IAC 2008 SPACE EXHIBITION
This will be a great opportunity to visit stands and exhibits from major space companies and organisations representing many different countries from around the world. If you are fascinated by space exploration then this is a not-to-be-missed chance for people of all ages.
The large space exhibition in Halls 4 and 5 of the SECC, Glasgow, will be open to the public free of charge at the following times:
Wednesday 1 October
16.00-18.00
Thursday 2 October
14.00-18.00
Friday 3 October
09.00-12.00
HIGHLIGHT LECTURES
All of the following special lectures will be open to the general public, free of charge in the Clyde Auditorium of the SECC, Glasgow. A rare chance to hear some of the top speakers on fascinating space-related subjects.
Monday 29 September, 2008 - 18.00
Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Space Station
by Jean-Jacques Dordain
Director General, European Space Agency (ESA)
The International Space Station (ISS) is the ultimate example of
travelling "from imagination to reality" and this year - for the first time since assembly began in 1998 - all of the ISS partners have their major elements assembled on orbit. Jean-Jacques Dordain has 25 years' experience in planning and executing this international marvel, making him the perfect speaker.
Tuesday 30 September - 18.00
Small Satellites - how universities can contribute to space industry
by Sir Martin Sweeting, Group Executive Chairman, SSTL, UK
Small satellites now play a mainstream role in missions and
applications covering Earth observation, communications, science
and education. Sir Martin Sweeting, founder of Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd, will review the history of small satellite missions and illustrate how universities can contribute to the space community and form competitive space companies that
are changing the economics of space.
Low cost access to space
by Will Whitehorn, President Virgin Galactic, USA
Progress in developing the world's first private sector space
launch system capable of carrying humans, science and satellite
payload technology into space will be outlined by Will Whitehorn. He will discuss issues of regulation, marketing, insurance, branding and safety in this entirely new sector of private venture capital investment.
Wednesday 1 October - 18.00
The dynamics of climate change
Climate change has been described as one of the greatest
challenges facing the world in the 21st century. The weight of
evidence for climate change, and the causal link with greenhouse
gas emissions, most notably carbon dioxide, is now unarguable.
Thursday 2 October - 18.00
Space exploration beyond the vision - relevance, return and relationships
by G. Scott Hubbard, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, NASA Ames Research Center, USA
This highlight talk will move far beyond current plans to develop
the spacecraft for a return to the Moon, across a range of topics, including looking at how we will invest heavily in
the stewardship of our planet as the climate changes, in both in situ and space-borne assets that will allow us to think globally, predict regionally, and act locally. It will end with looking into how, eventually, barriers between the virtual and real worlds will dissolve, rendering the old debates of human versus robotic space exploration meaningless.
Friday 3 October - 14.00
Space travel and science fiction
by Steven Baxter, Science fiction author, UK
Part one will deal with the imagination inspired by space and the aspirations to travel beyond the Earth. It will feature science fiction author Stephen Baxter, who will talk about how the power of space inspires an interest in science fiction.
Opportunities in public spaceflight - commercial, medical and personal aspects
George Whitesides, Executive Director of the National Space
Society and a senior advisor to Virgin Galactic, will speak about
future public spaceflight opportunities
Melchor Antuñano, the director of the FAA's Civil Aerospace
Medical Institute, will talk about the IAA study on medical
requirements for commercial orbital flights
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides - planning the first ever space
honeymoon on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo - will talk about
her perspective and motivations
Life as an astronaut
The final part will feature questions and answers to a panel of
astronauts on what it's really like to prepare for and then go into space. Astronauts will include Michael Lopez-Alegria (USA), Sergei Krikalev (Russia), Chiaki Mukai (Japan) and Jean-Francois Clervoy (Europe).
Friday 3 October - 16.00
Fusion, antimatter & the space drive - charting a path to the stars
by Kelvin Long
Human and robotic exploration of the solar system is underway
but the true vision for space exploration is interstellar travel to other stars and habitable worlds. This lecture will discuss some of the progress in propulsion concepts - fusion, antimatter, solar sail and more exotic concepts like the space drive - which aim to deliver this vision.
School Workshops (for P6-S2)
30 September, 1 & 2 October
10.00-12.00 or 14.00-16.00
The two hour visits will involve three half-hour space workshops and a visit to the WOW Bus, including:
• Starlab Show – discovering the night sky, how it changes through the night and through the seasons, in the
inflatable planetarium.
• Solar System Modelling – using balls and beads, the young students will compare the sizes of the planets and measure out the distances between them. How far have people ventured in the Solar System? Where have we sent space probes?
• Rocket Workshop – pupils will design and build a simple rocket, and see how far it will fly, discovering what can you do to designs and get the rocket to travel further. All the workshops will be led by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre supported by other science communicators from the UK Science & Technology Facilities Council.
To book your visit, and for any enquiries, please contact:
Royal Observatory Visitor Centre
tel, 0131 668 8404
email, vis@roe.ac.uk
‘Forum' on Space Exploration Policy
Tuesday, 30 September - 19.30-21.30
Forth Room, Clyde Auditorium, SECC, Glasgow
Bill Nye the Science Guy, Vice-president of The US Planetary Society will introduce speakers Louis Friedman, Executive Director, The Planetary Society, and Bjal Thakore, Member of the Space Generation Advisory Council.
The purpose of the Planetary Society’s ‘Forum' events is to engage the public in charting a course for human space exploration beyond Earth orbit.
All members, the general public, and those attending IAC 2008 are invited to join the discussion about what direction the world should take in space exploration.
