Image Credit: International Space University

INTERNATIONAL SPACE UNIVERSITY
Educating Future Space Leaders

Bob Richards founded the International Space University (ISU) in 1987 with Peter Diamandis and Todd Hawley as a beacon and forum for tomorrows space leaders to meet, learn, share ideas and begin lifelong careers together. Formed as the world’s first truly international university, ISU has a central campus in Strasbourg, France and affiliate organizations worldwide.

ISU celebrates its 20th year of success in 2007 with over 2,500 graduates worldwide and an undeniably growing influence on world space affairs. In this talk Bob Richards presents the history of ISU while describing its founding principles, current status and hopes and dreams for the future.

Image Credits: Scaled Composites / X Prize Foundation

THE PERSONAL SPACEFLIGHT REVOLUTION
How NewSpace is Changing the Rules

In 2004 SpaceShipOne won the $10-million Ansari X PRIZE, setting in motion a entire new industry in personal spaceflight aimed at mass markets. Today's space visionaries, entrepreneurs and rebel billionaires are racing to be the first to offer new cost effective ways to get regular people into space, and creating places to go and things to do when they get there.

Bob Richards has been an enduring catalyst in commercial space ventures since the 1980’s and today remains an influential strategist and advocate of private space enterprise and commerce. In this inspired motivational talk he presents the newest and most promising developments in the Personal Spaceflight Revolution that are changing the rules about humanity’s future in Space.

Image Credit: Space Generation Foundation

VISIONS OF THE SPACE GENERATION
Young People Creating the Future

As a key figure in the space advocacy movement of the 1980’s, Bob Richards co-founded some of the most effective and enduring space groups, including Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) and Young Astronauts. However some believe that Richards’ most significant contribution was the coining of the phrase “Space Generation”, defining the notion that all those borne since the beginning of the space age are members of a unique new phase of humanity’s evolution. This notion led to the creation of the Space Generation Foundation in 1985 with Peter Diamandis and Todd Hawley; which in turn established the International Space University in 1987.

Today the Space Generation movement lives on in a growing number of interconnected youth groups worldwide, with official connections to the United Nations and outreach events such as the Space Generation Congress and Yuri’s Night that continue to carry the inspirational concept to new generations of space leaders around the world.

In this motivational talk Bob Richards outlines the philosophy behind the Space Generation, giving insight into its success and describing how others can build on the Space Generation movement with their own initiatives and visionary organizations.