39th Space Congress Committee Chairs

Photo by NASA photographer J. Kechele

Veteran Astronauts Answer Questions and Help Present Science Fair and Horizon Essay Awards

Five veteran astronauts made up Panel Session IV at the 39th Space Congress. During this session science fair and Horizon essay awards were given by Canaveral Council of Technical Societies (CCTS). Each awardee was presented with the award by the astronauts and commemorative photos were taken.

After the awards the Panel Chair, Colonel James D. Halsell introduced the four other astronauts and gave brief histories of each. The panel consisted of Commander Daniel C. Burbank, Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, Joseph R. Tanner and Colonel Terrence W. Wilcutt. All of the astronauts have flown in space at least once and as many as five times (Dr. Dunbar). The audience was then given a chance to ask questions of the astronauts followed by an autograph session.

For more coverage of the 39th Space Congress visit Space.com and the Florida Today web sites, or for video coverage visit Communications Concepts, Inc..

39th Space Congress Photo Album is here!
Select which part of the Space Congress you would like to see from the selections below. Click on a photo on any page to see a larger image.

Hubble's Advanced Camera Unveils a Panoramic New View of the Universe
New Spectacular Views of the Universe Presented at
the 39th Space Congress

During the Hubble Discoveries paper session today four new breathtaking images captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's new Advanced Camers for Surveys (ACS) where shown. They also reported that Hubble is operating superbly since the March servicing mission and are looking forward to more pictures from the newly revived NICMOS camera.

"The ACS is opening a wide new window onto the universe. These are among the best images of the distant universe humans have ever seen," says Johns Hopkins University astronomer Holland Ford, the lead scientist in the ACS' seven-year development. "The ACS will let us obtain the deepest image of the Universe for the foreseeable future," added astronomer Garth Illingworth, the deputy leader for the ACS.

"The first astronomical images from the new Advanced Camera for Surveys are remarkable, breathtaking," said Dr. David Leckrone, Hubble Space Telescope Senior Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. "They're everything we expected and more. The only problem is doing them full justice as we try to show them to the public on 'old-fashioned' television, or the newspapers or magazines."

Below are thumbnails of the four images. Click on an image to see a larger view.

The Omega Nebula - M17	The Mice - Interacting Galaxies NGC 4676
Cone Nebula	Tadpole Galaxy - UGC 10214

Welcome to the 39th Space Congress web site

The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies (CCTS) created the Space Congress in 1962 to stimulate interest and promote professionalism in the space program. The annual event provides a forum for space professionals to meet and share their knowledge of technical areas and issues facing the space program in this country.

CCTS is a nonprofit organization founded in 1960 to bring together representatives of the Brevard County area technical societies to discuss and coordinate activities. Currently, 31 member societies represent the major technical organizations in the area. The group meets monthly to discuss activities and plan educational programs for local students. The mission of CCTS includes promoting and supporting activities of the technical, scientific, engineering and professional organizations on Florida's East Coast. These activities enhance the identity and professional stature of the member societies, encourage public interest and participation in technical and professional matters, and support community service projects of value to the technical community.

CCTS uses Space Congress proceeds to present annual achievement and technical awards; conduct an annual Career Night to expose local students to scientific, engineering, and related careers; and sponsor many local educational programs conducted by schools and groups in the Space Coast area. CCTS also hosts Space Flight Awareness receptions and joins with the Florida Engineering Society to host the annual Engineers Week Banquet.

Over the years, the Space Congress has earned a strong national and international reputation for the quality of the speakers, presentations and activities. Look through these pages to read about recent Space Congresses and to see what is planned for the coming year's program. We are confident you will find this to be an interesting, informative and valuable program, and we look forward to seeing you at a future Space Congress.

Check out the CCTS web site for more information on our council. Contact me at Thaxton-E@cfl.rr.com with any questions or for more information about the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies.

Elinor D. Thaxton
2001-2002 Chairman
Canaveral Council of Technical Societies

Elinor Thaxton is an education and technical editing consultant. She has worked as a technical editor at Scientific Systems Services and Computer Sciences Raytheon and has an extensive background in teaching. Thaxton has a degree in English from Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston) in Charleston, West Virginia. She did graduate work at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and participated in continuing studies from the University of Florida and Brevard Community College. Under her leadership,the membership of the local chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) nearly doubled. Thaxton has worked with CCTS since 1978 and became an STC representative to CCTS in 1993. She served on several committees before accepting the office of secretary, then vice chair, and then chair of CCTS.

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