Marcus Strom reports today in the Sydney Morning Herald that Sydney
has won the bid to host the world assembly of the Committee on
Space Research, or COSPAR, in 2020.
COSPAR is the world's largest gathering of space scientists.
The event will take place at the new billion-dollar convention centre
in Darling Harbour.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Marcus Strom
The announcement is expected to trigger further debate about whether Australia should have a space program.
Australia and Iceland are the only member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development without a formal space program, and Iceland is expected to join the European Space Agency soon.
New Zealand launched its space agency in July.
Professor Russell Boyce is head of space research at UNSW Canberra. Working with the Australian Academy of Science he led Australia's bid for COSPAR 2020.
"While we have no formal space agency we do, in fact, have a space program," Professor Boyce said.
"COSPAR 2020 will follow on from the International Astronautical Conference in Adelaide. All these activities in Australia should help reverse the brain drain in space science – these events are laying the seeds of an Australian space agency," he said.
Professor Boyce said Australia needed a co-ordinating framework, but it was probably too soon for the announcement of a formal agency.
COSPAR 2020 will take place within the timeframe that Elon Musk's SpaceX program is expected to start sending missions to Mars.
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Story here -
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci...08-gskeef.html
Video which was part of the Australian pitch to host the event here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cAxKypN4so
