Happy New Year from the IAF
Since the previous newsletter there have been many changes in the Federation. We have a completely new Bureau and President and there are five new members of the IAF Secretariat.
There are nearly 200 Federation members ranging from new startups in the private space industry to the major world agencies. In such a fast-changing field, we would like, in this first Newsletter of 2009, to take a fresh look at how the Federation operates.
We hope you find the newsletter interesting, and please remember that you can always find out more at www.iafastro.org.
Feel free to call the IAF Secretariat at any time on +33 1 45 67 42 60
or email us at: secretariat.iaf@iafastro.org
When the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) came into being in 1951, its core mission was to address the growing need for international cooperation in the areas of space activities and knowledge. More than 50 years since the first initiative leading to the foundation of the IAF, it remains the only international space federation for the global space community that addresses all aspects of space - developments, activities, knowledge and the future.
IAF members form the foundation of a continuing tradition that prides itself on being at the forefront of the advancement of space knowledge and activities.
By "Connecting Space People", the IAF plays a significant role in taking astronautics and space-related projects from imagination to reality.
Being a member of the IAF enables you and your organisation to be a part of making space history.
"A space-faring world cooperating for the benefit of humanity"
Spring Meeting: Science Update and IAC Evolution
16 -18 March 2009
Since 1996 the IAF has been organising focused symposia on specific topics of current interest to complement the more all-inclusive annual International Astronautical Congress.
Alongside the special events, the International Programme Committee (IPC) and other committees have traditionally met in Paris during the Spring Meetings.
During the IPC meetings, we offer members and other invited participants, an update on current space activities. This year, three guest speakers will provide a science update on Tuesday 17 March.
The event will feature CNES giving an update on the extrasolar planet hunter, COROT.
There will also be a lecture proposed by COSPAR which will be placed in the context of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
Additionally there will be a report of the successes of ISRO’s recent Chandrayaan mission to the Moon.
In addition to our regular meetings, we are introducing an evolution session on Wednesday afternoon to help shape future Congresses.
IAF Symposium in Vienna
On Monday 9 February 2009, as part of the 46th session of the UN-COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in Vienna, the International Astronautical Federation is organising a Symposium: "The role of Earth Observation satellites in promoting understanding of and addressing climate change concerns."
UN-COPUOS granted the Federation observer status in 1976. The IAF participates in meetings of the Committee and its Sub-Committees reporting on current issues and trends and the activities that the Federation has been involved with.
The IAF Symposium in Vienna consists of two round tables:
Space systems observation/monitoring of climate change and Space systems contribution to understanding and forecasting climate behaviour.
“Space for Sustainable Peace and Progress”
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 60th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will be held in the fantastic city of Daejeon, Korea. In the oriental world, the 60th anniversary always deserves a big celebration as life completes a circle and starts a new one every 60 years.
The year of 2009 is also the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing on the Moon as well as the International Year of Astronomy as designated by the United Nations.
Korea is very privileged to host the IAC 2009, particularly in this important year, and we hope that it will enter a new era for furthering the role of promoting space science, space-related business and the peaceful utilisation of space technology.
Daejeon, the host city, is the home of 57 academic and research institutes, including the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the Korea Astronomy and Space Sciences Institute (KASI), the Korean Society for Aeronautics and Space Sciences, and the National Science Museum. The Satrec Initiative is an industry member of the Federation.
Korea is observing several important events in its space development. The first Korean astronaut visited the International Space Station in 2008 and a science satellite will be put into the orbit by the first Korean space launch vehicle from Naro Space Center this year.
Located in the Far East, IAC 2009 will also provide you more chances to meet Asian colleagues.
Under the Congress theme of ‘Space for Sustainable Peace and Progress’, the technical programmes of regular sessions, interactive sessions, plenary events and highlighted lectures will be prepared in accordance with five sub-themes: agency, industry, climate, exploration, and peace.
The Local Organising Committee is already doing its best in preparations of the various support events such as the space festival, space exhibition, technical tours, and cultural programmes.
IAC 2009 will be an excellent opportunity for everyone to contribute to high quality technical sessions, to participate in debates on important policy issues, to find about Korean industry and its space programmes, and to savour the cultural heritage. We look forward to meeting you at IAC 2009 in Daejeon.
Tahk Min-Jea
Petr Lála
IPC Co–Chairs
International Year of Astronomy
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei.
The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover". IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all nations.
Everyone should realise the impact of astronomy and other fundamental sciences on our daily lives, and understand how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. IYA2009 activities are taking place locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
National nodes in each country are running activities throughout 2009 which will establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres and science communicators. 136 countries are already involved and well over 140 are expected to participate eventually.
The Federation is making our own contributions to IYA during the year. There will be a lecture about IYA 2009 during the Science Update in Paris and a special event at the IAC in Daejeon on “Exploration Day”, with COSPAR as a partner.
Federation Secretariat visits Russia
Phillipe Willekens and Thomas Hétier from the IAF Secretariat recently visited Russian members of the Federation.
The Federation has ten members from Russia whose activities range from university research to the major actors in the space arena.
During the fact-finding visit to Moscow with many of our members based in the city, both the upcoming IAC in Daejeon and the 2010 Lunar Conference in Beijing were discussed.
Igor V. Barmin, General Designer and General Director of the Design Bureau of General Machine-Building (KBOM) is a new member of our Bureau and was key to the success of this visit.
These visits to our members around the world are frequently arranged by the Secretariat.
It allows the Federation to visit members on member’s own terms, visit key industry players and establish personal contacts.
The IAF has ten members in Russia ranging from university research to major actors in the space arena.
The Federation’s YouTube channel now in its third year
Every lecture or plenary that has been featured at a public IAF event since the Opening Ceremony of IAC 2006 in Valencia is available on YouTube.
We are also creating an archive of the Space Age on the channel – we aim to become a main source of video material about space missions from 1957 onwards.
In this regard we would like your help…
We are very interested in showing more unusual video material from the past 52 years of space.
If you have access to such material and can permit its use on YouTube, please contact us.
Call For Abstracts
The Call For Abstracts for this year’s International Astronautical Congress closes on 2 March.
Abstracts submitted will be evaluated by the Session Chairs on the basis of technical quality and suitability.
Relation to the Congress theme ‘Space for Sustainable Peace and Progress’ will also be considered.
They will be selected for presentation and discussion with no distinction in terms of quality threshold.
Acceptance of abstracts (for oral or interactive presentation) will be emailed by mid-April 2009 by the IAF.
Full manuscripts must then be submitted.
Selected papers may be published in special issues of Acta Astronautica, the journal of the International Academy of Astronautics.
The Call For Abstracts document is available on the IAF website.
Federation 2.0
The International Astronautical Federation has been involved with bringing space people together since 1951 so this is a natural area for us to plunge into!
Facebook is the world’s largest online community and the IAF Facebook group now has over three hundred members.
Preparing for October we have a “virtual IAC” up and running. If you have a Facebook account, join our group!
We have been writing a blog here at the IAF where we feature items of recent industry news.
This blog is additionally available as both an RSS feed and a daily email.
Just before the 2006 IAC, the Federation launched its new website.
If you are interested in following themes from this newsletter, a lot of the links in this PDF are clickable and will take you directly into our website where there is more information.
As the Federation has continued to expand, it has kept up with developments in what has become known as Web 2.0 - websites where people can network with their family, friends, acquaintances and contacts.
LinkedIn is another online community, more geared to business users and again, the Federation has a group there.
Finally, something called “microblogging” has become a recent internet phenomenon – should you already know what this is, we also have a Twitter account.
Despite all this talk about new technology, the IAF will continue to serve its members in the more traditional ways.
The next newsletter will drop on your electronic doormat in February.
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