Angel Abbud-Madrid is the Director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, where he also leads the first graduate program of its kind aimed at educating scientists, engineers, economists, entrepreneurs, and policy makers in the field of extraterrestrial resources. He has more than 30 years of experience in projects conducted on NASA’s ground and orbital microgravity facilities and received the NASA Astronauts' Personal Achievement Award for his contributions to human spaceflight. He holds B.S.E., M.S.E., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical, Electrical, and Aerospace Engineering from ITESM (México), Princeton University, and the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty is an assistant professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society with a courtesy appointment at the Sandra Day O Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. With a background in global space governance, she is focused on how to facilitate increased engagement in space activities and how developing and emerging countries and marginalized groups are impacted by emerging technologies. Timiebi is also a fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) based in Waterloo, Ontario where she focuses on environmental governance. In 2017, Timiebi was the recipient of the Young Space Leader Award by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

Dr. Natalya Bailey is the CEO and co-founder at Accion Systems. Accion provides in-space propulsion engines for satellites and spacecraft. An Oregon native, Dr. Bailey moved to Cambridge, MA to complete her doctorate in space propulsion at MIT’s Space Propulsion Laboratory where she helped invent the first working prototype of an ion engine technology for small satellites, the first product at Accion. Prior to MIT, she invented a new chemical rocket technology that she turned into a space startup. Dr. Bailey also has an M.S. from Duke University and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from San Diego State University.

Title: General Manager, Innovation & Growth, XPRIZE

Amir is an entrepreneur, investor, and innovation strategist. He is the General Manager of Innovation and Growth with the XPRIZE foundation. He is a co-founder of the AI Commons, and co-founder and curator of the AI for Good Global Summit with the ITU and UN Agencies. He has managed two venture capital funds and continues to support and advise companies and initiatives with a focus on the transformation of humanity and society.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abanifatemi/

https://angel.co/amir

Jim Bell is a Professor in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and Director of the ASU/NewSpace Initiative. Jim's research group focuses on the geology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets using data from telescopes and spacecraft missions. Jim has a main belt asteroid named after him (8146 Jimbell), and has received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society for excellence in public communication in planetary sciences. He has published seven popular-level books about Earth and space science, including Postcards from Mars, The Space Book, The Interstellar Age, and The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide.

Kim received a BSc in Physics from McGill (1991), and a PhD in AI from University of Edinburgh (1996). Since 2002, she has been a professor in the Information and Computer Sciences Department at the University of Hawaii, conducting research on human space exploration. She also has a MS in Planetary Geology (2015).

Kim is the principal investigator on the NASA-funded HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, hi-seas.org) project, which conducts long-duration space exploration simulations. She spent six months in 2016/2017 in Russia on a Fulbright Award, and is an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Congressional Fellow in 2018/2019.

Professor Daniel W. Bliss (bliss.asu.edu) is an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University, a Fellow of the IEEE, and the Director of ASU’s Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures (wisca.asu.edu). Dan received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (1997 and 1995) in particle physics, and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from ASU (1989). He is responsible for foundational work in electronic protection, adaptive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, MIMO radar, distributed-coherent systems, and RF convergence. Dan was at MIT Lincoln Laboratory (1997-2012). At General Dynamics (1989-1993), he designed rocket avionics and superconducting magnets.

Dr. Sean Casey is Vice President of Commercial Business Development for Atlas Space Operations, a principal at NewCap Partners, and Co-Founder of the Silicon Valley Space Center (SVSC), a business accelerator for NewSpace entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. As a mentor and investor, Dr. Casey has supported early stage startups in hardware, software, and wetware (i.e. manned spaceflight) sectors of the growing commercial spaceflight industry. He is the president of Silicon Valley Chapter of the Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), a member of the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) and served over two decades as a NASA astrophysicist and airborne astronomer. Dr. Casey is a frequent invited speaker for many events including Space Frontier Foundation’s NewSpace conference, Space 2.0 by Infocast, SpaceCom in Houston, the Satellite Innovation Symposium in Silicon Valley, and an occasional space industry commentator on Bloomberg TV. He is a co-author on numerous publications and has a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago and dual MBAs from the Berkeley Haas and Columbia Schools of Business.

Laurie Chappell is a Director of Civil Space and Space Infrastructure at Space Systems/Loral (SSL) in Palo Alto, CA. In this role she develops strategy and creates partnerships to enable long-term growth. Her primary focus at SSL is creating missions that are enabled by in-space assembly and robotics. Ms. Chappell’s background is in space robotics, having worked on the team that developed the robotic systems for the International Space Station, and more recently, on SSL’s efforts to create cost-effective commercial space robotic systems for servicing and in-space assembly. Ms. Chappell holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Dr. Cady Coleman recently joined ASU as our Global Explorer in Residence and part-time Professor of the Practice in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. Cady is a chemist, a retired United States Air Force Colonel, and former NASA Astronaut with more than 180 days in space, accumulated during two space shuttle missions and a six-month expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). She launched and landed aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and acted as the Lead Robotics and Lead Science officer during her tenure aboard the ISS, performing the second-ever robotic capture of a supply ship from the station. In her spare time, she coached actress Sandra Bullock in preparation for Bullock’s astronaut role in the movie “Gravity.”

During her time on the ground at NASA, Cady served in a variety of roles within the Astronaut Office, including Chief of Robotics, lead for tile repair efforts after the Columbia accident, and lead astronaut for integration of supply ships from NASA’s commercial partners, Space X and Northrup Grumman. Before retiring from NASA, she led open-innovation and public-private partnership efforts for the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters.

Cady earned a BS in chemistry from MIT in 1983 and a PhD in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1991. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, she pioneered new materials for aviation as a research chemist before being selected as an astronaut in 1992.

When not at ASU, Cady is a public speaker, advocating for inclusion in STEM and STEAM fields and on teams everywhere. She is also a consultant for space related work, including microgravity research. Cady serves on several boards, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Greenfield Community College, Dent the Future and Skycatch, an innovative AI company that uses drones to provide decision-making data. She is research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab and an advisor to Earthrise Media, advocating the use of photographs of earth from space to provide educational tools as well as context and perspective for environmental and social justice issues.

Cady lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband Josh Simpson, a glass artist, and their two sons. She is an amateur flute player, best known for her “Space Duet” with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and her work from space with the acclaimed Irish band The Chieftains.

Dr. Michael M. Crow is an educator, knowledge enterprise architect, science and technology policy scholar and higher education leader. He became the sixteenth president of Arizona State University in July 2002 and has spearheaded ASU’s rapid and groundbreaking transformative evolution into one of the world’s best public metropolitan research universities. As a model “New American University,” ASU simultaneously demonstrates comprehensive excellence, inclusivity representative of the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the United States, and consequential societal impact.

Paul Davies is Regents’ Professor of Physics, Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science and Co-Director of the Cosmology Initiative at ASU. His research has been mainly in the area of theoretical astrophysics and astrobiology, with emphasis on the big bang, black holes and the origin of life. He is also active in cancer research. The asteroid (6870) Pauldavies was named for his work on cosmic impacts. A profile in Naturemagazine called him “The Disruptor” because of his provocative approach to scientific questions. He has written 31 books, the latest being The Demon in the Machine.

Professor Melissa de Zwart is Dean of Adelaide Law School and Deputy Director, Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics. Having developed a keen interest in the regulation and commercialisation of cutting edge technology as Manager, CSIRO Corporate Legal Service, she has published widely on internet law, intellectual property, online intermediaries, social media and online communities, surveillance, privacy and the law of outer space. She is a Member of the Advisory Council, Space Industry Association of Australia, a Member of the International Institute of Space Law, and Director of the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Operations.

Gilles Doucet is President of Spectrum Space Security Inc. and technical consultant for ABH Aerospace LLC. Doucet’s consultancy focuses on the convergence of four core elements of space security: technology, military applications, governance and international cooperation. Additionally, Mr Doucet is the Technical Lead for the MILAMOS international space law project and a member of the Legal Advisory Council of For All Moonkind.Prior to founding Spectrum, Mr Doucet spent 35 years as a scientist with Canada’s Department of National Defence. Mr Doucet holds a Masters degrees in Engineering (Ottawa) and a Graduate Certificate in Air and Space Law (McGill).

Rich is a Senior Manager for Business Development at Ball Aerospace, where his roles include mission, instrument and spacecraft formulation, primarily for NASA science opportunities. His background includes program management and instrument development for both earth and planetary applications. He holds a doctorate in Planetary Sciences from Caltech.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton is the director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, co-chair of the Interplanetary Initiative, and she is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Psyche mission, selected in 2017 as the 14th in NASA’s Discovery program.

Her research includes theory, observation, and experiments concerning terrestrial planetary formation, magma oceans, and subsequent planetary evolution including magmatism and interactions between rocky planets and their atmospheres. She also promotes and participates in education initiatives, in particular, inquiry and exploration teaching methodologies, and leadership and team-building for scientists and engineers.

She has led four field expeditions in Siberia, as well as participated in fieldwork in the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.

Professor Elkins-Tanton received her B.S. and M.S. from MIT in 1987, and then spent eight years working in business, with five years spent writing business plans for young high-tech ventures. She then returned to MIT for a Ph.D. She spent five years as a researcher at Brown University, followed by five years on MIT faculty, before accepting the directorship of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. In 2014, she moved to the directorship at Arizona State University.

She serves on the Standing Review Board for the Europa mission, and served on the Mars panel of the Planetary Decadal Survey and on the Mars 2020 Rover Science Definition Team.

Professor Elkins-Tanton is a two-time National Academy of Sciences Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow and served on the National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey Mars panel. In 2008 she was awarded a five-year National Science Foundation CAREER award, and in 2009 was named Outstanding MIT Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentor. In 2010 she was awarded the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas prize. The second edition of her six-book series "The Solar System," a reference series for libraries, was published in 2010 and the book "Earth," co-authored with Jeffrey Cohen, was published in 2017. Asteroid (8252) Elkins-Tanton was named for her. In 2013 she was named the Astor Fellow at Oxford University, and in 2016 she was named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Nicola Fox is the Heliophysics Division Director in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Until August 2018, Fox worked at the Applied Physics Lab at the Johns Hopkins University where she was the chief scientist for Heliophysics and the project scientist for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. Fox served as the deputy project scientist for the Van Allen Probes, and the operations scientist for the International Solar Terrestrial Physics program. Fox received her BS in Physics and PhD in Space and Atmospheric Physics from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London. She received an MS in Telematics and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey.

Dr. Garber has over 25 years of experience in mission design, analysis, and operations with expertise in advanced navigation systems and exploiting new technologies for space systems. He is president of NXTRAC which supports multiple programs for various government agencies and commercial customers. He is also the Chief Science Officer for Xplore Inc and the Chief Scientist and VP of Satellite Systems for Vector Launch Inc. From exploring Jupiter’s moons, to rapid asteroid surveys, through to reaching the solar gravity lens focus to directly image exoplanets, Dr. Garber has assessed mission trajectories that span the solar system and take a first step towards interstellar space.

Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer is the Vice President of Prize Operations where she oversees all aspects of the global competitions that the XPRIZE executes. She is also the former Executive Director of the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Prior to joining the XPRIZE Foundation, Chanda ran academic research programs for the University of California Land Grant Universities (Riverside, Berkeley and Davis campuses) that looked at the importance of reengineering policy to better serve its communities. She has worked with a variety of government institutions like the U.S. Office of Secretary Defense, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Interior, European Union and local city governments, as well as for-profit entities like Bank of America and Accenture, in developing programs that supported environmental, financial, citizenship, and science-based learning.

Her home is in Oakland, California. She loves her home sports teams and enjoys traveling with her husband and 7-year-old daughter.

John M. Grunsfeld is an astronaut and scientist who served as a NASA astronaut, Associate Administrator for Science, and Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Grunsfeld’s scientific research is exoplanet studies and the search for life beyond Earth.

Grunsfeld joined the Astronaut Corps in 1992. He is veteran of five space shuttle flights, of which three flights were to the Hubble Space Telescope where he performed eight spacewalks to service and upgrade the observatory. Dr. Grunsfeld graduated from MIT with a bachelor's degree in physics. In 1988 he earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago.

Astronaut | First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station (2013)

Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield is a worldwide sensation whose video of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” – seen by over 75 million people online — was called “possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created”, by Bowie himself. Acclaimed for making outer space accessible to millions, and for infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness not felt since humanity first walked on the Moon, Colonel Hadfield continues to bring the marvels of science and space travel to everyone he encounters.

In 1992, Colonel Hadfield was selected as a NASA Mission Specialist, and three years later he was aboard the Shuttle Atlantis, where he helped build the Mir space station. In 2001, on Shuttle Endeavour, Colonel Hadfield performed two spacewalks and in 2013, he became Commander of the International Space Station for six months off the planet.

A heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot, Colonel Hadfield’s many awards include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He was named the Top Test Pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy, and was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Colonel Hadfield is the author of three internationally bestselling books, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here, and his children’s book, The Darkest Dark. Additionally, he released his musical album, Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can, in 2015. He is also featured on Ted.com for his talk, What I Learned from Going Blind in Space.

Currently, Colonel Hadfield can be seen as the co-creator and host of the internationally acclaimed BBC series Astronauts, and he is co-hosting, with actor Will Smith, the National Geographic series One Strange Rock, directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Colonel Hadfield is also the producer of the celebrated Rare Earth series on YouTube, and the creator of the on-stage celebration Generator, which combines science, comedy, and music for sold-out audiences.

Additionally, Colonel Hadfield is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo and a founding director of the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, the national advocate for initiatives enabling Canada’s children to achieve their full potential through literacy and to become the most literate in the world.

Robin Hanson is associate professor of economics at George Mason University, and research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. He has a doctorate in social science from Caltech, master's in physics and philosophy from University of Chicago, and spent nine years as a research programmer at Lockheed and NASA. He has 3970 citations and 90 academic publications. Oxford University Press published his book The Age of Em: Work, Love and Life When Robots Rule the Earthin 2016, and The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life,co-authored with Kevin Simler, in 2018.

Dr. Tanya Harrison is the Director of Research for Arizona State University’s Space Technology and Science (“NewSpace”) Initiative. Her expertise lies in martian geology and mission operations. She holds a B.Sc. in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Washington, M.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University, and Ph.D. in Geology with a Specialization in Planetary Science and Exploration from the University of Western Ontario. Science communication is also a focus, having written for outlets such as The Globe and Mail, Slate, and Astronomy Magazine. You can find her on Twitter as @tanyaofmars

I am a graduate student at Arizona State University integrating social science with geology and planetary science, emphasizing interdisciplinarity in my areas of study. My primary research interests are: 1) magmatic sulfide ore deposits of rocky planetary bodies, 2) thermal/infrared emission spectroscopy and remote sensing, 3) the management of resources in space, 4) legal and governance in areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the High Seas and on other planetary surfaces, and 5) human settlement on the Moon.

Marc Kaufman is an online columnist, the author of books on Mars and astrobiology, a former newspaper journalist and the chronicler of an unusual origins of life institute in Tokyo.

Kaufman is in his fourth year of writing the NASA-sponsored column Many Worlds (www.manyworlds.space.) His books have focused on the search for life beyond Earth and the science of the Mars rover Curiosity.

He was a reporter at The Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer -- posted abroad at both papers and covering NASA for The Post. More recently he has written for and about Japan’s Earth-Life Science Institute.

Aaron Kemmer is the current Chairman of Made In Space, a company he co-founded and where he oversees strategy and vision of the company. From 2010-2015 he served as the CEO of Made In Space. Along with Made In Space, Aaron has co-founded multiple other companies, including Magic (a virtual assistant on-demand service backed by YCombinator and Sequoia).

Chris is Co-Founder of the Space Spoke at ConsenSys, a blockchain Venture Studio looking to bring decentralized technologies to the space economy. Previously, Chris was CEO of Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company, which was acquired by ConsenSys in 2018. Previously, while at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Chris received NASA Achievement awards for his role as a system engineer, Flight Director and Mission Manager for the Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rovers and the Mars Phoenix Scout lander. Chris has a BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering, and has an asteroid (13609 Lewicki) named in his honor.

Shawn Linam is the CEO and co-founder of Qwaltec, a Tempe, Arizona woman owned small business that provides mission control expertise for space systems. She has extensive experience in space systems operations and has designed and implemented training systems for numerous government and commercial space programs. She began her career in space operations at NASA where she worked as an astronaut and flight controller instructor for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Shawn is passionate about inspiring STEM interest in young girls and has served as a Girl Scout leader as well as the STEM Advisor for the Girl’s Rule Foundation. The Girl’s Rule Foundation is a leader in empowerment, leadership and educational workshops and programs for girls.

Alexander MacDonald develops strategies to advance space exploration and encourage private-sector space activities. He founded NASA's Emerging Space Office, helps build small satellite programs around the world, and is the author of The Long Space Age. He is an economist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), managed for NASA by Caltech, and is currently assigned to serve as the Senior Economic Advisor at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. MacDonald was a research faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University and worked for the Universities Space Research Association while at NASA's Ames Research Center where he worked on small satellite mission designs and served as the center's first research economist on staff. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from Queen's University in Canada, his master's degree in economics from the University of British Columbia and was a Clarendon Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he obtained his doctorate on the long-run economic history of American space exploration. He was also an inaugural TED Senior Fellow and received the History Manuscript of the Year Award in 2016 from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is also an advocate for the use of small satellite projects for technical and capacity development throughout the world, having helped initiate cubesat projects in Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan and having helped establish nationwide cubesat initiatives in the US and Canada.  

David learned to fly in 1977 while studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. After graduating he joined the Royal Air Force and flew the Harrier GR3 in what was then West Germany before, in 1986, being selected as an exchange student with the French Test Pilot School.

In 1988 he was posted to the Fixed Wing Test Squadron at Boscombe Down where, amongst other things, he carried out the first Harrier field site covert night operations, the first single seat low level night attack flights on the Harrier GR7, first ship compatibility trials on the Sea Harrier FA2, and first spinning trials on the Tucano basic trainer. He became Officer Commanding Fast Jet Test Flight in 1992 and in the same year was awarded the Air Force Cross by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his work there.

In 1993 he took up a position as an instructor at the Empire Test Pilots’ School at Boscombe Down and became Principal Fixed Wing Tutor in 1994. In 1995 he retired from the RAF and joined Virgin Atlantic, becoming a captain on the Boeing 747 and, later, on the Airbus 340.

Having evaluated the SpaceshipOne flight simulator in early 2004, David became involved in the Virgin Galactic project soon after its inception as its test pilot. In 2009 he joined the team full time and became Chief Pilot in 2011. He has over fifty flights in WhiteKnightTwo and five powered flights in SpaceShipTwo, including the most recent spaceflight.

Married with two children, David was also an historic aircraft display pilot in the UK for 22 years. He has over 14,000 hours of flight time on around 150 different types from all eras in aviation, including the world’s oldest original flying aircraft, a 1909 Bleriot.