Features

ILC2005 Organizers Announce Technical Program. The International Lunar Conference 2005 (ILC2005) organizers have compiled an impressive technical program. As a result, the event, set for 18-23 September in Toronto, Canada and presented by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group, will be truly global and include valued presentations from both government and private industry. Presentations hail from China, Japan, India, Canada, Europe and Ukraine. ILC2005 is appropriately themed "The Exploration and Utilization of the Moon." Although absent from the Udaipur Moon Declaration, astronomy from the Moon -- a key enabling human settlement factor and perhaps the most productive science to be practiced on the lunar surface -- will be well-represented at ILC2005. Six papers authored by experts from the NAOJ, EADS, the University of Arizona, ESA, Boeing, SpaceDev and other organizations, including an International Lunar Observatory mission update, will be presented Thursday during the 'New Mission Concepts & Unanswered Questions' session chaired by NASA Chief Scientist Jim Garvin. International lunar mission teams present updates during Monday's opening session. The following session, 'International Programs & Cooperation,' will see several presentations on international human Moon mission plans. Considering all factors, especially the very strong China presence, this ILC is shaping up to be the most informative and successful ever. Info www.ilewg.org.

Chinese Women to Fly into Space by 2010. At a reception for three USA astronauts (Duke, Bolden, and Jemison) visiting Beijing last week, Hu Shixiang (deputy chief commander of China's human space program) said his country would start choosing pilots, scientists, and engineers for its first wave of four female astronauts next year. This year China's air force has selected about 30 women pilots, some of whom reportedly are intending to be future astronauts. "It is true women aviators have some advantages in terms of flight experience and physique, but we need payload experts with strong science and engineering background to do experiments in outer space," Hu said. The women would function as flight commanders or on-board engineers. Mae Jemison (first American black woman astronaut in 1987) said, "China should have women astronauts as soon as possible, even earlier than next year, because you lose out on 50 percent of the talent that are available if you don't have women included." Hu replied by saying time was needed in order to conduct proper training, and in the near future, the norm will be for Chinese astronauts of both genders to work together as partners in outer space. The astronauts' tour of space facilities in China will conclude on 3 August.

LEAG Conference to Examine Astronomy From Moon, Private Sector Involvement in Permanent Lunar Settlement. The Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) is holding its second meeting in conjunction with NASA and the Lunar & Planetary Institute (LPI) at 'Space Resources Roundtable 7 (SRR7): LEAG Conference on Lunar Exploration' in League City TX on 25-28 October. The goal of the conference is to bring together experts to help mold the USA lunar exploration program into a coherent venture focused on industrial development and a permanent settlement on the Moon. The conference will be convened by LEAG Chair G. Jeffrey Taylor, among others. SRR7 will have a heavy emphasis on lunar resource utilization, including participation by Mike Duke of the Colorado School of Mines. Private sector involvement will also be a major focus, with Rick Tumlinson of the Space Frontier Foundation and Paul Eckert of Boeing representing the commercial sector. Lunar science, including astronomy from the Moon, will be another strong topic, with participation by Paul Spudis of JHU's Applied Physics Laboratory and Roger Angel of the University of Arizona. LEAG is a community-based interdisciplinary forum that analyzes issues associated with lunar exploration and reports its findings to NASA Chief Scientist Jim Garvin. Abstracts are due 1 September and pre-registration deadline is 30 September. Info www.lpi.usra.edu.