To stimulate new ideas for the future, at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ hosted Space Day on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Campus. More than 100 people attended.

β€œThe primary purpose of the event was to give greater insight into future collaborative opportunities between ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and Kennedy Space Center’s research and technology office β€” and it was well received,” said Alan Stern, the director of The Florida Space Institute, which sponsored the event.

Karen Thompson, NASA KSC Chief Technologist kicked off the morning by talking about past NASA-ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ collaborations and sharing a vision for the future. The storage, distribution and conservation of fluids, materials for life cycle optimization, advancing habitation systems, space launch, and suborbital technology are among some of the key topics that NASA discussed.

The Florida Space Institute is a collaboration among Florida universities and colleges. FSI’s goal is to develop a strong synergistic space program for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and it’s partners.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has a long and unique history tied to the space program at Kennedy Space Center. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was formed in 1963, first as Florida Technological University in part to train workers for the Apollo program. Since then, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s faculty members and students have continued to feed the space industry with talented graduates, innovative research projects, and educational opportunities.