Kilrain Was the Youngest Person to Pilot a Space Shuttle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA, USA, April 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Susan Kilrain, an aerospace engineer and former NASA astronaut, will join the roster of preeminent speakers at the National Space Society’s 2024 International Space Development Conference^® (ISDC^®).

Kilrain flew on the space shuttle twice and was the second woman to pilot the vehicle. Her first flight was on STS-83 in 1997, followed by STS-94 later that same year. Prior to her career with NASA, she was a U.S. Navy aviator, logging over 3000 flight hours in 30 different aircraft. Of her time in the Navy, Kilrain reflects: “I realized that I was a woman in a man's world, so I was going to be an outsider. My whole philosophy was not to make waves. My goal was to be an astronaut. I wanted to fit in without accepting unacceptable behavior.” She is a frequent motivational speaker and an advocate for women in STEM. After her shuttle flights she served as a legislative specialist for the space shuttle for the Office of Legislative Affairs at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.

Anita Gale, CEO of the NSS, also an advocate for women in STEM careers, said, “We’re proud to have Susan join us for the ISDC. Having worked as an aerospace engineer in what was then considered a man’s world, I have a keen appreciation of her accomplishments as an engineer and astronaut. Women like her have a strong message for kindred spirits everywhere, and the ISDC is a prime venue for her to spread the messages of diversity and inclusion to young people.”

The ISDC will be held on May 23-26, 2024, in Los Angeles, California at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at LAX. Presentations will include talks on space exploration and development, cislunar infrastructure, the influence of science fiction, biosciences, space policy, space settlement, space technology, space law, in situ resource utilization, space-related economics, space agriculture and food production, life support, space solar power, health and diet, newspace and commercialization, international collaboration, planetary defense, planetary protection, and more. Please see the ISDC 2024 website for more details.

“The ISDC is the only major space conference that is intended for everyone, from space professionals to students to the lay public. It is the largest and longest running space conference anywhere,” said Aggie Kobrin, the NSS Event Manager. “We’re thrilled to have amazing people like Susan Kilrain speaking to attendees of the ISDC, all of whom are deeply interested in space.”

Other notables at this year’s ISDC include "Star Trek" star William Shatner, former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, Dr. Alan Stern of NASA’s New Horizons mission, Dr. Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames, CEO of Vast Space Max Haot, Chief Engineer of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Rob Manning, Jordan Noone of Embedded Ventures, "Janet’s Planet" host and NSS Governor Janet Ivey, "Ad Astra" magazine Editor-in-Chief Rod Pyle, and Melissa Navia, star of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

ABOUT THE NSS
The National Space Society was founded in 1987 via a merger of the National Space Institute and the L5 Society. The NSS is the preeminent citizen's voice on space exploration, development, and settlement. To learn more about the NSS and its mission to establish humanity as a spacefaring species, visit us on the web at nss.org.

Aggie Kobrin
National Space Society
+1 949-836-8464
email us here

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