Small Montana town hosting space conference

PHILIPSBURG, Mont. — Astronauts, researchers and scientists from NASA are gathering here this week for a two-day conference on aerospace issues.

Philipsburg is the local headquarters of the Inland Northwest Space Alliance, a NASA outreach center, which is hosting the conference.

Astronaut Shannon Lucid, who holds the women’s record for the most hours in orbit, is among those expected to attend the conference, where colleagues will talk about space exploration, policy issues and funding for aerospace research and development.

On Wednesday, the public is invited to an open house that will celebrate the space alliance’s presence in Philipsburg, said George Bailey, president of Inland Northwest Space Alliance.

“It’s kind of a unique opportunity to have a close-up discussion with not only the research scientists in outer space, but also NASA astronauts,” Bailey said.

The conference will include displays outlining some of the research projects under way, including studies of the Berkeley Pit’s extremophiles, organisms that live in extreme environments. The Berkeley Pit, in Butte, is a body of water contaminated by mine drainage.

For Philipsburg, the presence of the prominent organization presents a unique economic development tool, Bailey said.

“We’re trying to do research and development in outer space, but have it lead to job creation here in Montana,” Bailey said.