Moffett Federal Airfield Alliance—Silicon Valley Space Center Goes For The Bid (Business)

[SatNews] A historic piece of real estate, NASA Ames Moffett Field’s 1,000+ acre airfield, 3 iconic hangars, including the famous hangar one and a professional golf course are up for a development bid this October.

Two previous NASA scientists, Dr. Sean Casey and Dr. Peri Pappadopoulos, Co-Founders of Silicon Valley Space Center, plan to win it! Drs. Casey and Pappadopoulos have formed the Silicon Valley Space Center’s Moffett Federal Airfield Alliance, which has more than 200 years of combined industry experience in science, engineering, and business. This local team includes scientists, engineers, aerospace engineers, architects, entrepreneur startups and those experienced in aviation maintenance, education, industrial training, military, finance and real estate. The Alliance has the background and home team advantage to make a viable financial project that adds value to the community and commemorates the importance NASA Ames has played in Aviation, Space and Planetary sciences.

Dr. Sean Casey, CEO, with a PhD in Astrophysics from University of Chicago and MBA’s from both Columbia and U.C. Berkeley, said, “As a graduate student at Chicago, I was inspired by the facilities and opportunities at NASA Ames which is why I came to the Bay Area as an airborne astronomer many years ago. Today, I am excited because there has never been a project more perfect for the skill sets of our team and myself. We can make the Moffett Airfield profitable while paying respect to NASA Ames past missions like the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and current missions like the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, where I was a Senior Scientist for over 15 years”.

What is the Alliance plan? To have office space ear-marked for today’s pioneers of the NewSpace industry, innovators and entrepreneurs in such areas as small satellites, space communications, mission design, unmanned aerial systems, robotics, 3D printing, aeronautics, and astronomy together with other cutting edge NewSpace companies. In addition, continuing Silicon Valley Space Center’s commitment to space and science education, they will create exciting programs in the new facility with top educators that will draw students not only from the Bay Area, but also the brightest minds from around the world. The Silicon Valley Space Center recently led student teams from Puerto Rico, using technology from Infinity Aerospace, in the development of green house module prototypes suitable for deployment on the International Space Station and other interplanetary missions.

The Silicon Valley Space Center will move their TED-like thought leaders lecture series, in partnership with the local AIAA chapter, to the new educational facility. Additional plans for Moffett Federal Airfield and its hangars include state of the art facilities for research and space to house various sized aircraft. This historic location will also include a crowd-funded statue of Charles Lindbergh, who led the committee that picked Moffett Federal Airfield as the site for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which became NASA Ames. The public viewing gallery will pay tribute to the advances NASA Ames has made, and to the continued advancements in aeronautics, science and space innovation.

Outside there will be a beautiful Mars garden (showing technologies relevant to growing produce for interplanetary survival) whose editable delights will be showcased in a new facility restaurant. A large extrasolar planetary sculpture park will encourage visitors to physically walk through our extended universe and learn about the growing list of planets outside of our solar system.

When asked how he felt about this project, Dr. Casey answered, “ as Sir Isaac Newton stated, “we stand on the shoulders of giants” and we intend to honor the past while creating a vibrant, educational, and inclusive start-up environment for NewSpace companies and the Silicon Valley community.”

Silicon Valley Space Center’s Moffett Federal Airfield Alliance invites interested parties to come to the Hacker Dojo, 599 Fairchild Dr., Mountain View, CA 94043, (650) 898 7925, from 2 to 4 on September 29 and October 6 to meet the team and hear more.