Frontiers Conference at the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh researchers play a leading role in a White House conference, co-hosted by Pitt and Carnegie Mellon, on the future of innovation.

Virgin Galactic CEO on Interplanetary Exploration

George Whitesides is so excited about tourists going into space that he bought tickets for himself and his wife when Virgin Galactic first announced its goal of taking travelers into space.

Whitesides is now CEO of Virgin Galactic, created by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and its sister firm, The Spaceship Company—and Whitesides remains just as sure that he will experience interplanetary travel.

“Space access is the path through which we can understand our home planet … and answer some of the questions that have occupied humans for millennia,” he told a session on space exploration, part of today’s White House Frontiers Conference, hosted by the White House, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University.

“It will be a profound shift when everyone knows someone who has been to space,” he added.

Whitesides is responsible for guiding all aspects of building the Virgin Galactic’s commercial spaceline, including its spaceflight program as well as small satellite launch capability. He also oversees the manufacturing of a fleet of space vehicles WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. Previously, Whitesides served as chief of staff for NASA, where he received the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award the agency confers.

He has said in interviews that his love of space—and, in particular, Mars—began when he was a child.

“Mars' call can and will inspire many more students to enter STEM professions over the decades. …. We can launch the campaign for Mars through the sustainable collaboration between the government and the private sector.”

Check back for more from the White House Frontiers Conference.

—Jane-Ellen Robinet