Stunned by the ill-fated flight of space plane Columbia, scientists and engineers from government, industry, and academia have gathered here at the Space Technology & Applications International Forum (STAIF-2003), being held February 2-5. High hopes remain for the future of space exploration. That’s what the optimism fuel gauge still reads as experts discuss everything from nuclear reactor-fed rocketry, microgravity science to next generation boosters and space colonization.