The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and NASA will co-host California Aerospace Week, March 24–26, in Sacramento, Calif.

Featuring a mix of panels, exhibits, hearings and discussions, the event will focus on the importance of aerospace to California. A resolution will be introduced in the California State Senate on the afternoon of March 24, proclaiming the week of March 24–28: “California Aerospace Week”.

“California’s aerospace industry plays a critical role in ensuring our nation remains a world leader in space exploration and aerospace technology development,” said Sandra Magnus, AIAA executive director. “The event allows us to speak to the legislature about the importance of aerospace to the state, and to call attention to the good things that their stalwart support of aerospace has brought about – from rovers on Mars, to advances in aircraft safety, to new and dynamic ways of engaging students on STEM subjects. It also allows us to discuss the importance of their continued support for aerospace, so the gains we have made in recent years are not squandered, and so the people of California can continue to enjoy the economic and educational benefits that a thriving aerospace sector can provide.”

“The history of spaceflight and California are inseparable,” said Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley). “California has a century-long tradition of pioneering aviation, as well as human spaceflight since the Apollo era, and to preserve our legacy we must remain competitive by providing a market that is reasonably unrestricted to encourage innovation.”

“California is working hard to maintain our robust aerospace industry. As Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace, I am fighting to improve the business climate to ensure our state remains a leader in innovation, technology and manufacturing,” said Assemblymember Muratsuchi (D-Torrance). “That is why my Assembly Bill 777 is critical for cultivating the burgeoning commercial space sector, while simultaneously sending a message to all current and future space companies that ‘California is open for business.’”

On Tuesday, March 25, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT), in Room 211, David McBride, center director, NASA Neil Armstrong Research will present “A Vision for the World of Flight.” McBride’s presentation will be followed by three panel discussions, under the theme “Launch California: Leading the Nation into Space,” in room 127 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (PDT). The panels will examine the overall importance of the aerospace industry to California, its positive contributions to the state’s economy and the prospects for the sustained and thriving future development of the industry. Panelists will include: Kish Rajan, director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development; Sandra Magnus, executive director, AIAA;Blake Bullock, director, civil air and space, business advanced systems development, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems; Simon “Pete” Worden, center director, NASA Ames Research Center; W. Michael Hawes, director, human spaceflight program, Washington Operations, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company; Darrell T. Huntley, vice president, Satellite Development Center, space and intelligence systems, Boeing Network and Space Systems; George Whitesides, chief executive officer, Virgin Galactic; and Jordi Puig-Suari, Aerospace Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University.

A roundtable discussion between industry leaders and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace and the Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace will follow the panel discussions.

On March 25, exhibits, including an F/A-18 Super Hornet Advanced Cockpit Simulator, will be open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the West Steps of the California State Capitol building.

California Aerospace Week is jointly sponsored by the Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace / Senator Steve Knight and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace / Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, along with AIAA and NASA. Additional sponsors include: The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Northrop Grumman.

For more information on California Aerospace Week, please contact Duane Hyland at duaneh@aiaa.org or 703.264.7558.

AIAA is the largest aerospace professional society in the world, serving a diverse range of more than 35,000 individual members from 80 countries, and 100 corporate members. AIAA members help make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.