There are many roads to space, some more traveled than others, but all essentially important to the human settlement of the final frontier. It’s not just about rockets and space settlements—to survive and thrive off-world will require advancements in biomedicine, food production, legal regimes and their enforcement, leisure activities, and much more. Anything that might be a part of any new frontier must be considered in our expansion to new shores in space, including both planetary and lunar outposts as well as free space settlements. Many Roads to Space highlights the new, the unusual, and the hard-to-categorize endeavors that will be critical to a healthy, productive, and robust existence in space.
Many Roads to Space
Session Chair Info
Christian B. Meza
CEO and Director of Exothermic Films
From the young age of 16, Christian B. Meza began an early career in space studies as a research intern with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A few months later, Meza entered the National Space Society as president of his local chapter, making him one of the youngest NSS chapter presidents in history. With the National Space Society as a lamplight, he expanded his career in aerospace technology, became a Read More
Many Roads to Space
Session Speakers Info
Alastair Browne
Author, Cosmic Careers
Alastair S. Browne is a writer and lives in Durham, North Carolina. He is the co-author of Cosmic Careers, and a book on future jobs in the coming space movement, published internationally. He has now released his second book, Building the Space Infrastructure, about developing space from Low Earth Orbit to the Lunar Surface Alastair attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and earned a B.S. degree in Statistics, and Read More
Samuel Coniglio
Space Futurist, Space Tourism Society
Samuel Coniglio is a book author, space futurist, technical writer, photographer, inventor, and private space industry advocate. He is a board member and former Vice President of the Space Tourism Society. Since 1996, he has been researching and prototyping domestic concepts to make life easier in space. His Zero Gravity Cocktail Glass concept won international acclaim and re-invents how to drink liquids in microgravity. In the 1990’s, Samuel worked for Read More
Teviet Creighton
Professor, South Texas Space Science Institute, UTRGV
Teviet Creighton is a professor of physics and astronomy with research interests in relativistic astrophysics, gravitational waves, radio astronomy, and space technology. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 2000, and is now a member of the South Texas Space Science Institute at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is an author of over 200 peer-reviewed articles and a recipient of the Read More
Tyee Garcia
Student, South Texas Space Science Institute, UTRGV
Tyee Garcia is a senior undergraduate completing his BS degree in physics with a teaching certificate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He has an associates degree in pure and applied physics from South Texas College. His research interests are in nuclear physics, and he has been studying nuclear thermal rockets with research faculty at the South Texas Space Science Institute. Read More
Sahda Haroon
Student, Purdue University
Sahda Haroon is an undergraduate researcher at the Warsinger Water Laboratory at Purdue University, working on hydrogen liquefaction for lunar settlements. As a senior in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, she also conducts research at Purdue’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories on ammonia combustion for aviation gas turbine engines. She recently completed a co-op at Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) in Germany, where she worked in propulsion engineering for Helix—their staged-combustion rocket engines. Read More
Michael Johnson
Physical Scientist, Satmortech
Michael is as a Science and Technology Manager for the U.S. Government. His significant activities over the last twenty years include developing biologics on demand (BOND), transitioning direct acting anti-virals (molnupiravir and remdesivir), Program Manager for Laboratory Developed Test using metagenomic sequences, and development and publication of a novel VTOL propulsion system called the multi-ducted angled rotor (M-DAR) and the Chariot Launch System. Satmortech is a group of technologists that Read More
Amy Mcdowell
Academic, International Space University
Amy Holmes McDowell is a space policy and international engagement specialist with more than 20 years of experience in STEM education, public engagement, and international collaboration. A former NASA Education Specialist supporting NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, she worked extensively on global partnerships and international participation in NASA programs. McDowell recently completed her Master of Science in Space Studies at the International Space University, where her research examined the effectiveness Read More
Antonio Stark
Global Alliance Lead, ispace, Inc.
Antonio Stark is a Korea-born space policy and strategy expert. He currently serves as the Global Alliance Lead for ispace, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan, building partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region around lunar mobility, cislunar space infrastructure, and scientific experiments for deep space exploration. Antonio’s prior work was in the satellite realm as he worked as the Partner Sales Executive at Planet Labs (US/Singapore) and South Korea Country Manager at HEO Read More
Travis Wicks
CEO, Pegasus Online
Travis Wicks is the CEO of Pegasus Online, a digital marketing agency focused on helping businesses communicate clearly and grow effectively online. With years of experience crafting messaging for companies across industries, Travis specializes in translating complex ideas into compelling narratives that connect with real people. His work is rooted in the belief that clarity drives action, and that every successful organization must learn to communicate its “why.” In addition Read More
Jaclyn Wiley
Space Regulatory Specialist, Zeno Power
Jaclyn Wiley is a Space Regulatory Specialist at Zeno Power, working on novel regulatory approvals for launch of commercial radioisotope power systems. She specializes in identifying and addressing future policy issues for space nuclear systems, including planetary protection and end-of-life concerns. Prior to working at Zeno Power, Wiley was a Space Technology and Data Analyst at Brycetech, supporting government and commercial client analyses of the space industry and emerging technologies. Read More