Dear Colleagues,

A reminder that next Monday, March 10, we will hold the next Space Policy and History Forum featuring Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb.com . The event will be held at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. If you have not done so already, please RSVP by this Thursday (3/6).

Details are below. We hope to see you there.

Nathan Bridges and Roger Launius

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Space exploration in Russia: The latest status and future prospects

Space Policy and History Forum #11

by Anatoly Zak

RussianSpaceWeb.com

Behind recent headlines about blunders and failures, the Russian space program is slowly recovering from its post-Soviet crisis. In the past few years, several important scientific and exploration projects in Russia reached the launch pad and many more are coming close to fruition. The Russian-European cooperation in planetary research also reached a new level this year with an agreement on the ExoMars project and several astrophysics spacecraft are in the pipeline. Last but not least, the Russian space agency is currently pursuing a development of a new-generation manned spacecraft capable of reaching lunar orbit and Lagrange points and promises to start the work on the super-heavy launch vehicle in the immediate future. The presentation will outline and illustrate the very latest status of most significant space developments in the country based on newly published Russia in Space, The Past Explained, The Future Explored.

Biography

Anatoly Zak writer and illustrator specialized in the history of space exploration. Native of Russia, he attended School of Journalism at Moscow State University. Upon moving to the United States, he earned journalism degree from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications. He is a publisher of RussianSpaceWeb.com, an online resource for news, historical information, photography and imagery on space program in the former USSR.

Zak also contributes reporting, illustrations and commentary on space to the Popular Mechanics, BBC, the Air & Space Smithsonian, CNN and many other mass media organizations around the world. His computer visualizations have been used by NASA, European Space Agency and their major contractors including Boeing and Alenia among many others.

Date and Time

March 10 (Monday), 4:00-5:00 P.M.

Location, Parking, and Acces

The lecture will be held at the National Air and Space Museum, 600 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., 4:00-5:30 p.m. Space is limited to 50 attendees, so please RSVP to Roger and Nathan to get your name on the list. This will be for for access to the 3rd floor of the Museum, where we will be meeting in the Director’s Conference Room. You may check in and obtain a badge for access to the building at the guard desk just to the right as you enter the Independence Ave. doors. If you have any questions regarding access, please contact Roger. Parking is not available in NASM, and is limited elsewhere; we recommend using the Metro system for travel to the National Air and Space Museum—the Smithsonian and L’Enfant Plaza stops are close by.

                                        Nathan Bridges

Applied
 Physics Laboratory

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                                        Nathan Bridges