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Media Release

August 25, 2004

Space University to keep SA space research in orbit

More than 160 space experts and 115 graduate students will farewell South Australia this week when the International Space University Summer Program comes to a close.

But it has been an action packed few months with students from 27 countries learning not only about space science and the whole gamut of issues relating to the space industry, but also about South Australia from the city to the outback.

The official closing ceremony for the Summer Space Program 2004 will be held in Brookman Building at the University of South Australia’s City East Campus on Friday August 27 from 4pm.

And tomorrow August 26 postgraduate students who have worked in teams over the span of the program will make their final group presentations on the scientific, cultural, historical and industry research issues they have explored as part of the program.

The team presentations are considered a highlight of the program and represent weeks of research and collaboration.

Assistant Director for the Summer Session, Morla Milne says the innovation and imagination shown in the work done by the student teams is always inspiring.

“This part of the summer program is really dynamic because it challenges a group of diverse, highly intelligent young people to apply their learning in a real world context,” Milne said.

“And they come up with real solutions and workable ideas – ideas that could be applied to industry and within government.”

The team presentations will begin at 9am on August 26 at Brookman Hall.

9am – LunAres: Lunar missions in the framework of current space exploration initiatives for Mars

Have you ever sat around a camp-fire and wondered what secrets the Moon and Mars might hold?
Have you wondered why humans went to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s only to abandon our efforts and fall back into the grasp of Low Earth Orbit? Do you yearn to know if and when humans might continue
our travels through the solar system? Some of the answers to those questions will be revealed right here in Adelaide when International Space University students present their findings.

Project LunAres, will highlight the exciting results of their unique and multi-disciplinary study of current and future solar system exploration. In the wake of ambitious exploration plans articulated by NASA and the US President, the European Space Agency, and many other nations around the world, the topic of Space exploration has never been more current. Stay ahead of the curve, and find out what the next steps are for humanity to return to the Moon and advance further on to Mars.

10.45am – STREAM: Space technologies for the research of effective water management.

How does a satellite relate to when you might turn on your sprinkler? And what could space research possibly have to do with the problems of the Murray-Darling Basin?

A team of students has looked at the problems of the basin, researching what technologies have already been used and evaluating what other technologies are available and may become available in the near future. The goal of the project has been to see how the latest space technology can help everyone in the Murray-Darling Basin tackle the ongoing problems surrounding access to water. Although they don't claim to have all the answers they do provide a new perspective and a good understanding of how space technology will inform water management in the Murray-Darling Basin in the future.

2pm – CONNECTS: The Role of Satellite Communications in the Development of Rural and Remote Regions

High-speed Internet is becoming the norm in urban areas, but what about remote regions far away from any town or city? Students from the International Space University and its university partners have been working out just how space technologies can break the tyranny of distance.

The ISU CONNECTS Project analyses the problem of the "Digital Divide" – the gap between those who do and those who don’t have access to broadband Internet technology. CONNECTS presents options to bridge the Digital Divide using satellites and space technology. The project describes the challenges for telecommunications in rural and remote regions. The project takes a good look at telehealth and other remote applications and analyses major Australian issues in business, policy, and law. The project will also propose solutions to finally connect remote areas to the rest of the world.

The ISU summer program is the world’s most prestigious education event dealing with all aspects of space. Run by the French-based ISU, this nine-week program in Adelaide marks the first time it has been held in Australia. The program has been hosted by South Australia's three universities – UniSA, Adelaide and Flinders.

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