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ECWG Dinner: What You Don’t Know About Space Debris
November 18, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Explorers Club members, member’s guests, associates, & friends are cordially invited to the November 2023 dinner & presentation by Dr. Mark Skinner to be held at the Cosmos Club on Saturday, November 18th, 2023 at 6:00 PM.
About the Presentation
Since the dawn of the space age, mankind has continued to launch more and more objects into space. Many of those objects have remained in space, past their functional lifetime, and constitute a population of many tens of thousands of defunct objects (dead satellites, pieces of satellites, rocket bodies, etc.) that we refer to as “space debris” or “orbital debris”. Existing space debris (and the increase in the population of space debris) constitutes a threat to our continued use of space, both to satellites and astronauts. In this talk for non-experts, we describe what space debris is, the threats it causes, how we monitor it, and potential mechanisms to mitigate threats associated with space debris. Also discussed will be current activities in Space Traffic Management.
Join Aerospace Corporation’s Senior Project Leader for Space Traffic Management, Dr. Mark Skinner, for a lively exploration of what is being done to resolve the space debris problem, and how this effort is transitioning from the Defense realm to the Civil.
About our Speaker
Dr. Mark Skinner is internationally recognized as a researcher in space object characterization and commercial space situational awareness. Mark is currently leading The Aerospace Corporation’s effort to support the transition of space traffic management (STM) from the Defense realm to the Civil. For almost two decades, he supported research efforts at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) facility in Hawaii, and now supports STM in Washington, DC.
For eight years, Mark supported the US delegation to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability (LTS) of Outer Space Activities in the development of guidelines and best practices, as an expert on space debris and space situational awareness (SSA).
Dr. Skinner holds a BS degree in Physics and a BS in the Humanities and Science from MIT; a PhD in experimental astrophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and an MBA from the International Space University.
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Please include the following information:
- Number of seats Reserved ($55 each)
- Guest names(s)
- Number of vegetarian meals (if any) desired
- Organization Affiliation if other than ECWG
Mail with check to :
Austin Ager
2707 Parkway Place
Cheverly, MD 20785-3029
AustinAger1@gmail.com
Mobile & text: 301-646-5418
You can pay at the door or mail a check. Without exception, your rsvp must be received by Austin no later than 5 pm, Monday, November 13, 2023. Absolutely no changes or cancellations after 5 pm, on that day.
ECWG COVID-19 Policy
ECWG adheres to all COVID-19 regulations set by the Cosmos Club and the District of Columbia. Masks and proof of vaccination are no longer required for entrance into the Cosmos Club but are recommended. Space may be limited to comply with Cosmos Club capacity regulations. Priority will be given to ECWG members and their significant others.