2010 GN&C Conference

The Rocky Mountain Section of the American Astronautical Society (AAS) originated as a joint effort between Martin Marietta, Ball Aerospace, and the University of Colorado in 1977. The charter for this newly formed section was to advance the technology and provide forums for exchange of information related to research, development, production, and performance of techniques, devices, and systems concerning the guidance, control, navigation, and dynamics of space vehicles, missiles, and other aerospace products of interest to members of the Society.

To accomplish this charter, the Rocky Mountain Section sponsored the first annual AAS Guidance and Control Conference dedicated solely to Guidance & Control technologies. The conference is held annually the first week of February in the Colorado Rocky's Summit region. The current location is Beaver Run Resort located in Breckenridge, Colorado.

In addition to the G&C Conference, the section has assisted in contiguous conferences, including Matlab, Space Flight Mechanics, IFAC symposiums, and satellite workshops sponsored by National AAS, AIAA and the European Space Agency/ESTEC.

Conference attendance and participation over the years has included Government Labs, NASA facilities, DOD, Aerospace, Industry Component Manufacturers, Academia, and International Participation. The conference has maintained an excellent mix of high quality technical content and practical real world applications in the Guidance & Control discipline. Sessions from recent experiences to new and innovative technologies provide a wide range of topics and technologies. Support by NASA and DOD Labs provide a significant contribution to the technical content and participation in the conference. Additional support from World-Class academia participants maintain the theoretical aspect to many of the sessions. 

Key benefits for individuals attending the conference include close contact with key customers, annual contacts with leaders in industry, government, and academia, and access to current and planned programs. The informal, high class setting at reasonable prices plus informal sessions (wine & cheese social, storyboards) encourage a great deal of interaction among the participants and provides young (and old) engineers the opportunity to meet and interact with top practitioners in the G&C field.