2/10/2012 1:15 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Today - February 10, is the deadline for early registration to attend the 2012 Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference and be eligible to win a free suborbital flight on XCOR Aerospace Inc.'s spaceplane - Lynx Mark I, that would otherwise cost $95,000, or up to $200,000 on competing suborbital vehicles, if you are lucky.
The 2012 Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, or NSRC-2012, will be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort in Palo Alto, California, from Feb. 27 to Feb.29, 2012. The conference is hosted by NASA Ames Research Center, the Southwest Research Institute, or SwRI, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
The purpose of the NSRC-2012 is to serve as a forum for researchers, educators, and other users to learn about the opportunities that exist for commercial suborbital vehicles in atmospheric science, solar physics, microgravity science, planetary science, life science, and education and public outreach.
The 3-day conference, which is the largest forum of its kind, will also provide the scientific community a key opportunity to make inputs on design of the new generation of space vehicles and operational requirements.
As part of moving toward the goal of making frequent, low-cost access to near-space available to a wide range of engineers, scientists and technologists, space agency NASA selected seven firms to provide near-space flight services, and XCOR Aerospace is one among them.
XCOR's Lynx is a two-seat, piloted space transport vehicle with a horizontal takeoff and horizontal landing vehicle, but instead of a jet or piston engine, uses its own fully reusable rocket propulsion system to depart a runway and return safely.
According to XCOR's website, Lynx Mark I, the initial flight test vehicle, will undergo a flight test program beginning in late 2012 and continuing into 2013. The Mark I will be placed into commercial service after being licensed as a launch vehicle under Federal Aviation Administration rules. The Lynx Mark I will also be used to train pilots and crew for the Lynx Mark II. The Lynx Mark I is designed to achieve an altitude of 200,000 feet (approximately 61 km).
Neil Armstrong, former Apollo astronaut and X-15 Pilot, will be delivering a keynote speech at the conference. Other invited speakers at the NSRC include, XCOR's Andrew Nelson speaking about Lynx development, Challenger Center Founding Director June Scobee Rodgers who will fly as a teacher in space, SwRI Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern, and NASA Ames Center Director Dr. Pete Worden.
For details regarding registration fees and deadlines visit the NSRC-2012 website
by RTT Staff Writer
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