George Nelson: How Best to use Your Neighborhood Space Station

The International Space Station has maintained a continuous human presence in space since November of 2000. Upon completion of the Space Station and the retirement of the Space Shuttle, NASA's emphasis has changed from on-orbit assembly to in-space utilization of a science and engineering research laboratory. In this talk, I will discuss evolving organizational models, current opportunities and avenues by which American companies and individuals have access to the Space Station. I will also briefly summarize the operations, technology, and engineering investigations that are planned or recommended for the Space Station. Originally from Maine, Dr. George Nelson's affiliation with NASA began in 1998 as a graduate student research fellow. He began his full time NASA career in 2001 training flight controllers and astronauts on the electrical and thermal systems of the ISS. After serving as the the configuration manager for Space Station through much of assembly, he began his current tenure as manager of the Space Station Technology Demonstration Office through which all of the engineering and technology research is conducted on the Space Station.