The future of human spaceflight and exploration will be the topic of a one-day forum March 29 at Purdue University.

The Spring Space Forum is sponsored annually by the Purdue University chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

 This year, SEDS has teamed with NASA to bring representatives from leading private aerospace companies to campus to discuss their plans for human spaceflight and exploration.

Speakers are W. Michael Hawes, Lockheed Martin director of human spaceflight programs; Rick Hoskin, ATK director of advanced launch systems; Chris Ferguson, Boeing director of crew and missions operations; and Garrett Reisman, SpaceX senior mission assurance engineer. Ferguson and Reisman are retired shuttle astronauts.

After each speaker's presentation, a panel and the audience will ask questions. Panel members will be Will Watson, Space Frontier Foundation executive director; Tim Reith, Boeing shuttle orbiter integration manager and deputy chief engineer; and Bill Anderson, Purdue associate professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The forum will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Pfendler Hall Dean's Auditorium (room 241). The event is free and open to the public.

Live streaming of the morning and afternoon sessions will be available at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/purdueseds

 More information on the forum, including the speaker schedule, can be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Academics/StudentOrgs/seds/ssf.html