One has to wonder what on Earth (pun intended) president Barack Obama, his administration and the NASA management team think will be accomplished with a 1h 55min chin wag between “senior officials, space leaders, academic experts, industry leaders and others” about the future of US space exploration
Public relations disaster is one accomplishment that this blogger can envisage. If everyone comes out of the conference (see timing below – all times in Eastern Daylight Time) declaring the Obama plan a fantastic vision the event will be criticised as a White House whitewash and if a single individual speaks out against it, the reports will be of a divided conference
Hyperbola suspects the outcome will be far far worse
We are told Obama will have some “private time” with politicians attending the event. Anything other than the president’s ageement to a wish list of space transportation projects is going to see those politicians attack the new space plan. And it won’t stop there, academics will likely go on the record to say they don’t agree with all or parts of the plan while industry will simply brief journalists, off the record, about why the plan doesn’t make sense
It is not obvious at what point the media get to question the president and, or his conference participants but I would imagine that certain politicians and corporations are already on the phone to Florida based and national media. Is it a conference or is it Obama’s last space stand?
The afternoon to save exploration in full
13:30h NASA tv begins President Barack Obama KSC visit coverage
14:25h President Obama speech in Operations & Checkout building
15:45h Conference overview
with NASA admininstrator Charles Bolden, Norman Augustine, John Holdren
16:25h Conference breakout sessions
– increasing access to and utilization of the International Space Station
– jumpstarting the new technologies to take us beyond
– expanding our reach into the Solar System
– harnessing space to expand economic opportunity
17:40h Conference wrap-up with Bolden and breakout session moderators
The 15:45h conference overview and 16:25h breakout sessions will all take place in the Operations & Checkout building
