The National Space Society of Australia holds several regular conferences to promote Space Activities within Australia and the rest of the world. The 9th Australian Space Development Conference and the 6th Australian Space Science Conference were held in Canberra over July 19-21, 2006.
Some photographs as well impressions of the 2 conferences are now available.
Jane Weatherstone who is studying Journalism at the University of Canberra recounts her impressions of the conference:
2006: A Space Conference
"Once upon a time it was about gazing upward."
This was how John Hargreaves reached his audience at the 9th Australian Space Development Conference, held over three days from the 19th of July at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra. The Australian Space Development Conference was held in conjunction with the 6th Australian Space Science Conference and this coupling attracted enthusiastic delegates from Australia and overseas. There were chairmen, CEO's, teachers, students, lawyers and space enthusiasts. There were those who came urging us to strive further and dig deeper. Some came to speak, but all came to listen.
John Hargreaves, MLA for the ACT Government, gave a stirring speech over lunch, midway through the conferences, urging Australia and the world not to rest but to push the boundaries of the space industry. Mr Hargreaves was critical of what he perceived as Australia's unwillingness to embrace the technology given by space development and the harm that may come from not using it. "If we exploit the space industry, only good can come of it." Mr Hargreaves said, "The good outweighs the potential harm in my view. The end of the world will come a lot quicker if we don't exploit it." While these words may seem ominous to some, Mr Hargreaves was adamant that the technology we have access to should be used to bring people in remote areas together and ensure people are treated equally through technology. This point was again raised during an ASDC session on Indigenous and Heritage Perspectives on Space, by Mr Jack Pearson who spoke of the ways it could help improve their societies.
High on the agenda for the ASSC, was how to teach students about the technological advances that have been made and the best ways to encourage and enthuse students about Space Science so they will continue to delve into the subject well into the future. A Space Education Workshop run by Astra Australis, on the 21st of July, went extremely well and received a great deal of positive feedback from the teachers involved.
Sessions from both conferences discussing the return to the Moon and satellite launches were popular and informative. Among the most popular of the sessions were those on Human Exploration in Space and the DECADEL planning workshop. Jeffrey Candiloro from Astra Australis, said the conferences went very well and "the success of these conferences bodes well for next year's ASSC and the 2008 ASDC."
Mr Hargreaves said the space industry needed to be marketed as a business and that there is no choice for the politicians but to invest in it. By not investing he said, "[you are] condemning your children to do it, not encouraging them."
The space conference series is a perfect opportunity, and one not to be wasted, to reach out and connect with all those who share the vision to see space, to explore, discover and learn. "If you come here and pat each other on the back all you get is a warm fuzzy feeling. But if you challenge the views of everything you see, you become greater than the sum of the parts."
Jane Weatherstone