You Are Invited to a free National Space Society Space Forum
Via Zoom on Thursday, January 28, 2021, 9:00 to 10:15 PM EDT
ASK AN ASTRONAUT: A CONVERSATION WITH ASTRONAUT COL. TERRY VIRTS (RET.)
With an introduction by Greg Autry, hosted by Jeffrey Liss
A video of this event is below:
Retired astronaut Col. Terry Virts will be our guest for “Ask an Astronaut: A Conversation with Astronaut Terry Virts.” We are looking forward to his perspective on life as an astronaut, on life in space, and where we go next in space. Terry was the pilot of space shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) and served as a flight engineer on Expedition 42 and Commander of Expedition 43 on the International Space Station. He is one of only four astronauts in history to have piloted a space shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz spacecraft (TMA-15M), performed spacewalks, and commanded the ISS. He has spent a total of 213 days in space, including over 19 hours in three spacewalks. His recently published book, How to Astronaut: An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth, provides down-to-Earth plain-English glimpses into everyday life in space in bite-size pieces. Each of the 51 chapters describes a type of experience he encountered before, during, and after his two space missions. He has celebrated his unique perspective on the beauty of Earth through photography and has taken more photos from space than any other astronaut. Many are featured in his National Geographic book View From Above, and he also shot much of the stunning footage for the IMAX film A Beautiful Planet. He brings his unique perspective to businesses around the world in such diverse topics as our environment, global wealth, intercultural leadership, crisis and risk management, innovation, strategy and vision, and decision-making. He recently directed his first film, One More Orbit. He is currently involved in several television and film projects, as well as serving on corporate boards, writing, and promoting public policy. He can be found online at terryvirts.com, on Instagram @astro_terry, on Twitter @AstroTerry, and on Facebook @astrovirts. We are thrilled he will share his stories and experiences with the members of NSS. Terry will be introduced by Greg Autry and Jeffrey Liss will host the session.
Please join us for what promises to be a fun and informative session.
Biographies
Retired astronaut Col. Terry Virts served in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot and test pilot, and for NASA as an astronaut. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Harvard Business School. A veteran of two spaceflights, his first launch was on February 8, 2010, as pilot of the space shuttle Endeavour during mission STS-130. His second launch was on board the Russian Soyuz TMA-15M on November 23, 2014, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. In March of the following year, Terry assumed Command of Expedition 43 on the International Space Station (ISS). He is one of only four astronauts in history to have piloted a space shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz, performed spacewalks, and commanded the ISS. Today, he is a celebrated thought leader, speaker and author. He is the author of View from Above – An Astronaut Photographs the World and How to Astronaut: An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth. He can be found online at terryvirts.com.
Greg Autry, while serving on the NSS Board of Directors and as NSS Vice President of Space Development, was nominated by the White House to serve as Chief Financial Officer at NASA. Dr. Autry holds a BA in history from Cal Poly Pomona as well as an MBA and a Ph.D. (public policy and econ) from the Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. Dr. Autry is an educator, writer, technology entrepreneur, and an advocate for space settlement. As an Assistant Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship with the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California, he researches and publishes on space commerce, entrepreneurship, technology innovation and trade policy. Dr. Autry writes and comments regularly on space topics. He served on the NASA Agency Review Team during the 2016 Presidential transition. Dr. Autry’s insights on space and other topics have been published in major news outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Jeffrey Liss is a member of the NSS Board of Directors. His previous NSS positions include Senior Vice President, Vice President of Membership, Editor of Inside NSS (a monthly chapters newsletter), Chair of the Nominations Committee, Chair of NSS’ Conferences Coordinating Committee, and member of the Bylaws and Budget Committees. He served as Chair of the Society’s 8th annual International Space Development Conference® (ISDC®) in Chicago (1989), and as Vice-Chair of ISDCs in Toronto (1994) and again in Chicago (2010). Jeffrey has received NSS’ Space Pioneer Award as Activist of the Year. He is also Vice President of the NSS Illinois North Shore chapter. He is a retired general business lawyer in Chicago, and a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, with an LL.M. in Taxation from DePaul College of Law. He has written and lectured widely on both space issues and legal subjects and has represented NSS on radio and television.
Register today to reserve your seat and to submit your questions using the link below.
Register no later than January 28 at 8 pm EST
Note: If you have difficulty registering, send an email to [email protected]
1 thought on “NSS Space Forum Video: Ask an Astronaut, Terry Virts”
I am looking forward to this and should be very interesting. When reading the Scott Kelly book, Endurance, Terry Virts was mentioned during their stay on the International Space Station.