Excellence in Aerospace
Celebrate Your Peers Top Achievements at 2023 ASCEND.
Recognizing Excellence in Aerospace within the ASCEND and AIAA Community
ASCEND is committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are recognized and celebrated for their achievements, innovations, and discoveries that advance science and technology in space. From the major missions that reimagine how we utilize air and space to the new applications that enhance everyday living on Earth and beyond, join us in celebrating the aerospace professionals that leverage their knowledge for the benefit of all.
Celebrate During 2023 ASCEND
AIAA Lectures and Awards
2023 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics
Monday, 23 October, 1130–1230 hrs PT
Joseph Majdalani, Francis Chair of Excellence and Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Auburn University
Lecture: Celebrating a Century of Kármán’s Momentum-Integral and Space-Reductive Approaches: Applications in Rocketry and Beyond
This lecture is named in honor of Theodore von Kármán, a world-famous authority on aerospace sciences. The award of this lecture honors an individual who has performed notably and distinguished themselves technically in the field of astronautics.
2023 AIAA David W Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award
Monday, 23 October, 1245–1345 hrs PT
George T. Whitesides, Partner, Convective Capital; Former CEO, Virgin Galactic; and Former Chief of Staff, NASA
Lecture: Connecting Space to Earth
The David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award provides an annual lecture to recognize a prominent industry leader or senior management team (up to three individuals) who have created or grown a space-related business and generated substantial economic benefits and market value. The award is sponsored and endowed by Orbital ATK Inc., to commemorate the long and distinguished career of commercial space pioneer, David W. Thompson
2023 AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management
Tuesday, 24 October, 0800 hrs PT
Accepting the award: John M. Grunsfeld, Endless Frontier Associates LLC
Citation: “For exceptional leadership of America’s space science program resulting in amazing achievements exploring the Earth, our solar system, and unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos.”
The AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management is presented to recognize outstanding contributions in the management of a significant space or space-related program or project.
