Outer-Space "Real-Estate" Developer to Speak at RIT

Rochester Institute of Technology will host a presentation by the founder of the first company planning an outer-space real-estate development venture.

Gene Meyers, president of Space Island Group Inc. of West Covina, Calif., will present an overview on planned outer-space "mixed-use" development projects, blending research and tourism ventures, 4–6 p.m., Feb. 6. Meyers will discuss space-facility construction, potential commercial, entertainment and tourism uses, outer-space employment opportunities, financing and sponsorship possibilities, and safety concerns.

Meyers, a native of Buffalo, founded Space Island Group in 1999. He plans to privately finance design, construction and launch of commercial space facilities built from modified versions of space shuttle external fuel tanks. The facilities will closely resemble the appearance of the space station in the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Space Island Group’s first shuttle launch is anticipated in 2004 and completion of the firm’s first space station is expected in 2007.

"RIT is one of the most forward-thinking universities in the country," Meyers says. "By the end of the first decade of the new century, tourism and large-scale commercial manufacturing opportunities in space will be spectacular."

Sponsored by RIT’s hospitality and service management department, the presentation and question-and-answer session will be in Xerox Auditorium in the James E. Gleason Building. A reception will follow in Henry’s restaurant, George Eastman Building, room 4125.

RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology offers the world’s only university-level course in space tourism development, now in its second year.

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Note: Members of the media are invited to attend. Gene Meyers will be available for additional comment immediately following the presentation. For additional information, see www.spaceislandgroup.com.