Elon Musk to Speak about the Future of Human Spaceflight at the National Press Club

Inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of SpaceX discusses vision for commercial space transport and travel, Sept. 2

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Elon Musk, CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), will discuss the future of human spaceflight in advance of his company's planned Nov. 30 flight to the International Space Station, the first private mission to ISS for NASA, at a National Press Club luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 29.

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SpaceX, which won a NASA contract to replace the cargo transport function of the Space Shuttle, develops rockets and vehicles for missions to Earth orbit and beyond. Musk was chief engineer for Falcon 1, the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit, as well as the company's Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.

Musk also serves as CEO and Product Architect at Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the all-electric Tesla Roadster automobile and Model S sedan, and is the non-executive Chairman of SolarCity, a leading provider of solar power systems in the United States. Earlier, he co-founded Internet payment system PayPal and was the company's Chairman and CEO.

In 2008, Esquire magazine named Musk one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century, and, in 2010, he was recognized as a Living Legend in Aviation by the Kitty Hawk Foundation. Sometimes likened to the fictional engineering genius Tony Stark in the Iron Man comic franchise, the 40-year-old Musk was a role model for the character in Iron Man II and made a small cameo appearance, with the SpaceX factory also used in the film.

The Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. Remarks will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Advance reservations should be made through (202) 662-7501 or [email protected]. The cost of luncheon admission is $18 for National Press Club members, $29 for their guests, and $36 for the general public. Tickets must be purchased at time of reservation.

National Press Club Luncheons are webcast live on press.org.  Follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NPCLunch, or on Facebook at (facebook.com/PressClubDC) and Twitter (@PressClubDC). Submit questions for speakers in advance and during the live event by sending them to @QNPCLunch on Twitter. Or email a question in advance; type MUSK in the subject line and send to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on the day of event.

The Press Club is on the 13th floor, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Credentialed press may cover this event.

About the National Press Club  The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists with more than 3,400 members worldwide representing every major news organization. More than 250,000 people visit the Club each year to attend more than 2,000 events. The Club was founded in 1908 and is on the web at press.org.

SOURCE National Press Club