Elon Musk courtesy SpaceXLooking for the hottest trends at the 2013 SXSW Interactive Festival? A good bet for a topic that will gain lots of traction at this year's event is space exploration. This topic will gain a quick jumpstart on the agenda with the Elon Musk Keynote on Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 pm in Exhibit Hall 5 (and simulcast at numerous other SXSW Interactive venues). The founder / CEO of the company SpaceX, Musk oversees development of rockets and spacecraft for missions to Earth orbit and ultimately to other planets. Fans of the movie Iron Man will remember that the Tony Stark character played by Robert Downey Jr. is patterned after this dynamic South African entrepreneur.

Space station image courtesy NASABut this keynote talk is really just the tip of the iceberg with regards to space-related programming at SXSW Interactive 2013. Some of the other sessions focusing on this topic include:

• NASA: Sharing Space (Friday, March 8 at 5:00 pm)

• The Hackers Guide the Galaxy (Saturday, March 9 at 11:00 am)

• Beyond Hubble: NASA's Next Great Telescope (Sunday, March 10 at 11:00 am)

• Space Social Featuring NASA (Sunday, March 10 at 1:30 pm)

• Landing NASA’s Curiosity Rover Online & Mars! (Sunday, March 10 at 3:30 pm)

• @NASA: The User Experience of a Space Station (Sunday, March 10 at 5:00 pm

• The New Golden Age of Human Spaceflight (Monday, March 11 at 11:00 am)

• 100 Year Starship: Interstellar Travel & Beyond (Monday, March 11 at 12:30 pm)

• Developing Meds in Space to Save Lives on Earth (Tuesday, March 12 at 9:30 am)

• Space Tech After NASA: Boom Times for Innovation? (Tuesday, March 12 at 3:30 pm)

All sessions listed above require a SXSW Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge for admission (buy yours here). However, if you don't have a SXSW badge and you still want in on the space trend, visit the James Webb Telescope Exhibit on the front lawn of the Long Center (701 West Riverside). Free and open to the public, this exhibit features Microsoft’s interactive World Wide Telescope and activities with NASA that demonstrate how Webb will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of science and technology. Delve in for an in-depth look at the perplexing questions that this incredible telescope is designed to answer, such as: How did the universe form? Is our solar system unique? Are we alone in the cosmos? The James Webb Telescope Exhibit is open Friday, March 8, Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.

Need even more memorable space-related experiences at SXSW Interactive 2013? Then consider purchasing a seat on the Zero G flight that leaves Austin's Bergstrom Airport on Saturday afternoon, March 9. The Zero G experience allows you to float like an astronaut and fly like a superhero in weightlessness. 2013 SXSW registrants are eligible for this once-in-a-lifetime thrill at a significant discount. Make your reservation now, as seating on this March 9 Zero G flight is very, very limited.