New IAC2011 Technical Programme

The latest Technical Programme for IAC 2011 is now available.

http://www.iafastro.org/docs/2011/Technical_Programme.pdf

Space headlines - January 2011

·2011/01/31: Russia to launch new batch of Glonass satellites by June
·2011/01/31: Space Crew to Simulate Walking on Mars Next Month
·2011/01/31: Israel to work on European space projects
·2011/01/31: ISRO Awaits Data On GSLV Failure
·2011/01/30: U.S., EU eye anti-satellite weapons pact
·2011/01/30: Grief and hope: 25 years after Challenger
·2011/01/30: Space Adventures Closer to Private ’Round the Moon Voyage
·2011/01/30: ERS satellite provides new insight into Greenland’s plumbing
·2011/01/30: ISRO launches new version of GIS, image processing software
·2011/01/30: Unmanned rocket delivers supplies to ISS
·2011/01/29: Clooney Satellite Project Confirms Troop Presence in Sudan
·2011/01/29: Intensive preparations for ATV freighter launch to Space Station
·2011/01/29: Germany Nears ISS Extension Agreement
·2011/01/29: Progress M-09M to Arrive at the ISS Tomorrow
·2011/01/29: NASA Launches Public Outreach Programme to Boost Space Tech
·2011/01/28: NASA memorials mark 25th anniversary of Challenger disaster
·2011/01/28: Successful HTV2 Berthing to the ISS
·2011/01/28: Hubble Sees Farther Back In Time Than Ever Before
·2011/01/27: NASA Solar Sail Offers Skywatchers Elusive Target
·2011/01/27: Soyuz-U/Progress M-09M on the launch pad
·2011/01/27: ESA Prepares For BepiColombo Mercury Mission
·2011/01/27: Satellite Data To Improve Flood Forecasting
·2011/01/27: Ukraine's Sich-2 Earth observation satellite launch set for Q1
·2011/01/26: Satmex prepares new satellite
·2011/01/26: India Planned as Launch Site for Estonia’s First Satellite
·2011/01/26: Russian cosmonauts’ space walk
·2011/01/26: Vladimir Putin Pushes On New National Space Port
·2011/01/26: Satellites for South Africa
·2011/01/26: George Clooney and the Satellite Sentinel Project
·2011/01/26: Mission to mysterious ice giant Uranus urged
·2011/01/26: Japanese Robot Cargo Ship En Route to Space Station
·2011/01/25: Antrix To Boost Market Share In Remote Sensing Data Products
·2011/01/25: Space crew to simulate Mars walk next month
·2011/01/25: DLR researchers simulate the martian atmosphere
·2011/01/25: Scholarship funding now available for the International Space University
·2011/01/24: 520-day flight simulation nears Mars 'landing'
·2011/01/24: Atlantis to Launch on June 28
·2011/01/24: SpaceX aims for next milestone: carrying astronauts
·2011/01/24: Mobile phone to blast into orbit
·2011/01/24: Progress M-08M Departed from the ISS
·2011/01/23: Voyager spacecraft going strong at age 33
·2011/01/23: ISS Resupply From Four Corners Of Globe
·2011/01/23: NOAA Satellites Aid in the Rescue of 295 People in 2010
·2011/01/23: Success in Space: Tiny NASA Satellite Unfurls Solar Sail
·2011/01/22: New Mars Missions to Focus on Search for Life
·2011/01/22: Electro-L is Fully Operational - Roscosmos
·2011/01/22: 2 Russians go spacewalking outside space station
·2011/01/22: JAXA’S HTV-2 launches
·2011/01/21: Canadian firm plots 78-satellite orbital network
·2011/01/21: Mission to Pluto marks five years of flight
·2011/01/21: Zenith Successfully Lifts Off with Russian Weather Satellite Electro-L
·2011/01/21: Delta-4 Heavy rocket blasts off
·2011/01/21: Romania accedes to ESA Convention
·2011/01/21: ISRO Resourcesat-2 to launch by end of February
·2011/01/21: NASA gives go-ahead for added shuttle flight
·2011/01/21: The southern hemisphere of Phobos, up close
·2011/01/20: Partner Galaxies Wildly Different In New WISE Image
·2011/01/20: SpaceX: Commercial Crew Transport To The International Space Station
·2011/01/20: Russia delays next gen navigation satellite launch
·2011/01/20: Astronaut Steve Bowen Named To STS-133 Space Shuttle Crew
·2011/01/20: Rocket Launch Scheduled January 22 From Wallops Flight Facility
·2011/01/20: Cosmonauts To Perform 27th Russian ISS Spacewalk
·2011/01/20: NanoSail-D Ejects - NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for Beacon Signal
·2011/01/19: ViviSat Launched
·2011/01/19: RSC-Energia Approves Draft Design New ISS Module
·2011/01/19: China to launch first Mars probe in 2013
·2011/01/19: Discovery Mission Specialist Injured But OK
·2011/01/19: Launch Postponement of H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 2
·2011/01/19: Kazakhstan ratifies space cooperation agreement with Russia
·2011/01/19: SpaceX proposes rocket-powered landing system
·2011/01/19: China to prepare astronauts for long stay in space
·2011/01/18: Japan-United States GPS Cooperation Enhanced for Peaceful Purposes
·2011/01/18: UN, US to guide UAE in satellite navigation system
·2011/01/18: 2011 to be revolution for Europe in space - ESA
·2011/01/18: ESA’s Mercury mapper feels the heat
·2011/01/18: Arianespace receives Ariane 5 for mission with Europe's 2nd ATV
·2011/01/17: Fermi Catches Thunderstorms Hurling Antimatter into Space
·2011/01/17: NASA's chance for extra shuttle flight in doubt
·2011/01/17: AKARI and Suzaku confirm dust generation due to supernova burst
·2011/01/17: Radarsat covers Queensland
·2011/01/17: ATV Johannes Kepler Gears Up For Space Journey
·2011/01/17: NASA Invites Students To Send Experiments To The Edge Of Space
·2011/01/17: US Likely To Lift Ban On ISRO And DRDO Soon
·2011/01/17: Astrium Picked To Build and Operate European Data Relay System
·2011/01/16: Orbital’s Glory Earth Science Satellite to be Launched on Taurus XL Rocket
·2011/01/16: NASA Will Not Rush Decision On STS-134 Commander
·2011/01/16: Russia To Launch Ocean Satellite In March
·2011/01/16: Future astronauts may face greater risks
·2011/01/15: Full-Scale Ops of Russia's GLONASS to Start by July - Roscosmos
·2011/01/15: SOHO Captures December Sundiving Comet Storm
·2011/01/15: Reshetnev ISS Develops Amos-5 Spacecraft for Israel
·2011/01/15: ISRO data to be used to streamline EGS
·2011/01/15: Israel, NASA to cooperate in launch of satellite into space
·2011/01/15: Zombie Sat May Soon Be Back In Business
·2011/01/14: Shuttle Launch Delay may Impact ISS Cargo Delivery Flow
·2011/01/14: ISS Orbit Boosted
·2011/01/14: Russian Satellite to Make Macro-Imaging of the Sun
·2011/01/14: NASA Has No Funds For New Heavy-Lift Rocket
·2011/01/14: Iran announces new satellite launch plan
·2011/01/14: Planck's New View Of The Cosmic Theatre
·2011/01/14: Virgin Galactic's private spaceship aces glide test
·2011/01/14: Alexander Lopatin Appointed Roscosmos Deputy Head
·2011/01/13: Europe's ATV is Readied for its February Launch on Ariane 5
·2011/01/13: Yury Gagarin Space Vehicle to Leave for ISS on March 30
·2011/01/13: Deal expands commercial travel to ISS
·2011/01/13: Triplet Stars Found by NASA's Kepler
·2011/01/13: Metop-A monitors marine life
·2011/01/12: JWST Makes Significant Progress In 2010
·2011/01/12: US Space Firm Teaming Up With UK Astronomy Technology Centre
·2011/01/12: Planck's new view of the cosmic theatre
·2011/01/12: Youth Grants application deadline is 1 February
·2011/01/12: Space shuttle Discovery launch aims for Feb. 24
·2011/01/12: Russia Allocates $3.8 bln for Space Programs in 2011
·2011/01/11: China Developing New Rocket Engines
·2011/01/11: Intelsat Moving Recovered Galaxy 15 to Test Location
·2011/01/11: European Space Agency launches ESERO in Ireland
·2011/01/11: NASA probe finds 'planetary missing link'
·2011/01/10: Besides Mars, China plans deep space tracking
·2011/01/10: Apollo-era data reveals details of moon's core
·2011/01/10: China to set up space monitoring network in 2016
·2011/01/10: An Escalator To Space - Not Very Far Away
·2011/01/09: Arianespace Will Have A Record Year Of Launch Activity In 2011
·2011/01/09: GeoEye Wins Contract to Build Vessel Monitoring System for Republic of Maldives
·2011/01/09: China Schedules Mars Probe Launch
·2011/01/09: Positioning the International Space Station for the Utilization Era
·2011/01/08: Troubled Japanese Venus Probe May Get Early Shot at Redemption
·2011/01/08: Chennai students design nano satellite, to be launched April
·2011/01/08: Proba-2 Gets Unique View Of Eclipse
·2011/01/08: Canadian astronauts could take commercial flight to ISS
·2011/01/08: NASA trying again to awaken silent Mars rover
·2011/01/07: GSLV failure hampers space food project
·2011/01/07: Japan to fund Vietnam’s satellite project
·2011/01/07: SSTL Wins ESA Environmental Monitoring Payload Contract
·2011/01/07: Launch Date Set For First Orbital COTS Demo
·2011/01/07: Shuttle launch delayed again for further repairs
·2011/01/06: Nigeria Microsat Passes Pre-Launch Test
·2011/01/06: China Pours Billions Into Satellite Services For Rural Radio And TV
·2011/01/06: Turkey To Launch First Home-Made Communications Test Satellite
·2011/01/06: NASA Tests New Propulsion System for Robotic Lander Prototype
·2011/01/06: ISRO working on regional navigation satellite system
·2011/01/06: Dawn Has A Consistent 2010
·2011/01/05: Canada says it could build launch rockets
·2011/01/05: Thales Chosen by CNES to Build SWIM Instrument
·2011/01/05: Japan eyes building its own GPS system
·2011/01/04: China to explore Mars with Russia this year
·2011/01/04: ISRO to launch Singapore satellite in February
·2011/01/04: Mars rovers celebrate seven years on Red Planet
·2011/01/04: Glonass Completion Now Expected This Year
·2011/01/03: DLR and NASA conclude bilateral framework agreement
·2011/01/03: China to explore Mars with Russia this year
·2011/01/03: HISPASAT Successfully Performs Post-Launch Maneuvers
·2011/01/02: Astronauts Ring In New Year With Some Time Off
·2011/01/02: NASA Finds New Cracks on Space Shuttle's Fuel Tank
·2011/01/02: Martian Odyssey: Rovers Set to Celebrate 7 Years on Red Planet
·2011/01/01: 2010 review: 10 most popular space stories
·2011/01/01: Outer Space Issues 2011 - Upcoming Trends Forecast
·2011/01/01: Turkey’s first communications test satellite set for Sep 2011

NASA at the 62nd IAC

NASA announces its intent to participate in the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, or IAC, and requests that full-time graduate students attending U.S. universities or colleges respond to this “Call for Abstracts.” The IAC -- which is organized by the International Astronautical Federation, or IAF; the International Academy of Astronautics, or IAA; and the International Institute of Space Law, or IISL, -- is the largest space-related conference worldwide and selects an average of 1000 scientific papers every year. The upcoming IAC will be held Oct. 3-7, 2011, in Cape Town, South Africa. NASA’s participation in this event is an ongoing effort to continue to connect NASA with the astronautical and space international community.

This “Call for Abstracts” is a precursor to a subsequent submission of a final paper, which may be presented at the 62nd IAC. Student authors are invited to submit an abstract regarding an original, unpublished paper that has not been submitted in any other forum. A NASA technical review panel of scientists and/or officials will select abstracts. Many students and professors are involved in NASA-related research. Persons submitting abstracts are strongly encouraged to seek advice from professors who are conducting NASA research and/or from NASA scientists and engineers.

Calin Rosetti (1931-2011)

The International Astronautical Federation is very saddened to note the sudden passing of Dipl. Ing. Calin Rosetti on 17 January 2011 at the age of 79.

Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1931, Rosetti was well-known to many in the IAF.

His cremation service will take place on Friday 28 January at the Cimetière du Montparnasse 3, boulevard Edgar Quinet, Paris 14ème. Those wishing to attend should gather at the main entrance to the cemetary before 14:15.

Condolences may be transmitted to his wife Mrs Annegret Beier-Rosetti, 11 rue Saint-Félicité, 75015 Paris, France

More opportunities for students and young professionals to attend UN/IAF Workshop and IAC in Cape Town, South Africa from 3 – 7 October 2011

Since 1991, the UN Programme on Space Applications and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) have been working jointly on organising a series of annual international workshops on space science and technology applications for benefit of developing countries. The theme of the 21st workshop in the series is "Space for Human and Environmental Security", and it will take place from 3 – 7 October 2011, in Cape Town, South Africa, in conjunction with the 62nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC).

Each year co-organisers of the workshop provide a number of qualified applicants from developing countries with financial support needed to attend the workshop and the Congress. In addition to this assistance, in 2009 IAF started a Youth Grants Programme that supports participation of students and young professionals in IAC, the UN/IAF workshop and other events associated with the Congress. The 2011 IAF Youth Grant Programme is open to individuals between the age of 21 and 35, who are interested in pursuing careers involving the development, application and use of space systems, space science research, the policy, legal, social and cultural aspects of space activities, international cooperation on space programs and other similar subjects, and who would not otherwise be able to attend the Congress due to financial reasons.

The announcement of grant opportunities for 2011 and detailed information on application requirements are available on the IAF website: http://www.iafastro.org/index.html?title=Youth_Grants

Robert A. Heinlein Flight into the Future Project Contest

The Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust

Robert A. Heinlein Flight into the Future Project Contest

Invitation for Participation 2010/11

The Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust is pleased to announce the start of the 2010/2011 Robert A. Heinlein Flight into the Future Project Contest. It is being held to commemorate the memory of the famous American writer, one of the founders of modern science fiction, Robert A. Heinlein, and is devoted to the 50th anniversary of the flight of Yuri Gagarin, which made humankind much closer to Heinlein’s dream of our future in space. The main goal of the competition is to identify and support talented young researchers and to encourage their innovative activities related to space exploration. The competition is part of the Heinlein Prize project, created to encourage commercial activity in space.

The works for the contest may be submitted by citizens of Russia, Europe, Africa, Middle Eastern countries and India: students, post‐graduate students and young professionals who will be under age 30 by the time of the Prize awarding ceremony on 7 July 2011. The participation is also allowed of the students of the Russian, European, African, Middle Eastern and Indian universities irrespective of their citizenship. The decision is made in view of the international nature of today's university community.

For full details, click the link below.

Heinlein Contest Invitation for Participation document

Space for Africa

We spoke recently with the IAF Executive Director, Philippe Willekens about upcoming initiatives in regards to space and Africa in the context of the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Cape Town.

The IAF has taken an initiative together with the Cape Town Local Organising Committee to make IAC 2011 the most important milestone as possible for the development of space on

the continent of Africa.

Since Cape Town won the bid to be the 2011 International Astronautical Congress host, we have been monitoring and helping to coordinate all those who have an interest in space in Africa.

To start off, a conference “Space for the African Citizen”, organised during the Belgian presidency of the EU, was held in Brussels on 16 September 2010. This high-level conference (political, scientific and industrial) demonstrates the contribution of space to the general development of Africa, to the benefit of its citizens. It confirmed the usefulness of space tools for the African continent socio-economic development and resources management.

The European Space Agency (ESA) included the output of the high-level conference

“Space for the African Citizen” as an item on the agenda of the Space Council (joint meeting of the EU Council and the ESA Ministerial Council), also in Brussels on 25 November 2010. Indeed, ESA has also been supporting a number of activities being organised on the 2010-2011 period with a special focus on Africa (e.g. joint ESPI/Eurisy and IAA conferences).

Some of these ideas were taken forward to the 3rd Africa–EU Summit of Heads of States in Tripoli, Libya on 29-30 November 2010. This meeting had a special focus on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) in Africa. Tripoli Declaration

Our partner, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) organised the “IAA-Nigeria International Symposium on the Equatorial Plane: Attributes and Characteristics” in Abuja, Nigeria, 30 November – 2 December 2010 and another conference the week after, focused on small satellites (in Cameroon, 3-4 December 2010).

The output and recommendations of the different events being organised the months preceding the 62nd International Astronautical Congress in Cape Town will feed a special programme of activities taking place the week before the IAC, under the common topic “Space Serving Development in Africa”. These events will bridge the 4th African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development (ALC), Nairobi, Kenya, and the 62nd IAC. Their output will contribute directly to the highlevel African Space Summit to be organised the first day of the 62nd IAC on 3 October 2011.

With all these initiatives in place with the IAF playing a major role in many, it is imperative to continue to develop 'Space for Africa' with help from Africans themselves.