Dr. Jeffrey Forrest, chair of Metro State University, Denver's Aerospace and Aviation Department, addresses the group of industry leaders and lawmakers gathered for the Aerospace and Defense Caucus on Monday, March 16, 2015. (Laura Keeney, The Denver Post)

What started out as a group of "Star Trek"-loving space enthusiasts gathering on lunch breaks to watch the adventures of the USS Enterprise and talk about Colorado aerospace has spawned what could become one of the statehouse's most influential groups.

"We had a Star Trek Caucus last session and nobody came, so we decided to rename it and look, everybody came," said Rep. Paul Rosenthal, D-Denver.

The Colorado Aerospace and Defense Caucus officially met at the Colorado State Capitol on Monday for the first time in years, bringing together top aerospace industry leaders, educators and space advocates with a bipartisan group of state legislators.

Rosenthal, along with Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs, Sen. Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa, and Sen. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, head up the nonpartisan caucus.

Space is a hot topic right now, and Colorado is at the industry's epicenter. Colorado ranks first in the nation for private aerospace employment as a percentage of total employment, according to data from the Colorado Economic Development Commission. And the state's universities and research centers are at the core of nearly every ongoing space mission while training the next generation of aerospace workers.

"One thing I've learned about aerospace in Colorado is not only how important it is, but how it's woven into the fabric of our economy. We are an aerospace state," said Jay Lindell, an aerospace industry champion with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. "Ten percent of the NASA budget is spent here in Colorado. ... All this means that we do have a growing and expanding space industry, but it also means that there's a lot of competition in the industry from other states."

This increased competition both at home and abroad means lawmakers need to stay abreast of all aspects of the industry, including new advances in unmanned air system (drone) technology, defense, space exploration and science, Lindell said.

The caucus hasn't yet set any measurable goals, Rosenthal said, but supporting the state's aerospace industry and educating both lawmakers and constituents will be at its core.

"We need to make sure that people are continuously informed about how important this industry is," Rosenthal said. "But also, how do we generate the next generation of dreamers who want to go to the sky? Kids need to know that they can still dream to do that, and it's up to us in our districts and to send it out in our newsletters and bring kids here to the Capitol these are all things that we need to do that we're maybe not doing enough."

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Colorado Aerospace and Defense Caucus convenes at Capitol