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LtGen John Shaw 2024
May 31, 2024

Lt. Gen. John Shaw

John Shaw has 33+ years of experience in national security space and aerospace engineering with a focus on leading large-scale technical, global organizations. His unique proven strengths in executive decision-making, strategic risk management, and combat…
Michael Sarafin 2024
May 31, 2024

Michael Sarafin

Michael Sarafin currently serves as an Artemis Mission Manager at NASA Headquarters. In his current role he provides senior technical leadership to the Moon to Mars program office portfolio for human test flights involving elements…
Christopher Scolese 2024
May 31, 2024

Christopher Scolese

Christopher J. Scolese was sworn-in as Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on 5 August 2019. He is the 19th Director, and the first to be Presidentially Appointed and Senate Confirmed. Scolese provides direction, guidance, and…
Shawna Pandya 2022
May 31, 2024

Shawna Pandya

Shawna Pandya is a physician, aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, and Director of IIAS’ Space Medicine Group. She is also a…
ascend speaker byron knight
May 16, 2024

Byron Knight

Dr. Byron F. Knight is a United States Department of Defense Intelligence Senior Leader, currently serving as the Chief Engineer in the Advanced Systems and Technology (AS&T) Directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in…
Thomas Zurbuchen 2022
May 16, 2024

Thomas Zurbuchen

Dr. Thomas H. Zurbuchen, also known as 'Dr. Z' in the space community, is a professor and leader of Space Programs at ETH Zurich. As NASA's head of science from 2016 to 2022, he oversaw…
Melanie Stricklan 2022GC
May 16, 2024

Melanie Stricklan

Melanie Stricklan is the inaugural Executive Director of Space Workforce 2030 (SW2030), a pioneering alliance that unites the world’s top space companies with the shared goal of inspiring, preparing, and employing a more dynamic and…
ASCEND speaker michael nayak DARPA
May 16, 2024

Michael Nayak

Dr. Michael “Orbit” Nayak (Maj, USAF) joined DARPA as a program manager in May 2022. At DARPA, he is interested in inventive ways to apply techniques from the disciplines of astrophysics and planetary science to…