Space exploration is entering a new era. Dozens of aerospace companies have emerged in recent years, all with the goal of commercializing space as never before. From serving NASA’s cargo needs to sending tourists on space vacations to mining asteroids for profit, this next generation of entrepreneurs, and not NASA, may be the ones who transform space into our backyard, possibly creating the first-ever trillionaires.

Watch live at 7:30 EDT on Wednesday, March 19, as host and moderator Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, leads the 2014 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate, “Selling Space,” with a panel of entrepreneurs and space historians. 

Panelists Include:

• Wanda M. Austin, President and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation

Austin served on President Obama’s Review of Human Spaceflight Plans Committee in 2009, and in 2010 she was appointed to the Defense Science Board.

• Michael Gold, Director of DC Operations and Business Growth, Bigelow Aerospace

Gold is also chairman of Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee, Federal Aviation Administration.

• John Logsdon, Professor Emeritus, Space Policy & International Affairs, George Washington University

Logsdon in a space policy analyst and historian.

• Elliot Pulham, Chief Executive Officer, Space Foundation

The Space Foundation advocates for commercial, military, and government space interests.

• Tom Shelley, President, Space Adventures, Ltd.

Space Adventures provides opportunities for private spaceflight and space tourism.

• Robert Walker, Executive Chairman, Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates

Walker served as chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology from 1977 to 1997.

Asimov Memorial Debate

The late Dr. Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific and influential authors of our time, was a dear friend and supporter of the American Museum of Natural History. In his memory, the Hayden Planetarium is honored to host the annual Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate — generously endowed by relatives, friends, and admirers of Isaac Asimov and his work — bringing the finest minds in the world to the Museum each year to debate pressing questions on the frontier of scientific discovery. Proceeds from ticket sales of the Isaac Asimov Memorial Debates benefit the scientific and educational programs of the Hayden Planetarium.

Watch the live stream at www.amnh.org/live, 7:30 EDT on Wednesday, March 19,and follow on Twitter with the hashtag #AsimovDebate.