Space Exploration and Astronaut Safety

Dr. Joseph N. Pelton, holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University and is the Director of the Space and Advanced Communications Research Institute (SACRI) at the George Washington University. He is also the founder of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and founding president of the Society of Satellite Professionals International. One of the world's most distinguished and well-respected authorities on space matters, Dr. Pelton has also served as Dean and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Space University; Director of the Interdisciplinary Telecommunication Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder; Director of Strategic Policy for Intelsat; and Executive Editor of the International Journal of Space Communications and is on the Editorial Board of Space Policy. He is a full member of the International Academy of Astronautics and chair of the Academic Committee of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) of which he is a Fellow. In addition to being an AIAA Associate Fellow, he has won numerous honors and awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, Hall of Fame member of the Society of Satellite Professionals International, recipient of the H. Rex Lee Award of the Public Service Satellite Consortium, and Outstanding Educators Award of the International Communications Association. He also serves on a volunteer basis as President of the Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) Foundation. Dr Pelton has authored hundreds of articles, and editorials, as well as twenty-five books. He earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for the book Global Talk.