Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

  The 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando served as a seminal meeting point for researchers, practitioners, and policy influencers from across the aerospace spectrum. Throughout the week, a series of plenaries, panel discussions, and technical sessions provided a multifaceted view of contemporary challenges and future directions in aerospace research and development. This report will review key themes—from resilient space systems and exascale computing to transformative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and NASA’s evolving strategies for continuous human presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) and my own personal takeaways from the various talks I attended.  I. Opening Plenary and Community Building In his opening address, Clay Mowry , the newly appointed CEO of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) , set the stage by emphasizing the forum’s role in fostering technical exchange and innovation. Speaking to an audience exceeding 6,000 attendees, incl...