The AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee (STTC) seeks to foster continuous improvements in existing space transportation systems, assess the impact of new technology for the next generation of space transportation systems, and provide a forum for educating the members, the government, and the public on space transportation issues for civil, commercial, and military applications.

This committee is actively involved with piloted and autonomous space transportation systems. Membership has included representatives from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Broad domestic and international membership from government agencies, in-dus-try, and academia is welcome. Prospective committee members should have interdisciplinary experience in many areas of space transportation. Members should have a strong desire to con-tribute actively to committee affairs.

Objectives

- To provide an open forum for discussion of broad ranging technical issues pertaining to space transportation

- To serve as a resource for technical guidance on policies affecting civil, commercial, and military space transportation systems.

- To encourage and facilitate technical interchange between government, industry, and academic organizations, both national and international, on existing or planned space transportation systems

- To facilitate the development of space transportation through community outreach, education, and professional conference sponsorship

Organization

The STTC has four officers and six subcommittees. The officers are the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. The subcommittees are Conferences, Education & Awards, Publications, Public Policy, and Space Exploration.  All STTC members are expected to be active participants on at least one subcommittee and participate in at least two meetings per year.

The STTC Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and subcommittee chairs serve one-year terms. The Secretary and Treasurer serve two-year terms. Elections take place at the winter meeting. STTC members serve (nominally) three-year terms. Extensions for officers and members are made at the Chairman's discretion. The Chairman is ultimately responsible for STTC operations, including submitting an annual report to AIAA.

Conferences Subcommittee

The Conferences Subcommittee is responsible for developing and leading technical sessions for the AIAA Space 200x Conference,  AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, and other conferences as needed. It also organizes speakers for the Spring meeting in conjunction with Congressional Visit Day.

Education & Awards Subcommittee

The Education & Awards Subcommittee is responsible for reviewing candidate nominations and selecting winners of the George M. Low Award, which recognizes an outstanding contribution to the field of space transportation. It also prepares and judges the AIAA Student Design Competition for space transportation by providing contest topics, developing RFPs, reviewing student proposals, and selecting winners. The subcommittee promotes and conducts education activities (short courses, seminars, etc.) to increase public awareness, education, policy maker interest, and professional knowledge of space transportation.

Publications Subcommittee 

The Publications Subcommittee prepares and publishes articles, assists with AIAA periodicals, and conducts public relation activities to promote the advancement of space transportation, as needed. This subcommittee is also responsible for soliciting papers for publication in AIAA journals, as well as providing technical reviewers for such journals upon request. This subcommittee provides assistance in updating and publishing the International Reference Guide to Space Launch Systems ("the launch guide"), nominally every three to four years. It also assists with the Launch Tool Kit software application (which is based on the International Reference Guide). A Space Transportation Year In Review article is written annually and published in Aerospace America. The STTC's website is maintained by the subcommittee.

Public Policy Subcommittee
Responsible for interfacing with the Public Policy Committee and coordinating policy questions/issues with other technical committees.  Develop policy-oriented topics for publication as white papers, articles, etc.

Space Exploration Subcommittee
Serves as the STTC's interface to the Space Exploration Program Committee (SEPC).

Meetings

There are four regularly scheduled meetings of the STTC during the AIAA year (May 1 - Apr 30):
- Meeting 1 (Summer): Held in conjunction with the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference in the June/July timeframe.
- Meeting 2 (Fall): Held in conjunction with the AIAA Space 200x Conference in the September/October timeframe.
- Meeting 3 (Winter): Held during Jan/Feb timeframe
- Meeting 4 (Spring): Held during the April timeframe.
 
Officer telecons are held monthly to review actions and conduct business between regular meetings.
 
Charter Updates:

The STTC can amend the charter with the approval of a majority of its members.

Goals for the STTC

Specific near term and long-range goals for the STTC are listed under separate cover.