The California Space Authority (CSA) has announced the 2008 SpotBeam Award Winners. The awards will be formally presented at the SpotBeam Awards Dinner on November 19, 2008 at The Proud Bird in Los Angeles, California. “Celebrating its fifth year, the CSA SpotBeam Awards program highlights the significant accomplishments of individuals, organizations, and programs that contributed to the success of California space enterprise in 2008,” said CSA Executive Director Andrea Seastrand. SpotBeam Award categories and winners include:

• Federal Leadership Award - Congressman Mike Honda
• State Leadership Award - Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi
• The Buzz Aldrin Space Education & Workforce Awards – Traveling Space Museum
• Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success (ARCHES)
• Business Development and Retention Award - Antelope Valley Board of Trade
• Commercial Space Award - The Spaceship Company
• Space Innovation Award – Spectrolab
• Space Manufacturing Award - ACE Clearwater Enterprises
• National Security Space Award - Vandenberg Air Force Base
• Civil Space Award - Phoenix Mars Lander Mission
• International Space Award - Canadian Space Agency
• Space Science Research Award - Voyager Mission
• New Space Professional Award - Amy Connors
• California Astronaut Hall of Fame (Former Astronaut) - James H. Newman, Ph.D.
• California Astronaut Hall of Fame (Current Astronaut) - Rex J. Walheim (Colonel, USAF)
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Bradford W. Parkinson, Ph.D. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)

“In an effort to draw attention to individual achievements in space enterprise development, we added two new categories to our awards program this year,” added Seastrand. “We will be honoring a New Space Professional and bestowing a Lifetime Achievement award.”

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