Copyright California Space Authority, Inc. 1997-2009
December 2, 2004
Leaders in Space Receive SpotBeam Award
CSA Acknowledges State's Cutting-Edge
SACRAMENTO -- The California Space Authority (CSA) bestowed recognition this evening on space enterprise community leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to California and U.S. leadership in the international space arena. The SpotBeam Awards are CSA's highest honor.
Amid an audience of over 250 key space enterprise figures, Master of Ceremonies Jeffrey "Skunk" Baxter, space enthusiast and former band member of Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers, paid tribute to SpotBeam Award recipients in eight categories.
"California leads the world in space education, research, technology, manufacturing, services and transportation," stated Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. "It is only fitting that we acknowledge those who have excelled in their fields so as to keep our state on the cutting edge. The SpotBeam Award recipients are a collection of the best our state has to offer. They are taking space technologies down new avenues of opportunity and making the world recognize that California maintains its prominence in the global space enterprise community."
California space enterprise encompasses a diverse community, including those engaged in production, launch and the operation of space systems for public and private use. Stakeholders also include organizations that deliver commercial space services. As an economic sector, space enterprise in California represents approximately 24% of the $83 billion annual global space market, and produces over 60% of the world's satellites.
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Recipients of CSA's 2004 SpotBeam Awards are noted below.
National Security Space
Space and Missile Systems Center
The space enterprise innovation that today brings a multitude of consumer, business and national/homeland security services to U.S. residents has its roots in the development of space-related military technology. The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB) has been at the core of Air Force research, development, and acquisition of space technologies for the past 50 years.
This year SMC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the US Air Force space program, and 50 years of mission success. Advances in space based military support, national security, and other technologies contribute value to today’s economy through their widespread civilian and military use. Revolutionary technologies such as GPS have changed the world due to their widespread adoption across many industries.
California Space Authority celebrates the Space and Missiles Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base for its support of national defense and its important role in preserving national security.
The roots of SMC span from the Air Research and Development Command's Western Development Division (WDD), the program which developed the base of knowledge and experience from which many future US space programs have evolved. A beneficial relationship between military, civil, and private sector space continues to this day through the dedication and pioneering work done by space professionals at SMC and their support contractors, ensuring that the United States retains its leadership role in space enterprise.
A government-owned facility near Pasadena which employs about 6,000 people, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is operated by the California Institute of Technology under a NASA contract. The laboratory is engaged in exploring the Earth and the solar system with automated spacecraft. In addition to the Pasadena site, JPL manages the Deep Space Communications Complex, a station of the worldwide Deep Space Network (DSN) located at Goldstone, California. The DSN allows for spacecraft communications, data acquisition and mission control, and for the study of space with radio science. JPL was formed in 1944. In 1958, it built and operated the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1. Its robotic spacecraft have explored all planets in the solar system except Pluto.
In January, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on opposite sides of Mars on a mission to search for clues of past water on the red planet. The comet-chasing Stardust spacecraft collected samples of comet particles and is now en route back to Earth with its unique cargo. In late June, after nearly seven years of interplanetary space travel, NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully arrived at Saturn and began a four-year study of the "gem of the solar system." California Space Authority congratulates the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on a banner year and recognizes JPL for a 40-year legacy of awe-inspiring space exploration and innovation.
DIRECTV is continuing to redefine the world of television entertainment. Advances in technology are enabling viewers to have greater control over their viewing and experience new services on their television, such as high-definition TV, expanded multicultural programming, interactive programming and more.
California Space Authority salutes DIRECTV as innovator of one of the most successful commercial applications of space technology to date. The services offered by DIRECTV are a highly visible example of the unique opportunities available through the commercial use of space.
Innovation
Mojave Aerospace VenturesTeam
With several firsts accomplished along the way to winning the Ansari X Prize, the members of the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team are not strangers to innovation. With the groundbreaking flights of SpaceShipOne, developed by Scaled Composites, the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team has proven to the world that routine private manned space flight is no longer exclusive to science fiction and the imaginations of dreamers.
Among the accomplishments of the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team are the first privately funded manned space flight, creation of the first civilian astronaut, the first supersonic flight conducted and operated independently from government agencies, and a new manned altitude record.
SpaceShipOne represents the beginning of a new era of manned space flight, the extension of which will bring affordable, regular, and safe manned commercial space flight.
The British American Business Council (BABC) is the largest transatlantic business network, with more than 30 chapters and 4,000 member companies in major regions throughout North America and the United Kingdom. All the BABC's chapters are independent, regional, British-American business organizations. BABC Los Angeles helps its member companies conduct business by promoting a positive environment of transatlantic trade and investment.
The United Kingdom is the largest offshore supplier of defense equipment to the United States and is the only full collaborative partner on the Joint Strike Fighter program. The California Space Authority was proud to co-sponsor the inaugural BABC Los Angeles Aerospace Manufacturing Conference in 2004. In celebration of BABC LA efforts to showcase best manufacturing practices in the US and the UK and its work to facilitate joint marketing and manufacturing ventures between its members and California-based US companies, CSA is pleased to present the British American Business Council Los Angeles with the 2004 California Space Authority SpotBeam Award for International Partnering.
The Buzz Aldrin Space Education & Workforce Award
CubeSat Project
For the development of a pioneering program which has set a new precedence in education and workforce development, the California Space Authority is proud to present the first Buzz Aldrin Space Education & Workforce SpotBeam to the CubeSat project initiators at Stanford and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The CubeSat project has given impetus to a new breed of project in which collaboration between industry and university is enabled to test real hardware in space.
The CubeSat Project is an international congregation of universities and private firms working together to advance small satellite technology. Of about 40 participating universities, more than 60% of CubeSat developers reside in the United States. The goal of the CubeSat program is to make the process of launching a satellite easy and cost effective by coordinating launches and providing a reliable deployment system. The CubeSat standard streamlines the development process by defining dimensions, deadlines and a community where new developers can learn from past successes and failures. A typical development cycle is one and a half years. Payloads range from communications equipment to cameras to power dissipation technology and even biological experiments.
Space Policy - Federal: National Security Space
Congressman Jerry Lewis
Congressman Jerry Lewis currently serves the nation in the vitally important position of Chairman, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that capacity, Lewis provides funding for the United States' national security including the budget of the Department of Defense. Congressman Lewis is a forceful advocate of critical defense and aerospace jobs in California. The Chairman has supported the California Space Infrastructure Program (CSIP), which is administered by the California Space Authority, since its inception. Congressman Lewis also serves the nation as a member of two additional appropriations subcommittees -- Foreign Operations as well as Transportation and Treasury.
Lewis is the immediate past chairman of the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee, which provides funding for NASA and other federal agencies. From 1996 until 2001, Lewis served as Chairman of the House GOP California Delegation where he led the Republican members of California's delegation on legislative issues of importance to California. During that period, he also served as co-chair of the entire California delegation and worked successfully to unify California Republicans and Democrats.
Congressman Lewis represents the 41st Congressional District of California, which includes most of San Bernardino County. Prior to this election to Congress in 1978, Lewis served in California state legislature. He is a graduate of UCLA.
Space Policy - Federal: Civil and Commercial Space
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher currently serves the nation as Chairman, Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that capacity, Rohrabacher authorizes funding and establishes policy for civil and commercial space at both NASA and the FAA. Rohrabacher is a zealous advocate for space and has introduced several bills that would provide tax relief and/or incentives for individuals and companies who invest in space and space-related activities.
Rohrabacher also serves the nation as a senior member of the International Relations Committee. In that capacity, he has made significant contributions to improving the export licensing process at the U.S. State Department. Congressman Rohrabacher represents the 46th Congressional District of California, which stretches along the California coastline of both Orange County and Los Angeles. That district includes both Boeing and Sea Launch.
Space Policy - Federal: Intelligence Space
Congresswoman Jane Harman
Congresswoman Jane Harman is a leading Congressional expert on terrorism and homeland security issues. She currently serves as Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee. In that capacity, Harman helped to spearhead all House actions in response to the September 11 attacks.
Harman represents the 36th Congressional District of California, which includes Los Angeles Air Force Base. She continually works to apply her leadership skills to the worthy cause of ensuring that the base receives fair treatment in the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.
Congresswoman Harman is currently serving her fifth term in Congress. She is an attorney and a former professor at UCLA where she taught public policy and international relations.
Space Policy - State: Statewide Space Enterprise Support
Senator William "Pete" Knight (posthumously)
William J. "Pete" Knight was elected to the California State Senate in 1996. He previously served four years in the State Assembly and eight years on the Palmdale City Council as both Councilman and the city's first popularly elected mayor. Senator Knight served as the vice chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and served on the Senate Rules, Education, and Revenue & Taxation Committees. He also chaired the Space Flight Industries Subcommittee of the Senate Defense Conversion, Retention and Space Flight Industries Select Committee.
Senator Knight retired from the United States Air Force after 32 years of service during which he earned the rank of Colonel. His last assignment was as the Vice-Commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center, Air Force Systems Command, Edwards Air Force Base. In 1988, Colonel Knight was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. In 1998, he was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Colonel Knight flew the X-15 rocket research aircraft to 4,520 MPH (mach 6.7), establishing the world speed record in a fixed wing aircraft. He earned astronaut wings for another X-15 flight to 280,000 feet in altitude. CSA celebrates the accomplishments of a true American hero, whose tireless efforts supporting space, aerospace and base retention will be long remembered.
Attendees at the event received a just-released gold-plated CSA commemorative coin with the CSA logo on one side and an image of SpaceshipOne on the other.
SACRAMENTO -- The California Space Authority (CSA) bestowed recognition this evening on space enterprise community leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to California and U.S. leadership in the international space arena. The SpotBeam Awards are CSA's highest honor.
The space enterprise innovation that today brings a multitude of consumer, business and national/homeland security services to U.S. residents has its roots in the development of space-related military technology. The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB) has been at the core of Air Force research, development, and acquisition of space technologies for the past 50 years.
A government-owned facility near Pasadena which employs about 6,000 people, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is operated by the California Institute of Technology under a NASA contract. The laboratory is engaged in exploring the Earth and the solar system with automated spacecraft. In addition to the Pasadena site, JPL manages the Deep Space Communications Complex, a station of the worldwide Deep Space Network (DSN) located at Goldstone, California. The DSN allows for spacecraft communications, data acquisition and mission control, and for the study of space with radio science. JPL was formed in 1944. In 1958, it built and operated the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1. Its robotic spacecraft have explored all planets in the solar system except Pluto.
DIRECTV was launched in 1994, and was the first entertainment service in the U.S. to deliver directly to an 18-inch satellite dish. The launch of DIRECTV© service, with its national reach, provided people across the continental U.S. with an alternative to cable. And for the first time, rural consumers who were not being served by cable had access to programming like their urban and suburban counterparts.
With several firsts accomplished along the way to winning the Ansari X Prize, the members of the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team are not strangers to innovation. With the groundbreaking flights of SpaceShipOne, developed by Scaled Composites, the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team has proven to the world that routine private manned space flight is no longer exclusive to science fiction and the imaginations of dreamers.
The British American Business Council (BABC) is the largest transatlantic business network, with more than 30 chapters and 4,000 member companies in major regions throughout North America and the United Kingdom. All the BABC's chapters are independent, regional, British-American business organizations. BABC Los Angeles helps its member companies conduct business by promoting a positive environment of transatlantic trade and investment.
For the development of a pioneering program which has set a new precedence in education and workforce development, the California Space Authority is proud to present the first Buzz Aldrin Space Education & Workforce SpotBeam to the CubeSat project initiators at Stanford and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The CubeSat project has given impetus to a new breed of project in which collaboration between industry and university is enabled to test real hardware in space.
Congressman Jerry Lewis currently serves the nation in the vitally important position of Chairman, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that capacity, Lewis provides funding for the United States' national security including the budget of the Department of Defense. Congressman Lewis is a forceful advocate of critical defense and aerospace jobs in California. The Chairman has supported the California Space Infrastructure Program (CSIP), which is administered by the California Space Authority, since its inception. Congressman Lewis also serves the nation as a member of two additional appropriations subcommittees -- Foreign Operations as well as Transportation and Treasury.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher currently serves the nation as Chairman, Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that capacity, Rohrabacher authorizes funding and establishes policy for civil and commercial space at both NASA and the FAA. Rohrabacher is a zealous advocate for space and has introduced several bills that would provide tax relief and/or incentives for individuals and companies who invest in space and space-related activities.
Congresswoman Jane Harman is a leading Congressional expert on terrorism and homeland security issues. She currently serves as Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee. In that capacity, Harman helped to spearhead all House actions in response to the September 11 attacks.
William J. "Pete" Knight was elected to the California State Senate in 1996. He previously served four years in the State Assembly and eight years on the Palmdale City Council as both Councilman and the city's first popularly elected mayor. Senator Knight served as the vice chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and served on the Senate Rules, Education, and Revenue & Taxation Committees. He also chaired the Space Flight Industries Subcommittee of the Senate Defense Conversion, Retention and Space Flight Industries Select Committee.
