Guests: Eric Daniels and Margaret Lau. Topics: CSA, French Aerospace Valley Association, GPS, California space workforce and economy. We welcomed both Eric Daniels and Margaret Lau of the California Space Authority (CSA) to the show in order to discuss the new international alliance with CSA and the French Aerospace Valley Association. To read the official CSA news release from June 16, 2009, please see www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/press-releases/pr090616-1_csa.p… for more details. During the first segment, Margaret and Eric discussed the circumstances and facts that led up to the signing of this agreement at the Paris Air Show. As you will hear, the French delegation was given a whirlwind high-end tour of all aspects of the California space industry. We asked about their reception, NewSpace, and more. Also during this segment, you will learn how the French aerospace industry is organized, how it compares to the industry in the United States and, specifically, California. Eric explained the three key areas for this labor initiative which included education and workforce talent preparedness, economic development and entrepreneurial innovation and international trade openness. It was important to note that our guests did comment on ITAR, but said it was not part of the agreement, there were no waivers for ITAR, and that participants were in charge of their own ITAR compliance like with any business venture a company pursued. Both Eric and Margaret talked about the importance of business to business networking and the CSA project known as The Connectory (www.connectory.com). As Eric explained, California represents 21% of the global space economy and that compared favorably with France. Also, the French Aerospace Valley Association has a geographical location in France that is similar to California. You will want to hear this comparison. In the second segment, we continued discussing the third key element of the Agreement which focused on the openness of international trade. During this discussion, we talked about GPS and the Galileo system under development. You will want to hear some of the concerns about the agreement and French approach to regulating Galileo which were expressed by CSA members. Later in this segment, we talked about the California legislature and its interest in making sure California remains the leading space economy in the country and the world. Eric mentioned some California bills waiting for signature by the Governor and some of the progress being made across the state to value and build the space economy. In the third segment, we talked about the signing ceremony which took place at the French Observatory and was carried out by James Long, a CSA board member and the Executive Director of Programs and Business Development for Aerojet. In addition, we talked about reaching outside the space community for support for space education and workforce programs since the impact of such programs extends far beyond the direct space community. Both Margaret and Eric talked about efforts to reach the entertainment and other industrial sectors within California. If any of you have contacts across California, contact Eric or Margaret or me and let's get you connected to help tell the right story regarding space programs in the state for the nation and the world. The wealth building potential, the economic development, the educational opportunities are all broad based and can interest many people who do not have space in their consciousness. Toward the end of the program, we talked about some of the upcoming CSA events with a particular focus on the California Spotbeam Awards Dinner in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2009. If you are interested in attending, visit http://www.prestoregister.com/cgi-bin/order.pl?ref=csa-event&fm=1 to register. I will probably be there, so make sure you find me and say hello. If you have questions or comments for Margaret Lau or Eric Daniels, you can reach them by phone per the numbers they give out on air. To use email, contact Eric Daniels at eric.daniels@californiaspaceauthority.org . To email Margaret Lau, please use margaret.lau@californiaspaceauthority.org .
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The Space Show
