Houston, TX, Oct. 15, 2024 – Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche and Houston space investor Kam Ghaffarian will receive the prestigious Space Cowgirl and Cowboy Awards at the Space Cowboy Ball on November 2 at Space Center Houston. This celebrated charity costume event, known for fostering space inspiration and education, will also honor outstanding individuals in space literature, STEM education, media, and technology.

“We are proud to present Vanessa with this award,” said Rick Tumlinson, founder of the EarthLight Foundation. “Her remarkable career at NASA, culminating as the first African American woman to lead a space center, has been defined by tireless efforts to inspire and motivate young people of all backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM.”

“Kam embodies the visionary leadership that drives the future,” Tumlinson continued. “He helped elevate Axiom Space into a commercial space leader and funded Intuitive Machines, the first private company to land on the Moon.”

This year marks the first time the Space Cowboy Ball and the New Worlds Conference it crowns move to Houston, following seven years as a beloved Austin tradition. Staying true to its offbeat roots, the masquerade ball reimagines typical award events with a playful question: “What would you wear to a party on Mars in 100 years?” Proceeds benefit the EarthLight Foundation’s Permission to Dream program and its “DreamScopes” project to place telescopes and astronomy tools in classrooms.

The New Worlds Conference will take place November 1-2 at the Space Center Houston IMAX theater. Featuring world-class speakers and thought-provoking sessions, the event offers insights into topics ranging from commercial space stations and biomedical advancements to the race to the Moon with China and astronauts discussing the spiritual impact of space travel known as the Overview Effect.

Conference Co-Chairs include Rod Roddenberry, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Executive Producer, and Dr. Phil Metzger of the Stephen Hawking Institute for Micro-Gravity Research. The event also features thought-provoking TED-like mic-drop talks on topics ranging from Notable speakers include author Frank White, Dr. David Alexander O.B.E., Director of the Rice Space Institute, and Robert Wolcott, Professor at the Kellogg School of Management.

According to private astronaut Richard Garriott, “New Worlds and the Space Cowboy Ball bring together everyone involved in the future of space—those who’ve been there, those planning to go, those making it possible, and those inspiring the dream through art, policy, and education. I love it!”

Past honorees of the Space Cowboy Award include Jeff Bezos, Buzz Aldrin, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell, and private astronaut and philanthropist Jared Isaacman, who recently flew the Polaris Dawn mission into orbit in September 2024.

Additional 2024 Award Recipients:

• Odyssey Award for Technology - Steve Altemus/Dr. Tim Crane - Intuitive Machines - for designing and flying the first commercial spacecraft to land on the Moon.

• Odyssey Award for Media: Tim Dodd (The Everyday Astronaut) for his tireless work educating the public about spaceflight.

• Odyssey Award for Non-Fiction: Zach and Kelly Weinersmith for their book A City on Mars, which explores the real challenges of space colonization.

• Odyssey Award for Social Media: Maynard Okereke (The Hip-Hop M.D.) for inspiring young people through STEM outreach.

• EarthLight Award: Bryan Talebi, AI entrepreneur, for supporting space causes and advancing the conversation around AI ethics and space.

• Permission to Dream Award: Dr. Heidi White, Canadian astronomer and educator, for her work with Indigenous and African students.

• The LoneStar Award: The Texas Space Commission, a newly formed body working to catalyze and enable the state to become the world’s leader as we open the High Frontier.

The event will also feature the presentation of the Peter Mayhew Award, named after the actor who portrayed Chewbacca in Star Wars. This year’s recipient is Albin Johnson, Founder of the 501st, a nationally recognized group of Star Wars costumed fans known for their charitable work.