LAUNCH: Health Forum Media Briefing Set For Oct. 30

David E. Steitz

Headquarters, Washington     

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA and partners from the LAUNCH: Health forum will discuss innovative ideas during a media briefing on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. EDT. The local-only briefing will air live on NASA Television from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

LAUNCH: Health is part of an ongoing initiative to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. It is the second forum in the series and will take place at Kennedy Oct. 29 and 30.

The briefing participants are:

-- Dr. Jeff Davis, director, Space Life Sciences, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston

-- Dave Ferguson, director, Global Development Common, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington

-- Mikkel Vestergaard, president, Vestergaard Frandsen, Lausanne, Switzerland

During the forum, 10 international participants will showcase new innovations that could address health problems on Earth and in space. Ideas range from a biodegradable needle that dissolves in the body while releasing a vaccine, leaving no waste product; to a high-pixel cell phone-like device that could be used for remote ophthalmology. A list of the innovators and innovations is available online at http://www.launch.org.

To participate as part of the LAUNCH: Health community, the public may access the live discussions and presentations online via MindMapper at http://mindmapr.nasa.gov.

Reporters and interested viewers may watch portions of the forum live via UStream starting at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/launch-health.

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