Australia Hosts 10th International Space Conference -- Australian Space Agency?

International space experts will gather in South Australia this week to examine space-related activities and opportunities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Started in 1990, the '10th Australian Space Development Conference' will be hosted by the National Space Society of Australia (NSSA) at the Adelaide Hilton on July 21-23. Themed 'Making Sustainable Decisions,' the biennial meeting will gather representatives from government, industry and scientific institutions with the goal of increasing awareness of space and promoting space businesses in Australia and Asia / Pacific. Confirmed speakers are from Australia, Canada, China, Europe, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA. Topics to be covered at the conference include Earth observation, launch services, geostationary satellite operations, space law and insurance, climate change, planned and proposed Australian space activities, and prospects for international cooperation. Australia does not currently have a national space agency, and only 2 Australians have been into space: Paul Scully-Power (BL-1984) and Andy Thomas (BR-1996, 1998, 2001, 2005). Thomas has been urging the Australia government over the past year to create an official space agency and pursue participation in international space missions, such as sending robots and astronauts to the Moon and eventually Mars. Thomas believes that South Australia, as home to Woomera Spaceport and his alma mater Adelaide University, would be the ideal location to establish such an agency. (Credit: NASA, NSSA, Google Maps)

The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) is holding its 1st Board of Directors Meeting outside the USA on July 23-25 in Vancouver, Canada. The goal of the meeting, as of the ILOA, is to realize emplacement of the ILO on the Moon as soon as possible to pioneer lunar astronomy and support human lunar base build-out. ILOA is led by Space Age Publishing Company of Hawai`i / California, and is currently developing 3 Moon missions. The 1st is ILO-X, a precursor scientific mission in tandem with Google Lunar X Prize team Odyssey Moon. ILO-X is expected to launch by 2011, and will test the concept of astronomy from the Moon, as well as lunar commercial communications. The 2nd mission is the ILO-1, expected around 2012. This mission will utilize knowledge and experience gained during ILO-X, and become a permanent node at the lunar south pole to support the 1st returning astronauts and eventual outpost through communication and observation. The 3rd is the Human Service Mission to the ILO(s), envisioned by 2015. SpaceDev of Poway CA has done 2 studies for the human mission, and ILOA is confident it can be accomplished at far less cost and much sooner than what NASA and other nations are planning. Following the meeting will be 'Galaxy Forum Canada' on Jul 26. The event is the 2nd in a planned series, following the 1st 'Galaxy Forum USA' in Santa Clara CA on Jul 4. The forums aim to raise Galaxy awareness and education in the 21st Century, covering Galaxy science, astronomy, art and theory. (Credit: Space Age Publishing Company / ILOA)