Developing U.S. Launch Capability:
The Role of Civil-Military Cooperation

Auditorium
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
November 5, 1999

NASA History Office, NASA Headquarters Office of Policy and Plans
United States Air Force Space Command
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Space Policy Institute, The George Washington University
National Space Society

Fulfilling the dream of space exploration has always depended on advances in launch vehicle technology. At the dawn of the space age four decades ago, civilian and military rocketeers teamed up to get payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. To promote speed and efficiency, and to manage costs, the earliest space launch vehicles were derivatives of military ballistic missiles. Military-civilian cooperation in launch vehicles has continued to the present. This conference will provide a historical perspective on U.S. launch vehicle technology development with the aim of informing our current debates about the best way to provide launch vehicles for the future.

The NASA Office of Policy and Plans/History Office, Air Force Space Command, the National Air and Space Museum, the George Washington University Space Policy Institute, and the National Space Society are proud to sponsor this symposium on the history of U.S. launch vehicles. Three panels will address "The Ballistic Missile Legacy," "Building a U.S. Space Flight Capability," and "Perspectives and Legacies." In addition, the symposium will honor the unique contributions of Dr. Simon Ramo and General Bernard Schriever to the United States’ launch vehicle capabilities.

The symposium will take place in the auditorium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at 1200 New York Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. Attendance at the symposium is open to the public and free, but seating is limited so early registration is strongly encouraged.