Space the global frontier
by Michèle Nardelli
It
may sound a bit like the words of a Star Trek devotee, but there is a mood
about the International Space University Summer program being hosted in
South Australia this year that is aspirational. There is a sense that yes,
one day we may actually achieve a borderless society where race and religion
are no barrier, and where discovery, learning and getting along are the
‘main game’.Emblazoned with the flags from the 27 countries of the 114 students attending the program, and capped off by the wonderful words of cultural performer, Carroll Karpany, about the strong spiritual relationship Aboriginal people have with space, the launch, despite dismal weather, was a warm and welcoming event.
Opening the program ISU president, Dr Michael Simpson, said the International Space University embodied the three I’s – international, interdisciplinary and intercultural.
And the program certainly reflects that ethos. In any one day students may attend a class where most of them will have different languages as their first language and where their teachers could be from Adelaide, Moscow, Florence or Montreal. And they are not all embroiled in astrophysics and highly technical IT based studies at all times.
Although these areas are a vital part of the program, there is a lot of study focusing on the business of space and how that can be ethically managed; the effects on human physiology and psychology of space travel; how space exploration and technologies can improve our environment or communications to our most remote populations here on earth.
Winner of a Cisco Systems scholarship to the program and graduate of UniSA, Paul Grosser says the opportunity to attend the nine week program has been the experience of a lifetime.
“I think the greatest thing about the ISU summer program is the opportunity to interact with space oriented people from all over the world,” Grosser said. “As a specialist in satellite communications the program will not impact on my career immediately but I know the benefits will be realised over time.
“My overall knowledge of the space industry has increased enormously, especially in areas such as space law, business, and other space applications like remote sensing and navigation and the life sciences as they relate to space travel.”
Having submitted his PhD thesis in March at UniSA’s Institute for Telecommunications Research (ITR), Grosser says the break away into such a multifaceted and multicultural experience has been energising.
“The atmosphere at the summer program is incredibly friendly – students and staff interact like a close knit family – but instead of chatting with ‘uncle Joe’ you are actually talking to people from NASA or Boeing or the European Space Agency, so the experience is so unique.”
And for UniSA’s scholarship winner and PhD graduate from the ITR, Dr Tanja Lang, the summer program represents the true spirit of science.
“I think scientists have always been good at sharing knowledge – because knowledge and understanding are goals unto themselves,” Dr Lang said.
“What has been interesting at the program is to begin to understand all of the legal and commercial implications associated with space science and I suppose any industry that commercialises scientific research, and just how that impacts on the pursuit of knowledge.
“I think most people here would shy away from a career in politics. Most of us have scientific ideals.
“The International Space University is the biggest and most dedicated multicultural institution of its kind and to some extent there is a wonderful optimism about the organisation. At the same time, it is here at the summer program that we have learned a great deal about the real world and how politics and business impinges on the sharing of science.
“It is significant that there are already laws in place that disallow a claim to space for any particular country and to some extent that ensures that the work done to enhance our knowledge of space and our knowledge of the earth has a collaborative international flavour.
“This program has been wonderful in providing us with the rare opportunity to learn how to develop teamwork across cultures and with people who are experts in a wide range of areas that are quite different from each other – lawyers working with biologists and systems engineers. It’s a challenge but it is really important to have these skills.”