Roger That! XI: Voyages in Space
The 11th Roger That! Conference will be held Friday, February 12th 2027 and Saturday, February 13th 2027! Check out the 2027 Conference tab above for more details!
Dr Linda Godwin
Keynote Speaker for 2027
After completing undergraduate studies in physics and mathematics at Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. Godwin attended graduate school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Godwin joined NASA in 1980, in the Payload Operations Division, Mission Operations Directorate, where she worked in payload integration (attached payloads and Spacelabs), and as a flight controller and payloads officer on several Shuttle missions. Selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in June 1985, Dr. Godwin became an astronaut in July 1986. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Godwin has logged over 38 days in space, including over 10 EVA hours in two spacewalks. In 1991 she served as a Mission Specialist on STS-37, was the Payload Commander on STS-59 in 1994, flew on STS-76 in 1996, a Mir docking mission, and served on STS-108/International Space Station Flight UF-1 in 2001.
Selfie in space with Dr Godwin
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The Roger That! Conference
Roger That! is a celebration of space exploration in honor of Roger B. Chaffee, a native Grand Rapidian and astronaut who lost his life in the Apollo 1 fire. The two-day public symposium is organized by faculty at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in collaboration with Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), featuring academic speakers, keynote address by an astronaut, workshops, and K12 outreach. The conference is supported in part by a grant from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. Events at GVSU are completely free and those at GRPM are free with the entrance fee.
The first Roger That! symposium was held in February 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy. Since then, every year we have been able to host astronauts like Dr. Guy Bluford, the first African American to fly in space, Nicole Stott, Story Musgrave, Dr. Leroy Chiao, Col. Eileen Collins who was the first woman space shuttle commander, Jose Hernandez, and Robert Satcher.
Ad Astra Ubi Spatium Pro Omnibus!
What you're saying about us!
I loved the marvelous variety of topics! Being able to hear from world experts on topics related to space is what makes Roger That a top notch conference. I am always excited each year to attend, and look forward to next year's!
I liked the open Zoom link for all of the sessions. It was nice to be able to pop in and out as my schedule allowed. When I can't clear the entire day to attend the conference, having the ability to participate as my schedule allowed was really nice.
I really enjoy the idea that the talks center around a theme each year and the content varies widely. Interdisciplinary conferences are really fascinating because you get insight into other subjects that you might not know much about. I also appreciate the fact that the talks are available online after to watch again or tune in to the ones folks may have missed. Thank you for an exceptional conference and I very much am looking forward to next year!