The Women of Space organization will hold 2 sessions on Friday, October 19, starting at 9am and 11:45am.

The objective is to celebrate women's achievements in space exploration while encouraging girls and women to become more involved in space.

The sessions are a precursor to a full conference called "Women of Space: Lighting the Way" to be held in Los Angeles next year.

Conference Chair Alisa Schreibman got the idea for Women of Space from talking with women friends who had the same experiences growing up as she did. Schreibman says, "[There are a] bunch of guys out there asking, 'How come no girls like science fiction?' And, 'How come no girls like rockets?'"

Like many women, Schreibman loves both science and science fiction. She feels meetings like this are important because girls learn that they are not alone in their interest in space.

Rachel Zimmerman, International Outreach Officer for the Planetary Society, will speak at the Women of Space session. "The more opportunities there are to show women, in particular, that they have the opportunity to participate in space-related events and activities, the better," says Zimmerman.

Another speaker at the October 19th session is Gindi French, an engineer in JPL's In-Situ Experimental Science Group. French says, the group is going to "celebrate the contributions of women in all aspects of space. Astronauts, writers, scientists, everything. In the past. In the present. What are we doing now. And what we have done."

French will talk about her experiences with the hydrothermal vent probe that she worked on for two years. The probe is one of the first to take data from inside hydrothermal vents.

French says, "The idea is to look for life. We're doing some really cool science on Earth and applying it to the work that we're taking into space." French believes this technology will one day be used to probe icy Titan or the, still controversial, oceans of Europa.

Panelist Fiorella Terenzi dances the line between science and art. She is an astrophysicist that transforms radio waves from stars and galaxies into music. When Terenzi was a little girl, her grandmother introduced her to the stars of Italy's night sky. "That started my love affair with the universe that, of course, lasted a lifetime."

Not all Women of Space are hard scientists, however. Ethlie Ann Vare is a screenwriter for the science Fiction TV show Andromeda, and author of several non-fiction books. Her new book, "Patently Female" is about women inventors.

Pat Dasch, Executive Director of the National Space Society, will moderate both "Women of Space" sessions. Other panelists include Space Solar Power Activist Margo Deckard, and Melissa Maradiegue of SpaceCamp.

The Women of Space conference will be held in Los Angeles next year and is expected to attract girls and women who already have at least an inkling of an interest in space. But, it's not just for women, Schreibman says, "Everybody we talk to wants to participate!"

French agrees, "It's something very exciting and something very inspiring not only for children, but [for] people of all ages who may have thought they cannot be involved in space for one reason or another."

Space Frontier Conference 10 runs October 18th to 21st at the Gateway Sheraton near Los Angeles International Airport.

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