Georgia Tech, NASA to look at the space shuttle

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech and NASA will be holding a symposium looking at the Space Shuttle Program and what the future of space exploration looks like.

“The Space Shuttle: An Engineering Milestone,” to be held Monday through Wednesday, will include scientists, students and policymakers. They be looking at the contributions the space shuttle made and will also offer up ideas about the future of space travel.

“The space shuttle program is an engineering accomplishment no other country has been able to duplicate,” Robert Loewy, conference chair and Georgia Tech professor of aerospace engineering, said in a news release. “The symposium is intended to honor those who contributed to the design, construction, operation and scientific data-taking that the three decades of the shuttle's operation have made possible.”

The first space shuttle launched on April 12, 1981. The final launch is scheduled for next month.

“The Space Shuttle Program has accomplished many amazing things for the entire world,” Bolden said in a news release. “Not least of which is the construction of the International Space Station, which will anchor our human spaceflight activities for the coming decade. It will provide unparalleled opportunities for critical research and technology demonstrations that will help us reach destinations farther in the solar system.”