U.S., Italian astronauts to discuss space
The continuing yearlong celebration of Italian culture in the United States will feature a key event on Wednesday when astronauts meet at Drexel University to discuss space programs.
The continuing yearlong celebration of Italian culture in the United States will feature a key event on Wednesday when astronauts meet at Drexel University to discuss space programs.
The conference, "Flying High: From Helicopters to Space," will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bossone Research Center of the College of Engineering. The event marks 50 years of technological partnership between Italy and the United States. In 1962, the two nations signed an agreement for the launch of the Italian San Marco 1 satellite aboard an American rocket.
Two astronauts, Roberto Vittori of the Italian Space Agency and Paul W. Richards of NASA, will take part in the discussion, along with William Hunt, CEO of Agusta Westland Philadelphia, the helicopter company owned by Italy's Finmeccanica that has assembly operations in Northeast Philadelphia. Mario Cosmo, technical director of the Italian Space Agency, will also take part.
- Jeff Gammage