Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon Students Study Policy And Public Reaction To Commercial Space Travel

May 1, 2008

Contact: Chriss Swaney
Carnegie Mellon
(412) 268-5776

Event: Carnegie Mellon University students will unveil a survey of more than 130 consumers who were asked to consider the risks of commercial space flights, such as the thrill rides soon to be offered by Virgin Galactic, a company owned by British entrepreneur Richard Branson. The survey was developed for a new course offered this semester by Keith Florig and Liz Casman, professors in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP). The course, “Policy Dimensions of Commercial Spaceflight,’’ teaches students how to address complex public policy problems involving science and technology. The Carnegie Mellon students report that 32 percent of adults questioned expressed a strong willingness to take short adventure flights to space, even when they accurately appreciate the safety risks of such flights. Despite enthusiasm for taking space flights, respondents were opposed to the use of public funds to build launch facilities to attract commercial space companies to their communities.
  
When: 3 - 5 p.m., Thursday, May 1.

Where: Baker Hall Conference Room, Carnegie Mellon University, off Frew Street. 

About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students and professors. While technology is pervasive on its 144-acre Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leading research universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. For more, see www.cmu.edu.