2013 Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program Wrap-up

The 2013 Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SH-SSP) was recently held in Adelaide, Australia at the University of South Australia in partnership with the International Space University.

Once again, the program was well attended by 37 students from 11 countries, and features a live-in program for Professionals, Graduates and Senior Undergraduates. The program, modelled on the ISU’s Summer Space Program focusses on the interdisciplinary and intercultural aspects of space education.

Public Lectures 

As part of the SH-SSP, there is always a set of public lectures. This year saw 4 separate lectures including:

• Friday 11 January - International Astronaut Event, which included Astronauts Dr Andy Thomas of Australia, Dr Soyeon Yi of South Korea, and Mr Paolo Nespoli of Italy. 
• Thursday 17 January - Satellite Remote Sensing – the Benefits for Society, discussing the latest policy developments and technical capabilities of earth observation satellites from an expert panel that included 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 – included Australian Satellite companies Newsat, Optus and NBNCo 
• Thursday 31 January - Showcasing the Australian Space Research Program, including the Australian National University, Vipac, Flinders University and the Institute for Telecommunications Research at UniSA. 

The 2013 Public Lectures can be found online here.

White Paper 

As part of the SH-SSP, the students prepare a white paper, which was this year titled ‘Common Horizons’, and can be found on the website here.

The 2013 ‘Common Horizons’ white paper examined the connection between sustainability on Earth, outer space activities, and sustainability of the space environment.

As with all SH-SSP activities, the white paper focusses on examples and case studies from the ‘Global South’, or those countries at or below the Tropic of Cancer, which covers most of the world’s developing nations, together with very few of the global space super powers.

 The White Paper has a good examination of Earth Sustainability, followed by a look at the issues surrounding sustainability of the space environment that we operate in. In particular, there is some good information surrounding Space Debris and the radio spectrum, two of the key issues facing the space industry at this time. On page 25 there is also ‘A day on earth without space’, which poses an interesting example of how a normal day would be very different, if access to space and satellite technology were to disappear. It concludes with a chapter examining the ‘Earth Space Relationship’, and how the sustainability of both is highly interrelated.

The White Paper Recommendations are highly relevant to the Australian space domain:

• Recommendation 1: Increase involvement in international organizations focused on space sustainability 
• Recommendation 2: Raise Public Awareness of Space Sustainability 
• Recommendation 3 – Establish a Global South Space and Earth Sustainability Prize Foundation 

Congratulations to all students involved in the White Paper – I have no doubt that we will be discussing Space sustainability a lot more in the future, and the students who have been involved in writing the paper will be at the forefront of the discussion, so that by the time they are space industry leaders, we will all still have sustainable access to space.

Upcoming Public Space Lectures in Adelaide

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.

ISU Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program Kicks-Off again in Adelaide

The 2012 ISU/UniSA Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program kicked off in Adelaide on the 9th of January. The Program runs until the 11th of February, and features a host of top space lectures from around the world. The program covers a broad spectrum of space topics, and was developed by the University of South Australia and the International Space University with support from Australian Space Research Program funding.

This year's program will feature 35 students from Russia, Australia, India, South Africa, Nepal, USA, Poland, Brazil, China, Spain, Nigeria and New Zealand. The program also sees the students develop an extensive white paper on a contemporary and important space issue. The 2011 paper is an interesting read - head over here if you want to have a look.

In conjunction with the SH-SSP, several public events are being held in Adelaide over the coming weeks, and I encourage you to get down if you can, as there is a good line up of speakers on offer. The events include:

Tuesday 17 January 2012 - International Astronaut Panel

Time: 6.00 - 7.30 pm, followed by refreshments

Venue: Allan Scott Auditorium, City West Campus, UniSA

The Astronaut Panel is a long-standing highlight of ISU programs and its objective is to give the program participants and the general public a direct opportunity to ask a broad range of questions to a number of astronauts. This year's panel will comprise astronauts Jean-Jacques Favier of France, Soyeon Yi of South Korea and Ken Ham and Scott Kelly from the United States. The panel will be moderated by Professor Scott Madry of the International Space University.

Wednesday 25 January 2012 - Public Panel: Australia's Future in Space

Time: 6.00 - 7.30 pm, followed by refreshments

Venue: MC1-02, The Mawson Centre, Mawson Lakes

This distinguished panel of key officials and space policy experts will discuss the recent history, current status, and future direction of the Australian space program. The panel will be led by Professor Andrew Parfitt, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Australia and will include Australian experts Dr Rosalind Dubs of the Space Innovation Advisory Council, Brett Biddington, Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, David Hudson of Geoscience Australia and John Teager of Defence SA. Sponsored by Geoscience Australia

If you are interested in attending any of these events or want further information, email iteeevents@unisa.edu.au 

For those who are interested in further information on the SH-SSP, head over to the University of South Australia's webpage here, or for up to date information head over to the SH-SSP facebook page here.

Good luck to all of those students on this year's program - I look forward to hearing about your progress and reading your White Paper when it is available.

ISU Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program Wraps up in Adelaide

Following an intense five weeks of lectures, the ISU Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program has wrapped up in Adelaide. The joint program between the International Space University and the University of South Australia brought together 43 students from 9 countries together, including Australia, Brazil, India, China, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia and Italy.

 The 2010 ISU SH-SSP Graduates (Photo: University of South Australia)

The Program involved lectures from industry leaders from across Australia and the world, including Astronauts Soyeon Yi from Korea and Jean-Jacques Favier from France, and covered all aspects of Space – including engineering, science, medicine, policy and law.

For those who are interested, there are some good photos from the program on their Facebook page here. 

Their White Paper titled “Paths to Progress – Space and the Southern Hemisphere” which can be found here, examines a range of problems and solutions facing all Southern Hemisphere nations (for the report, this was all countries below the tropic of cancer), and makes for an interesting read. In particular, the report focuses on three main areas:

1. How Southern Hemisphere countries can improve Space-related capabilities
2. How Space Based Earth Observation technologies can benefit Southern Hemisphere countries – in particular by reducing the impact of natural disasters (a highly relevant topic as the white paper was written in Jan 2011)
3. How Space Based Telecommunications can be used to address the UN Millennium Development Goals, with some interesting discussion on tele-medicine.

Overall the report makes a strong case for utilising Space-based capabilities to help solve social and economic problems that all Southern Hemisphere countries face. If you do get a chance to read it, don’t miss appendices 2, 3 and 4, which make for an interesting summary of some of the research that went into the report.

Perhaps one of the most important outcomes of the program for Australia is both the high number of young Space professions that have graduated and will hopefully become part of the Australian Space Industry, as well as the networks that they are now part of across the region – with the Southern Hemisphere Space leaders of tomorrow.

From all reports the Program was a great success – congratulations to all graduates. In fact, Space Boomerang hopes that he might be able to attend the program one day!

ISU Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program Opens in Adelaide

The International Space University has opened its first Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program (SHS-SP) in Adelaide today. The program, set up with assistance from Australian Space Research Program funding, brings together some of the best minds in the Space industry, and will feature several prominent Australians from the Space Industry. The SHS-SP is a co-operative program between the ISU and the University of South Australia, and is a five week, intensive program that covers all aspects of the Space Industry.

This years program includes students from 8 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Malasia, and was officially opened on the 5th of January by the Hon Jack Snelling MP, South Australian Minister for Science and Information Economy.

In conjunction with the SHSSP, there are three public events to be held in Adelaide in the coming weeks, which I believe are free, so get along to them if you can.


Space Education in the Southern Hemisphere
Chaired by Prof Michael Simpson, ISU President
Thursday 6 January 2011 at 8 pm
Alan Scott Auditorium Hawke Building
City West Campus

Australia's Future in Space
Chaired by Brett Biddington, Australian Space Industry Association
Tuesday 11 January 2011 at 8 pm
Alan Scott Auditorium Hawke Building City West Campus

International Astronaut Panel with Dr Jean-Jacques Favier (France) and Dr Soyeon Yi (Korea)
Tuesday 25 January 2011 at 8 pm
SA Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide

For more information on the program, or the public events, head to the program webpage here.

Engineers Australia offers a Scholarship to the Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program

The National Committee on Space Engineering of Engineers Australia has announced that they will be offering a scholarship to the International Space Universities Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program to be held at the University of South Australia in January next year.

The Scholarship covers the entire course fee of AUD$9,900 and is open to"Engineering graduates and engineering undergraduates in the final two years of their engineering studies who are resident in Australia and who have applied for enrollment in the Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program"

All those interested should head over here - the deadline for applications is the 30th of November, so be quick!

ISU and Uni SA release information on Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program

In a truly rapid turn around, the ISU, together with the University of South Australia has begun releasing information on their new "Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program", that was recently successful in a ASRP grant.

The program somewhat mirrors the ISU summer program, and will be undertaken in Adelaide for the next 3 years, before alternating between Australian and other Southern Hemisphere Countries.

What a brilliant outcome for the ASRP already. I myself am definitely interested in this one, and I'd suggest that many Australians in the Space industry will become involved in this program.

For more information, or to register your interest further, head over to the ISU website article here.

Three Australians Attending the ISU SSP

This years International Space University's Space Studies program, which has just kicked off, has three Australians in attendance.

One of those attendees, Kim Ellis, is writing a daily blog about her experiences in the program.

It's a good read, so if you can, head over to her blog - http://blog.internationalearthspacetechnology.com/