 1630 – 1664 and The Telescope Against Copernicus: Star Observations by Riccioli Supporting a Geocentric Universe he examines lessons from history that apply today. He is also extremely interested in any sort of public outreach involving science.

Mark Steven Williams, Owner Stargeezer Astronomy.com
Williams moderates the “What’s Up With the StarGeezer” blog for the WAVE3.com Web site and presents astronomy updates with the Saturday Morning Crew on 84WHAS radio. Williams presents astronomy outreach programs through StarGeezerAstronomy and the Louisville Astronomical Society, of which he’s been a member for over 40 years, and conducts “sidewalk astronomy” programs in Kentucky and Indiana. Williams is an advocate for efficient outdoor lighting practices, which reduce sky glow, light pollution, and the waste of billions of dollars of energy annually.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and advance reservations are required. To reserve tickets, call (502) 560-7130 or email . A cash bar will be available.