NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly to Give Live Interview from International Space Station at BIO 2015 Wednesday Keynote Luncheon
Former astronaut and CASIS President Greg “Box” Johnson to conduct Q&A
Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2015) – Today, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will participate in a live interview from the International Space Station during the Keynote luncheon on Wednesday, June 17th at the 2015 BIO International Convention®. The interview will take place from 12:35 – 12:45 pm EDT, and will be conducted by former astronaut Greg “Box” Johnson, President & Executive Director of CASIS, the organization tasked with managing and promoting research onboard the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. BIO 2015 is the global event for biotechnology – and will take place June 15-18, 2015 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“We are thrilled to partner with NASA to make this exciting live interview from the International Space Station a reality for our event attendees,” said BIO International Convention President Scott Whitaker. “Advancing scientific research and progress is what drives the biotechnology industry - a drive shared by Commander Scott Kelly and NASA.”
Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are currently conducting a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station. The goal of the mission is to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space. Data from the expedition will be used to reduce risks to the health of crewmembers as NASA prepares to advance space travel beyond low Earth orbit.
A retired U.S. Navy Captain and a veteran of three space flights, Kelly has logged more than 180 days in space. He served as pilot on STS-103 in 1999 and was the Mission Commander on STS-118 in 2007. Following STS-103, Kelly served as NASA’s Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. He served as a backup crewmember for ISS Expedition 5 and as the Astronaut Office Space Station Branch Chief. Kelly also served as a Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 25 and as the Commander of ISS Expedition 26. Kelly launched to the International Space Station on March 27, 2015 and will conduct hundreds of science experiments aboard the orbiting complex over the next year.
The event will be open to Convention Access and Partnering registrants. The conversation will also be broadcast live on NASA TV and at www.nasa.gov/nasatv.
To learn more about the event and available registration packages, please visit convention.bio.org/register.
Advance media registration is available for qualified reporters working full time for print, broadcast and web publications with valid press credentials. To register, please visit here.
Upcoming BIO Events
BIO Executive Training Courses
June 13-15, 2015
Philadelphia, PA
BIO International Convention
June 15-18, 2015
Philadelphia, PA
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology
July 19-22, 2015
Montréal, Canada
BIO Latin America Conference
October 14-16, 2015
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
BIO Investor Forum
October 20-21, 2015
San Francisco, CA
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