AAS Event to Transform Space Enterprise through Innovation and Dynamism

2009 has seen its share of meetings, conferences and seminars to discuss bigger, brighter ideas for space exploration. With the questionable future of NASA’s space program and recent Augustine Commission findings, it may seem the progress these conferences make is uncertain. However, the American Astronautical Society (AAS) has organized something much different this year. On December 2-3 the AAS will hold ‘Imagine 09: Ideas at Work,’ at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston TX. Boasting to be unlike any other conference ever held, Imagine ‘09 will include over 20 of the world's most dynamic leaders, CEOs entrepreneurs, astronauts and scholars to actively engage in sharing knowledge and inspiring attendees. The event is designed to spark imagination by empowering audience members to be ‘contributors from the floor,’ discussing how to find ways for these ideas to materialize. Speakers include commercial space pioneer Charles Chafer (TL), who will talk about the power of public participation in space missions. Franklin Chang-Diaz (CL), 6-time astronaut and inventor of the magnetosplasma rocket, will discuss looking beyond today’s propulsion technology and planetary scientist Dan Durda (BR) will engage the audience in ‘barn-storming’ about the space frontier. (Credit: AAS, NASA, NSS, PBS, infranetlab.org, VASIMR)

Lidar Research Promoted at Latin America Science Community Workshop

As the use of LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) technology for atmospheric studies and various space applications continues to expand, the Latin America scientific community is striving to establish itself as a significant contributor in this field. Towards this end, the Technology Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA) (CL) and several other institutions are organizing the '5th Workshop on Lidar Measurements in Latin America' on November 30-December 4. The main objectives of the workshop are to facilitate education and training in lidar technique, to promote communication and cooperation between Latin American Lidar community members and to enable interaction with other international lidar projects. Compared to optical and radar / microwave instruments, lidar systems produce substantially more accurate and precise data with much greater spatial resolution. Along with its use providing atmospheric and surface topography data of Earth and other Solar System bodies, lidar is also useful for guidance and navigation sensors for space vehicles, evidenced by the recent test of SpaceX's DragonEye sensor at the ISS. There are currently 7 existing lidar facilities in Latin America, including 2 in both Argentina (B) and Brazil, and 1 in Cuba, Bolivia and Puerto Rico. These facilities concentrate on studies of atmospheric composition, structure, clouds, and aerosols. They are also used to calibrate, validate and fill the gaps of satellite observations. Pictured (CR), ITBA Rector Enrique Molina Pico. (Credit: WLMLA, ITBA, CEILAP)