Note: This is an academic event for members of the space policy and space history communities.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are pleased to announce the next Space Policy and History Forum featuring a panel discussion on the history and future of US-India cooperation in space. Join Asif Siddiqi, Dennis McSweeney, Teasel Muir-Harmony, and Bhavya Lal for an in-depth analysis of the scientific, technical, political, and social dimensions behind joint US-India efforts in space from the 1950s to today. 

Panelists:

• Dr. Asif Siddiqi, Professor of History, Fordham University
• Dennis McSweeney, Deputy Director, Human Exploration and Operations Division, Office of International and Interagency Relations, NASA

Moderators:

• Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, Curator of the Apollo Collection, National Air and Space Museum
• Dr. Bhavya Lal, Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy and Strategy, NASA 
   

Speaker Biographies
Asif Siddiqi is a professor of history at Fordham University and teaches and writes on the history of science and technology. He is the author of many books and articles on the history of the Soviet space program including The Red Rockets’ Glare: Spaceflight and the Soviet Imagination, 1857-1957 (Cambridge University Press, 2010) and Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 (NASA, 2000). His recent work focuses on global history, including, in particular, South Asia and Africa, with an interest in ‘connected histories’ of postcolonial infrastructures. Siddiqi’s forthcoming book, Departure Gates: Postcolonial Histories of Space on Earth, highlights the considerable infrastructure built in the Global South during the Cold War to support space exploration. He served as the Charles Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in 2013-14, was a visiting fellow at Princeton University’s Davis Center for Historical Studies in 2021-22 and also has held visiting positions at MIT, Caltech, and Harvard. He earned a PhD in History from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dennis McSweeney serves as the Deputy Director of the Human Exploration and Operations Division in NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations. His office works closely with NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate to coordinate NASA’s international human space flight activities, including the negotiating and drafting of international agreements for joint projects. Mr. McSweeney served in Moscow as the NASA Russia Representative for a total of seven years during two separate tours. He has otherwise worked at NASA Headquarters since 1990 in a variety of capacities, including: Deputy Director, Science Division, Office of International and Interagency Relations; NASA India Lead; NASA Russia Lead; Executive Secretary of the International Space Station Advisory Committee; Executive Secretary of the NASA Advisory Council Task Force on Shuttle-Mir and ISS Safety and Operational Readiness; International liaison for the Office of Aeronautics; and Space Station legislative and domestic policy specialist. Mr. McSweeney received his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Southern California. 

Location
The Forum will be held at the NASA Headquarters Webb Auditorium at 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC.

How to Attend
This is an academic event for members of the space policy and space history communities. Attendees must register in advance. Register now.

Questions?
Contact Teasel Muir-Harmony. 

About the Space Policy and History Forum
The Space Policy and History Forum is a collaboration of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.