AIAA to present awards at SPACE 2011 Conference in Long Beach

Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will present awards recognizing key achievements in space science and technology, space program management, and sustained service to the Institute, at a noon awards luncheon on September 28 as part of the AIAA SPACE 2011 Conference & Exposition, September 27-29, at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, Calif.

• The Engineering Test Satellite VII/Japanese Experimental Module Team (ETS-VII/JEM), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will receive the 2011 AIAA Space Automation and Robotics Award. The award is presented for leadership and technical contributions by individuals and teams in the field of space automation and robotics. The ETS-VII/JEM team is being honored for its pioneering work in space robotics, including the operation of the first dexterous robotic arm and the first teleoperation of a space robotic arm from the Earth. The award will be accepted by Mitsushige Oda, leader, Space Robotics, Space Robotics Research Group, JAXA, and Takahisa Sato, director, Security Administration, JAXA.
• The Hayabusa Team, JAXA, will receive the 2011 AIAA Space Operations and Support Award. The award is presented for outstanding efforts in overcoming space operations problems and assuring success, and to recognize those teams or individuals whose exceptional contributions were critical to situations such as anomaly recovery, crew rescue, etc. The Hayabusa Team is being honored for overcoming numerous anomalies and failures that caused its mission to be extended three years while still achieving success with a first-of-a-kind asteroid sample return mission. The award will be accepted by Junichiro Kawaguchi, mission leader.
• The Tactical Satellite-3 (TacSat-3) Team, Space Based Hyperspectral Imaging, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Kirtland Air Force Base, Kirtland, N.M., will receive the AIAA Space Systems Award. The award is presented to recognize outstanding achievement in the architecture, analysis, design, and implementation of space systems. The TacSat-3 Team is being honored for demonstrated hyperspectral imaging capability in a small satellite design, specifically expanding the frontiers of U.S. national space capability. The award will be accepted by Thomas Cooley, AFRLTac-Sat 3 program manager.
• William H. Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for space operations, NASA, Washington, D.C., will receive the 2011 AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management. The award is presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in the architecture, analysis, design and implementation of space systems. Gerstenmaier will be recognized for exemplary leadership of America's human space flight program, culminating in completion of construction of the International Space Station and safe operations of the space shuttle system.

Additionally AIAA Sustained Service Awards will be presented to Guy Jette, chief financial officer/financial division chief (retired), Space Vehicles Directorate, AFRL, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.; and to Peter Kurzhals, director, Systems and Software, Boeing Space Exploration, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Provided by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics