Other NextGen Presentations:
Robert “Hoot” Gibson
Thursday, June 19, 10 am - 10:45 am
Five Journeys to Space and Back
Spaceflight is challenging. Unexpected things happen, and they’re not always good. Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson will discuss many of the challenges that occurred during his five flights to space and how he and his crew overcame them.
Mike Mongo
Thursday, June 19, 3:30 pm – 5 pm
Kid Astronauts Wanted: Building the Future of Earth, Moon, and Beyond
In 1979, a young Mike Mongo faced a decision that would shape the course of his life—and the world he would help build. Today’s students face a similar choice: between staying safe inside the familiar or boldly stepping into the unknown.
In this inspiring Kidnote talk, Mike Mongo invites young spacefarers to listen to the voice of their future selves, to recognize the incredible possibilities ahead, and to make a choice that aligns with the future they want to create.
Through the story of typing versus computers—and the new frontier of Microsoft Office versus AI—Mike offers a simple but powerful message: **You are already part of the mission. Space starts with MEarth. The future needs you. And the right time to choose is now.**
Dr. Sian Proctor
Friday, June 21, 10:00–10:45 AM
Packing for Space Location
She will share her unique space story through the idea of packing for space and how the most important thing you will ever pack is yourself. In this motivating keynote, she breaks down how preparation, persistence, opportunity, creativity, and responsibility are fundamental parts of herself and leadership style and how they have transformed her life and how you can use your unique “space” to inspire those within your reach and beyond.
Dr. Pascal Lee
Friday, June 20, 3:30 pm – 5 pm
The Human Exploration of Mars
The first human mission to Mars will be humanity's greatest adventure in space travel this century. Preparations are already underway, from basement labs to the ISS, across academia and industry, and at terrestrial analog field research sites. Human journeys to Mars, however, present major challenges. In this talk, Dr Pascal Lee will examine in turn the What, Why, How, When, Where and Who of human journeys to the Red Planet.
Susan Kilrain
Saturday, June 21, 3:30 pm – 5 pm
An Unlikely Astronaut: The Truth About Spaceflight - A Space Shuttle Pilot's Perspective
The audience will get an exclusive, firsthand look at the realities of space travel from a seasoned shuttle pilot. The presentation will cover the challenges and triumphs of piloting a spacecraft, the intricacies of space missions, and the often-overlooked personal aspects of spaceflight.
The NextGen programming focuses on students, educators, and everyone interested in inspiring today’s students to aspire to bring to fruition the vision of everyday people living, working, and thriving in communities beyond Earth.
NextGen
Session Chair Info
Holly Melear
CEO and Founder of STEAMSPACE Education Outreach®; Cities in Space® Podcast
Holly Melear is CEO and Founder of STEAMSPACE Education Outreach® and the Cities in Space® events and podcast. Holly and her team are creating education outreach for all students globally, helping them move out, up, and beyond. By creating opportunities for collaboration and mentorship with space industry professionals and academics, STEAMSPACE offers students an all-inclusive community to grow and Read More
NextGen Speakers
Chris Ferguson
Former NASA & Boeing Astronaut
Chris Ferguson is a retired NASA astronaut and former U.S. Navy captain who has had a distinguished career in space exploration. He flew on three Space Shuttle missions, including STS-115 as a pilot in 2006, and STS-126 as commander in 2008. Ferguson is most famous for commanding STS-135 in 2011, which was the final mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Read More
Robert "Hoot" Gibson
Former NASA Chief Astronaut
Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson entered the United States Navy after college and served as a fighter pilot in the F-4 “Phantom” and F-14 “Tomcat” aircraft, flying combat missions in Southeast Asia and making more than 300 carrier landings aboard the aircraft carriers USS Coral Sea and USS Enterprise. After attending the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN, Read More
Tony Antonelli
Retired NASA Astronaut, Former U.S. Navy Captain, Aerospace Engineer
Tony Antonelli is a retired U.S. Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut with more than 4,700 flight hours in over 40 different types of aircraft. He served as the pilot on two Space Shuttle missions—STS-119 and STS-132—and held key leadership positions within the Astronaut Office, including roles supporting the Space Launch System, Commercial Crew Program, Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM), and Read More
Abigail Glover
NASA EGS Human Systems Integration Team
Abigail Glover is a recent honors graduate of the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and minors in Mathematics and Astronomy. She is a 2024 Astronaut Scholar and currently works with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Human Systems Integration (HSI) team preparing for Artemis II. Read More
Jessica Jelke
Student, George Washington University's Elliott School
Jessica Jelke is a three-time NASA JPL intern, NASA grant award recipient, and a 2022 Astronaut Scholar. After graduating from the University of Washington’s Astronomy and Physics Departments, Jessica began working as an Educator at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This August, Jessica will attend George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and begin the Master’s program Read More
Winter Jones
Student, Spelman College
Winter Jones, an Atlanta native and senior mathematics major at Spelman College, is an aspiring aerospace engineer. As a sophomore, she secured funding through the Department of Defense’s Research Scholars program to build a model hybrid rocket engine and refine a cutting-edge fuel grain casting technique. Today, she contributes to NASA’s University Leadership Initiative at Georgia Tech’s Ben T. Read More
Susan Kilrain
Former NASA Astronaut
Commander Susan Kilrain is a renowned astronaut, a distinguished navy test pilot, and author. She is the youngest person, and one of only three women, to pilot the space shuttle. She served 20 years in the navy, paving the way for women. She has flown more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft, and she was awarded Read More
Dr. Pascal Lee
Planetary Scientist, Co-founder and Chairman, Mars Institute
Dr. Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute, the Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. He is also professor of planetary sciences at Kepler Space University, and chief scientist for Ceres Robotics, a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) industry provider. He also serves as the National Space Society’s Vice-President for Read More
Dr. Audrey Martin
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Central Florida
Dr. Audrey Martin is a Postdoctoral Researcher who holds a BSc in Physics from Saint Louis University and a PhD in Astronomy and Planetary Science from Northern Arizona University. As a planetary scientist, Audrey seeks to answer the question “How Did the Solar System Form?” To unravel the complexity of Solar System formation, she focuses her research on asteroid Read More
Mike Mongo
Astronaut Teacher
Mike Mongo, the Astronaut Teacher, has been at the forefront of astronautics and AI for nearly two decades. He is the author of The Astronaut Instruction Manual (Penguin Random House), co-author of Paul Merritt’s VoteFlipper neural network, and co-founder of the global brand-art movement OBEY. His most recent book, My Conversation with Sherlock Holmes (An Instruction Manual for Talking Read More
Dr. Sian Proctor
Inspiration4 Astronaut
Dr. Sian Leo Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, explorer, and geoscience professor. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first artist selected to go to space on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. She is the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. She is an international speaker and science communicator Read More
Luis Santori
Ph.D. Student, Mathematics, Purdue University
Luis Santori is a 2023 and 2024 Astronaut Scholar. After completing his undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Central Florida, he will pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics at Purdue University. Read More
Samantha Stoltz
M.S. Student, Applied Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Launch Thrive Architect Samantha Stoltz, a 2023 Astronaut Scholar, completed her B.S. in Biology at the University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College. She was accepted to the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering for Professionals program as a Master of Science student in Applied Biomedical Engineering. Read More
Nancy C. Wolfson
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
Nancy C. Wolfson is a Washington, D.C., US-based scholar, lecturer, and researcher. Nancy is a published author with over 18 years of professional managerial experience. President of Disrupting Space, a company dedicated to analog and risk management space-related research and developing international partnership opportunities for various space activities. Nancy focuses on space exploration, sustainability, and planetary defense research and Read More
