The Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program for 2013 has some fascinating public lectures coming up in Adelaide, which come highly recommended. I've published a quick summary of the events here, but for full details and registration, head over to the UniSA / ISU website here.
Friday 11 January - International Astronaut Event
The International Astronaut Event is a long-standing highlight in ISU sessions. The objective is to give the program participants and members of the general public a direct opportunity to ask a broad range of questions to a number of astronauts in an interactive mode. The international astronaut panel, composed of astronauts from different organisations, provides varying insights and opinions, especially comparing intensive, short duration flights with long-duration stays on board space stations (such as MIR and ISS).
The panel will include Dr Andy Thomas of Australia, Dr Soyeon Yi of South Korea, and, for the first time in Adelaide, Mr Paolo Nespoli of Italy. The panel will be moderated by Prof Scott Madry.
Thursday 17 January - Satellite Remote Sensing – the Benefits for Society
Australians are largely unaware of the impact of remote sensing by satellite on daily lives. Chaired by UniSA remote sensing specialist, Assoc Prof David Bruce, we will hear the latest policy developments and technological capabilities of earth observation satellites from an expert panel that includes Dr Kimberley Clayfield of CSIRO, and Mr Anthony Wicht of the Space Policy Unit, Department of Innovation, Canberra.
Monday 21 January - Using Satellites to overcome the Digital Divide
Satellites are more important than ever in overcoming the digital divide between those who have access to high speed broadband communications and those who do not. We will hear how each of Australia's satellite operators - Newsat, Optus and NBNCo - are addressing or are planning to address this vital national need. The panel will chaired by Ms Alexandra Seneta of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Thursday 31 January - Showcasing the Australian Space Research Program
The Australian Space Research Program, now in its final year, has been an outstanding success in stimulating Australian space research activity. This panel will be chaired by Professor Andrew Parfitt and will include representatives from the Australian National University, Vipac, Flinders University and the Institute for Telecommunications Research at UniSA. Each speaker will present the highlights of their project and explain what the future holds.
