Wichita State University and the Wichita Space Initiative (WSI) will host the Celebrating the Scientific Legacy of NASA and Apollo conference.

The conference is free and open to the public, and will take place from 9 a.m. - 6:20 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in the WSU Rhatigan Student Center room 233.

It will showcase the scientific, cultural and technological benefits of NASA and the Apollo moon missions. The conference will also focus on Kansas’ contributions and impacts on the program.

The program for the conference includes more than 10 expert talks. Topics range from women in aerospace to interstellar travel.

Speakers will come from across Kansas and the United States.

Roger Launius, former NASA chief historian, will deliver the keynote speech, “Why Go to the Moon? Apollo, the Space Race, and the Many Faces of Lunar Exploration.”

Other speakers include Chinyere Okafor of WSU, who will speak about women engineers and equal rights, and Ian Varga of Florida State University, speaking on NASA and the search for extraterrestrial life.

In addition to speeches, the winners of a recent college essay contest will read their papers during the program. Participants will also have the opportunity to view the finalists of a local middle and high school aerospace poster contest, among other tours and exhibits.

The Kansas Space Grant Consortium is funding the conference as a part of its goal to support NASA's vision, mission and strategic enterprises through national and state initiatives.

Lunch will not be provided, but participants will be given an hour during the day for a lunch break.

Although participants are not required to register in advance, they may visit the conference for more information.

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