The preparation of the 26th edition of the Space Studies Program is well on its way!

The whole staff at ISU central campus has teamed up to welcome you in the best conditions and offer an unforgettable experience.

Participants will learn during this 9 week course, in a unique environment where they can explore the various facets of the space sector through core lectures, hands-on activities and workshops and one-of-a-kind professional visits.

If you haven’t registered yet, contact us to check out some of the last minute scholarship opportunities that have arisen or click HERE to apply online.

The opening ceremony of SSP13 will take place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a very distinguished and symbolic location reflecting the traditional values of ISU.

This year’s professional visits include amongst others:

• The European Astronaut Center (EAC), the centre of excellence for astronaut selection, training, medical support and surveillance, as well as support of astronauts and their families during preparation for and during flight
• SES, Luxembourg a world leading satellite operator
• The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) which aims to deliver weather and climate-related satellite data, images and products– 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Technik Museum Speyer, where masterpieces of technology are displayed, including an original BURAN space shuttle
• The European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN Switzerland where Space Sciences participants will have the possibility to view the world’s largest particle physics laboratory

Public Events

Discovering the Space Industry and its applications with fun is fully part of the activities that ISU is proposing all summer long in Strasbourg! All those events are free and open to the public.

Robotics Competition

July, 12th at 2:30 pm at ISU, Central Campus, Parc d’Innovation, Illkirch-Graffenstaden

Thanks to LEGO kits, talent, and a lot of imagination, ISU participants assisted by robotics experts will design and build autonomous robots following precise specifications to simulate planetary exploration. Robots will have to avoid obstacles and collect the most “gemstones” in the shortest given time. Their performance will be evaluated by a group of international experts. Visitors of all ages are welcome to share an educational and fun experience.

Rocket Launch

27th, July at 1:00 pm at Le Jardin des Deux Rives, Strasbourg

Will the rocket attain the correct altitude? Will the fragile payload be returned safely? Will the vehicle fly straight and stable? Teams composed of graduate level ISU participants from all over the world will design and launch model rockets that must meet a certain set of design criteria. They will design the airframes, select the motors, use computers to simulate the flight, and construct the rocket in a limited period of time. It is a real-world challenge and the team with the best performance will be recognized for their hard work. This is an event open to the public and visitors of all ages are welcome!

Panels

All along the Space Studies Program, ISU will welcome a high number of key players from the Space Industry, including Space Agencies, private industries but also renowned experts from academia. Those experts will talk about topical subjects through panels and discussions. They will also answer the questions of the students and the ones from the general public. All those panels are provided in English.

SOFFEN MEMORIAL PANEL: UNKNOWN WORLDS: THE EXCITING FUTURE OF MOON AND MARS EXPLORATION

July, 2nd from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at ISU, Boeing Auditorium, Parc d’Innovation, Illkirch-Graffenstaden

Building on the ground-breaking work of the late Gerry Soffen, who pioneered planetary research with the Viking missions to Mars in the mid-1970s, the world’s space agencies have continued to unlock the secrets of the Moon and Mars. Through a series of innovative space missions, almost each week new revelations become public. Important discoveries like water and other volatiles hidden in the dark sunless craters of the Moon and new evidence of Mar’s warm wet past foreshadow even larger surprises on the horizon. As each new mission peels back some of the mysteries, many new questions arise and the possibilities that the Moon and Mars will play leading roles in humanity’s future are becoming realities. The panel will discuss new information on the Moon and Mars, and the next steps in exploration. The Soffen Panel in honor of, Dr. Gerald A. Soffen (1926 - 2000), premier NASA scientist, leader of NASA’s Viking Mars Mission to Earth Observation, and an avid supporter of the ISU Space Studies Program.

Panelists:
Gongling Sun, Corporate Chief Representative, CASC European Office
Jim Green, NASA, Director of Planetary Science
Bernard Foing, ESA, Executive Director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group
Jean-Claude Worms, Head, Science Support Office, European Science Foundation

Moderator:
Walter Peeters, President of ISU

ISU PANEL: OPENING THE SPACE FRONTIER

July 9th, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at ISU, Boeing Auditorium, Parc d’Innovation, Illkirch-Graffenstaden

International Space University (ISU) was founded in 1987 as an international institution of higher learning, dedicated to the development of outer space for peaceful purposes through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs. It is a not for-profit interdisciplinary university offering Master of Science in Space Studies (MSS) and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degrees. These are in addition to the flagship Space Studies Program (SSP), a professional development program that has convened annually every summer since 1988 at various locations around the world. The presentation will highlight these and other ISU programs and provide a bit of ISU history as well as the current status of the university, including details on the faculty and governance of ISU.

Speakers:
Angie Bukley, ISU, Dean and Vice President for Academics and Research
Chris Welch, Director of ISU MSc Program

PARABOLIC FLIGHT: ZERO-G WITHOUT ALL THE FUSS OF GOING TO SPACE

24th July, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at ISU, Boeing Auditorium, Parc d’Innovation, Illkirch-Graffenstaden

This panel will cover many elements of parabolic flight. The panelists will first explain how parabolic flight works. That is, the basic physics and the flight profile required to achieve microgravity (free-fall), along with a summary of the main aircraft platforms currently used to execute parabolic flight missions. The discussion will then turn to the plethora of scientific research and scholarly activities that can be achieved using parabolic

Panelists:
Gilles Clement, ISU Professor and CNES Chair
Frédéric Gai, NOVESPACE Parabolic Flight Manager
Vladimir Pletser, ESA Parabolic Flight Project Manager
François Spiero, CNES Responsible for Human Spaceflight
Scott Wood, NASA ISS Increment Scientist (via WebEx)

Moderator:
Angie Bukley, ISU, Dean and Vice President for Academics and Research

INTERNATIONAL ASTRONAUT PANEL: THE ASTRONAUT EXPERIENCE, WHEN CAN WE ALL GO TO SPACE?

July 30th, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at Maison de la Région, Strasbourg

The Astronaut Panel is a longstanding highlight in SSP sessions. The objective is to give the participants a direct occasion to ask a broad range of questions to a number of astronauts in an interactive mode. The astronauts are selected on the basis of different backgrounds (medical, piloting, engineering, scientific), which allows for a broad variety of complementary answers. The Panel provides different insights and opinions, especially comparing intensive short-duration flights with longduration stays on board space stations (such as MIR and ISS).

Panelists:
Chaiki Mukai, JAXA Astronaut, Director of JAXA Center for Applied Space Medicine and Human Research
Bob Thirsk, Former Canadian Astronaut, Vice-President of Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Jean-Jacques Favier, Former CNES Astronaut, President of Blue Planet

Moderator:
T. Dwayne McCay, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Florida Institute of Technology

LESSONS FROM THE CHALLENGER TRAGEDY

July 31st, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at ISU, Central Auditorium, Parc d’Innovation, Illkirch-Graffenstaden

The presentation is based on thirty years of experience in managing high technology and often high risk ventures. There is a common theme that separates the good and poor decisions that can lead not only to failure but even disaster. The Challenger accident is used as the primary case study to emphasize the management styles and traits that can and often do precipitate failure. Dr. McCay was NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Chief of Propulsion at the time of the accident and will share his personal experiences.

Lecturer:
T. Dwayne McCay, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Florida Institute of Technology

More about SSP13 HERE.