A Celebration Bigger than Diwali for me!

Congratulations to ISRO for launching India's dream to the Moon. When you are a young kid in India, several people promise you the Moon, we address the Moon as 'Chanda Mama' - as our maternal uncle. The Moon is hence a part of every kid's family. Today, India finally got me and everyone Indian a taste of the excitement of what it is like to be exploring new worlds. The Moon is a start I hope and I would like to see ISRO, Indian industry and universities explore further and reach Mars and beyond.

Thank you to the dedicated team at ISRO that has been working non-stop on what was initially only envisioned in early 2004 as a 'program'. Paper studies had been done, but the budget line only appeared after that year. So, well done in accomplishing this mission.

Pradeep Mohandas has been blogging and tweetering as @Chandrayaan on twitter - you can follow his microblog there!

A few other noteworthy places to get information on the mission are:

ASI Student Chapter's website: http://www.indianspace.in
ISRO Press release: http://www.isro.gov.in/pressrelease/Oct22_2008.htm
www.chandrayaan-i.com
www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/home.htm
www.isro.org/chandrayaan-1/
www.planetary.org/explore/topics/chandrayaan_1/
www.planetary.org/blog/ - Emily did a great job of following the webcast till the link broke through!

More to come.
This is bigger than diwali this year for me!

Updates from the Board of Directors at The Planetary Society

Greetings to all from London!

Do you know of The Planetary Society? The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore our worlds and search for the answers to the questions most pertinent to our place in the cosmos - is there life out there? how does the Earth work and sustain us all? how is it to live on Mars? what new technologies will allow us to ensure our a secure future for all of humanity? and the list goes on...

Established by Carl Sagan, Louis Friedman and Bruce Murray, The Planetary Society is the world's largest non-governmental planetary and space interest group.

With great joy I would like to share an update with you: I have recently been invited on to the Board of Directors of The Planetary Society! In my role as a Board Member, I shall provide input w.r.t the international focus as well as youth mandate via the significance of our work at Space Generation Advisory Council. I would like to represent all your collective voice and not just a personal one in my activities with TPS as I feel that this unique opportunity is an invitation for the youth to stop being a 'consumer' of our space programs. It is for us to become serious, reliable and equal partners in framing today's space policies and programs that will affect our future and make sure that they are strengthened by strong international collaborations. SGAC and TPS have valued each others' activities and have been partnering with the Planetary Society on various projects including the 50 Year Vision Project.

So, I extend this invitation to you to help us become these 'serious partners' that we talk of. My question to you IS: How can youth be more proactive in helping shape our space programs? These can be space programs for mapping Earth processes and understanding them better, for improving disaster management, for exploring new 'earths', to learn how to back up our biosphere, to become multi planet species and to bring about all the cutting-edge technologies that are needed to get there, etc. I invite your comments and suggestions on how we can finally go boldly where no one has been before!

Is it via more outreach? Is it via using our social networks and Web 2.0 tools? How would YOU do it?

I look forward to all your interesting thoughts!

Web Links:
The Planetary Society: http://planetary.org
New Board Members: http://www.planetary.org/news/2008/1021_James_Bell_Named_New_President_of_The.html
Planetary Society Board of Directors: http://www.planetary.org/about/board.html
Biography: http://planetary.org/about/bee_thakore.html

News Release:
The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 (626) 793-5100 Fax (626) 793-5528
E-mail: tps@planetary.org Web: http://planetary.org

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2008
Contact: Susan Lendroth, 626-793-5100 ext 237


Global Economic Crisis Accentuates Need for Science, Earth Observations and Space Programs to Create a Positive Future
International Cooperation in These Endeavors is Imperative, Planetary Society Board of Directors State

Science is an imperative. Space is not a luxury. We cannot walk away from these endeavors without damaging our future on this planet.

In light of the economic turmoil currently roiling nations around the globe, The Planetary Society's Board of Directors believes that it is vital that we not lose sight of the importance and long-term economic benefit of maintaining a strong commitment to scientific research, including space exploration. Today the Board issued the following statement:

To safeguard humanity's home planet and better understand the universe that surrounds it, we need a vibrant and diverse space program, forged through global cooperation that shares the tasks, shares the benefits, and shares the costs. Whatever the immediate economic problems may be, we believe that strong space programs should continue to be important priorities for both the US and other nations.

From monitoring Earth from space to studying long-term climate change on other worlds, the space program enables scientists to paint the big picture - helping us to better understand the global forces that affect us all. No one nation alone benefits from better understanding that picture, and to paint it large and detailed enough, no one nation alone can bear the expense.

Space exploration programs not only provide a peaceful context for global engagement, but also contribute to skilled workforces and new technologies in participating nations, inspiring students to enter science and engineering fields. Observing Earth from space and understanding our planetary environment are as crucial to our survival as are the basics of a good economy.

As Voyager 1 prepared to leave our planetary neighborhood, Carl Sagan, co-founder of The Planetary Society, suggested the spacecraft be turned for one last look at its home planet. The resulting image of Earth as a single blue point of light gave us a profound new view of our world - from a perspective possible only through space exploration.

Sagan wrote, "It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

The Planetary Society's Board of Directors affirmed this statement in Boston, where they held their semi-annual meeting. Planetary scientist Jim Bell assumed the helm as the Society's new president, succeeding Neil deGrasse Tyson, whose term has ended. The Planetary Society also added two new board members: Alexis Livanos, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector; and Bijal "Bee" Thakore, Regional Coordinator for Asia Pacific, Space Generation Advisory Council.

The Planetary Society's other Board members include Chairman Dan Geraci, Vice President Bill Nye, Heidi Hammel, Scott Hubbard, Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., Lon Levin, Chris McKay, Bruce Murray, Elon Musk, Joseph Ryan, Steven Spielberg and George Yancopoulos.

What to see and find on the Moon?

I posted this note on facebook's 'notes' and received some response. GLXP was interested in having it on their discussions too, but I honestly do not know who follows this blog and who all are listening. I got some mind response to the post being very good but my curiosity stills wants to probe more...

Read along and please share with me what you want dusted off on the Moon:

"Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left behind 66 items at Tranquillity Base, from their removable lunar overshoes (which actually stamped the iconic bootprints in the dust) to a “urine collection assembly, large” and sick bag (presumably unused — none of the Apollo 11 astronauts reported throwing up during the mission). Armstrong and Aldrin stuffed personal items in a large bag and threw it overboard just before leaving. Other objects still on the surface include tools; a TV camera, its stand, and cable; and a clothesline-like contraption for hoisting equipment back into the lander at the end of the moonwalk. The astronauts also left a mission patch memorializing the astronauts killed in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire; medals honoring Soviets Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, and Vladimir Komarov, the first person to die during a space mission; a silicon disk etched with messages from world leaders; and a small, gold olive branch as a sign of peace." - Air&Space Mag, Sept issue.

And this is just Apollo 11. 6 other missions and all the metal Luna missions, experiments, and crashed spacecrafts had to offer!

I wonder what people from our generation would like to
1) See on the moon when GLXP robots get to historic sights
2) take to the moon when GLXP robots blast off, just like humans - something that reflects consciousness towards planetary protection...

WHY THE MOON?

11th ISU Annual International Symposium
21-23 February 2007, Strasbourg, France

ISU’s 11th Annual International Symposium "Why the Moon?" which will take place in Strasbourg from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 February 2007.. More information on this event is available on the ISU website at http://www.isunet.edu/EN/573 with links to the Preliminary Program, which includes details on sessions, and information about accommodation and online registration (http://www.isunet.edu/EN/596). We have received confirmation of attendance from all of the presenters of papers listed in the program.

This event is sponsored by NASA and generously supported by Alcatel Alenia Space, the European Space Agency (ESA), Lockheed Martin, MDA Corporation, SpaceX, The Aerospace Corporation, The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab (APL) and The Space Foundation.

If you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to contact the organizing team at symposium11@isu.isunet.edu

Space Generation Congress Applications Open 22 January

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is pleased to announce the 2007 Space Generation Congress (SGC) from September 20-22, 2007, in Hyderabad, India. Organisers are requesting that interested university students and young professionals 18-35 years of age who have a passion for space and the ambition to act on it visit
http://www.explorerswanted.com. There they can begin participating in the various online project groups, which will build over the next several months and culminate at the Congress in Hyderabad. In addition to onsite workshops and relevant speakers, training, and networking with top space professionals, several cultural events are also being planned to spotlight the host location in India.

Workshop project teams include the MoonMars Workshop, the Case for Human Exploration, Lunar Waystation, Students Reaching Students, Yuri's Night World Space Party, SGAC Public Relations, and SGAC Project Research, as well as competitions for Habitat Design and Space Transportation Papers. Travel and lodging sponsorship will be available for some delegates.

Applications open on 22 January and close on 15 April; however, selection is partially based on the online collaboration and participation in the forums before the Congress on the Explorers Wanted website.

ABOUT SPACE GENERATION CONGRESS

Space Generation Congress (SGC) is the annual event of SGAC and is held each year in conjunction with the International Astronautical Congress. SGC is a youth forum that unites passionate young space professionals, students, and enthusiasts from all over the world. Each year, more than one hundred delegates come together to discuss issues facing the international space industry. Over three days, delegates brainstorm and develop ideas that both motivate and promote the space industry and bring the benefits of space exploration to the wider community. Delegates work before, during, and after the Congress to make these ideas a reality.

ABOUT SPACE GENERATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is a non-governmental organization created at UNISPACE III by a recommendation in the Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development ("…to create, within the framework of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, a consultative mechanism to facilitate the continued participation of young people from all over the world… in cooperative space-related activities"). SGAC has official observer status in the United Nations (UN), and represents students and young professionals (mostly 18-35 years old) from all backgrounds, all countries, and all organizations to the UN, national governments, and space agencies. Nearly 100 countries are represented by National Points of Contact, which are organized into six regions of the world.

Space Generation identifies a large group of young volunteers who have an interest in space and an ambition to act. Past products include Yuri's Night World Space Party, the MoonMars Workshop, and Under African Skies. Over 2500 international participants are members of the SGTalk email list that allows discussion and dissemination of information relating to space topics and events across the globe.

Subscribe at www.spacegeneration.org

This is the 6th annual SGC event organised by the SGAC, which is supported by SERCO.

IMPORTANT DATES
22 January 2007 – Applications and online collaboration tools open
15 April 2007 – Applications close
15 May 2007 – Delegate selection announced
20-22 September 2007 – SGC 2007 in Hyderabad, India
24-28 September 2007 – IAC 2007 in Hyderabad, India

WEBSITE
http://www.explorerswanted.com