Be an Integral Astronomer - ESA Competition

To mark the International Year of Astronomy, ESA has launched a competition for students. Participants will use data taken by the Integral space observatory to investigate objects in one of the most active regions of our galaxy.

See the competition pages for details of what the competition entails, prizes and how to enter. The deadline is 14 August 2009. Good luck!

Rocket Club - Flight Readiness Review

As launch day approaches, it's time to assess the flight readiness of the rockets that club members have been building. Only those rockets passing the review can be considered for launch. If you didn't get your rocket inspected yesterday, you will need to make arrangements to do so in the next ten days. Like Nick's Fantom 438 (see left), rockets don't need to have been painted yet, but they do need to be fully and correctly assembled and have a working recovery system.

Where Are They Now? - Dave Wade

Dave graduated with a first class honours degree from Kingston in 1991. After graduation he went to Cranfield University and gained an MSc in Astronautics and Space Systems, before working for small satellite company Space Innovations Limited for several years. In 1994 he returned to Kingston, this time to work as a lecturer in Astronautics. In 2000 he left Kingston again, this time for a highly-sucessful career as a space underwriter. You can see more about his work here.

Entering the Workforce and Strengthening the Global Community

From IAF: Calling on students and young professionals -- you are the future of the global space program! As such, it is time to share your vision, ambitions and challenges as current and prospective members of the 21st century space workforce with space leaders in government, industry and academia at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, South Korea, 12-16 October 2009!

Looking for an incredible opportunity to address the international space community? For the first time, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is organizing a plenary event to hear perspectives from 21-33 year olds on 12 October 2009 in Daejeon, South Korea, at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) (www.iafastro.org). Highlight how you are impacting the space world right now, share your vision and aspirations for future space endeavors, and underscore your desired role in them. Plenary event participants will deliver a ten minute presentation, engage in a panel discussion, and interact with the audience. You don’t want to miss this!

This sounds amazing! What do I need to do to participate?

ROUND ONE: 12 Seconds of Fame

By April 24, 2009, create a 12 second video telling us why you should be chosen to address the IAC and post it on http://12seconds.tv/. Then complete the application here. The IAF will select a subset of candidates from these entries and notify all entrants by May 6, 2009.

ROUND TWO: Just YouTube it!

If selected, create and post a three minute video on http://www.youtube.com by May 20, 2009. From your video, we should get a snapshot of your ten minute plenary presentation (think of it as a verbal abstract!). Send an email to youthplenary@iafastro.org with the link to your video.

IAF will select the finalists from these entries based on their creativity, efficacy of messages and relevance to the plenary topics. All entrants will be notified of IAF’s decision on their applications by June 3, 2009.

Plenary participants will be responsible for finding a sponsor or sponsors for their travel to and accommodations at the IAC. Candidates may also apply to the IAF Youth Grants Programme (see blog entry below).

IAC 2009 Youth Grants Programme

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) has begun a new programme to provide grants that enable students and young space professionals to participate in IAF activities, in particular the International Astronautical Congress.

The first step in this initiative involves the selection of up to ten young people whose participation in the 2009 International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, Republic of Korea from 12 to 16 October(IAC) will be supported by the IAF.

The IAC 2009 Youth Grants Programme is open to individuals between the ages of 21 and 33 on 1 January 2009. Candidates may apply regardless of their home country or current residence. While all applications will be considered the IAF through this programme seeks to encourage applications from candidates in nations with emerging space capabilities and interests who would otherwise not be able to attend an International Astronautical Congress. The deadline for applications is 1 June 2009.

New Frontiers Questionnaire

In order to help prepare the future of space transportation up to 2030 and beyond, ESA and the French space agency CNES are holding a seminar in May 2009 co-organized by the 3AF (the French Association for Aeronautics and Astronautics) and the futurologist group Prospective 2100.

In order to stimulate discussion on advanced space exploration, ESA's Advanced Concept Team (ACT) have produced two on-line questionnaires aimed at young adults interested in space. With the input from these, they will assess the different opinions and try to establish the vision of the younger generation. The first questionnaire is aimed at non-experts, while second questionnaire is for those who are interested in the technical and scientific details. The most interesting points will be used as a basis for further discussion, managed with a mailing list.

Arthur Success!

I'm very pleased and gratified to say that on Saturday night I was awarded the 2009 Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Achievement in Space Education. Here you can see me with the award (modelled on the black monolith from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Sir Arthur and director Stanely Kubrick) and alumni of the International Space University who were present at the awards dinner (including Kingston alumnus Abdul Ismail). There's more info here.