This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Apollo Lunar Landing Program, culminating in the mission of Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972). It was the final mission of NASA’s Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or travelled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, while Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans orbited above. To commemorate this historic event, and to round off our Apollo 50th celebrations, the Space Association of Australia in partnership with the Sun Theatre is hosting a special afternoon event — Apollo 17: Sunset on the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. Date: Saturday, 10 December 2022 Time: 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm AEDT Venue: Sun Theatre, 8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville, Victoria To book tickets just follow this link: Apollo 17 event tickets   This will be a one-off Melbourne event, the Sun Theatre will be exclusively screening a magnificent Apollo 17 documentary that uses NASA high-definition archival footage, mission audio and some wonderful astronaut interviews. Along with a short live presentation telling the story of Australia’s critical contribution to NASA’s “greatest adventure”, this documentary film chronicles the culmination of one of the greatest moments in mankind’s history. Hear first-hand testimonials and dialogue from the incredible men who walked on the moon. Incredible footage and photos give a unique and beautiful experience of their data collection process and journey home. If you were at our 2019 Apollo 11 or 2020 Apollo 13 special events, you will love this! Seating is very limited, so book now, bring your friends and relive history. Come dressed in your best 60’s gear to go into the running for our best-dressed prize too. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, December 10, be quick as we have booked a small cinema which has very limited seating. Financial members of the Space Association of Australia are eligible for a discount, please check your email. To book tickets just follow this link: Apollo 17 event tickets Depending on the weather and circumstances, you might even see a rocket launch!!!

Join us for the November 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 28 November 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are now back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: Saber Astronautics recently signed a deal with private spaceflight leader Axiom Space, Inc. to create an Australian presence on the International Space Station (ISS) and future Axiom Station. Saber Astronautics will develop the first formal program to enable Australians and Australian industry to, via Axiom, access the Station’s orbiting microgravity laboratory and develop a new generation of space-developed products for human health, materials, electronics, cleantech, and more. Silent Auction: The Space Association has received a donation of books, magazines, photographs and other space memorabilia. So, just for a bit of fun and maybe to help you pick up (or offload) an item of space treasure, we propose to run a silent auction on the night, with no minimum bids. A silent auction is an auction held without an auctioneer. Bidders write their name, contact number and bid amount and, at about 9.00 pm, all bids cease and the deals are done! The following items are available for auction:

Join us for the October 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 24 October 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEDT Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are now back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID-compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: Glen Nagle Outreach and Visitor Centre Manager Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Since 2002, Glen Nagle has been the Education and Public Outreach Manager at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC); a part of NASA's Deep Space Network. He manages the Complex’s Visitor Centre and promotes space exploration to the 70,000 visitors it attracts each year to view its exhibitions and learn more about the giant antenna dishes that provide two-way contact with dozens of robotic spacecraft exploring the Solar System and beyond.

Join us for the September 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 26 September 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Venue update: We are now back in the 'big room' upstairs at the Golden Gate Hotel. We hope this will ease any social distancing concerns and make the meeting more comfortable for everyone. We will still have dinner downstairs and no food is to be consumed upstairs. The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID-compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:   The Melbourne Space Program (MSP) is a Melbourne-based non-profit that was established with the support of the University of Melbourne and is entirely student and alumni-run. The Program develops future technology leaders by selecting highly talented university students and delivering an unparalleled learning experience through challenging technology projects. In 2019, the MSP built Australia’s first student satellite in 50 years, ACRUX-1 and is now working to develop and launch ACRUX-2 into orbit.

NASA will provide livestream coverage of the launch of Artemis I, currently targeted for Monday, 29 August at 10:33 p.m. AEST. The launch window closes at 12:33 a.m. on the 30th. One of our members has generously offered to open his home for a "watch party" for those that would be keen to get together and share the experience. The plan would be for a small group (maximum 10) to meet at his inner eastern suburbs home to watch and enjoy on a big screen TV, follow the countdown and (hopefully) the launch! If you are interested, you will need to register your details and await confirmation of success. Please understand, this invitation is open to SAA members only and will be held at a private residence. No one else will be permitted to attend and the exact location and other details will only be supplied to you shortly before the event. The host reserves the right to refuse anyone entry, entirely at his own discretion.   Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone to send astronauts to Mars.  

Join us for the August 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 22 August 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID-compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: Artemis I: Media Briefing with Angelo Di Grazia Angelo is travelling to the United States to cover the launch of the Artemis I mission for the The Space Show and the Space Association of Australia. Angelo will provide an overview of his trip.       Jarmyn Enterprise Space with Mal Jarmyn Jarmyn Enterprise Space is an Australian startup developing launch vehicles for the national and international space industry.

Join us for the July 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 25 July 2022 Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID-compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the June 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 27 June 2022 NEW - Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: Esper Satellite Imagery | Over The Rainbow Esper Satellite Imagery is a Melbourne based space startup focusing on collecting hyperspectral imagery from micro satellite constellations to supercharge industries with environmental data. Esper Satellite Imagery is developing small satellites capable of hyperspectral Earth observation imagery, to deliver intelligent data from space for industrial efficiency on Earth. Spiral Blue | Project Rainbow Python Spiral Blue is a Sydney based space startup working to enable the next generation of Earth observation applications using Space Edge Computing. Spiral Blue was founded in 2017 to solve problems on Earth with solutions from space. They're doing this with Space Edge Services, a platform for processing Earth observation data in space.

Notice of Annual General Meeting 2022   The 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of members of the Space Association of Australia Inc. (Registration No: A0000295B) will be held on Monday, 23 May 2022 from 8:00 pm (AEST) in the Coventry Room at the Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne.   The May Public Meeting, Hypersonix Launch Systems: Greener Aerospace Technology, will precede the AGM.   If you are unable to attend the May Public Meeting or the 2022 Annual General Meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here:

Join us for the May 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 23 May 2022 NEW - Meal Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm AEST Meeting Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEST Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Join us for a meal from 6:00 pm on the ground floor of the Golden Gate Hotel before the meeting begins upstairs in the Coventry Room at 7:00 pm - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting or the 2022 AGM in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom here: Hypersonix Launch Systems: Greener Aerospace Technology Hypersonix is Australia’s leading aerospace engineering, design and build company, specialising in hypersonic technology and scramjet engines. The company's scramjet engines and hypersonic vehicles are designed and engineered to disrupt the global market with New Space best practices. Hypersonix is leading the world in green scramjet engines and hypersonic aerospace design and engineering. About the speaker: Dr Michael Smart, Co-founder, CTO and Head of Research & Development at Hypersonix Launch Systems, is a world leader in scramjet technology. Michael spent 10 years as a Research Scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center: Scramjet Branch. A pioneer in scramjet engine and hypersonic vehicle design, Michael was awarded Australia’s top scholar in his field of Aviation & Aerospace Engineering in 2020. Michael is the vehicle and technology architect of DART AE, Delta Velos, Delta Velos Orbiter and the Wirraway satellite launch system. Annual General Meeting | 2022 The 2022 Annual General Meeting of members of the Space Association of Australia Inc. will follow the May Public Meeting starting at 8:00 pm.

Join us for the April 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 25 April 2022 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm AEDT Venue: Online via Zoom Please register to join us remotely via Zoom or watch the meeting later on our YouTube channel. We look forward to seeing you online!

Join us for the March 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 28 March 2022 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne The Golden Gate Hotel is a COVID-19 compliant venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Place your meal order in the Coventry Room and have it delivered to your table - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register to join us remotely via Zoom below or watch the live stream here on our YouTube channel, SAA.TV The Ethics of Space Colonisation with Gordon Young of Ethilogical Travelling to the stars has been a fascination and hope of humankind for much of our existence. With a new age of commercial space travel emerging, the question must be asked: even if we are successful, are we prepared for the even greater challenge – figuring out how to live when we have been freed from the limits of one world? Will this technological boom be matched with an equivalent renaissance of human society? Or will the dark parts of human nature come along for the ride, festering in a universe where all the old rules have been removed? How can we choose which outcome we get? This discussion will look at the intersection of the human condition and space colonisation, and analyse the risks and potential solutions. About our speaker Gordon Young is the principal of Ethilogical Consulting. Gordon is a lecturer in Professional Ethics with RMIT University’s prestigious School of Design. Gordon holds a Masters of Professional and Applied Ethics from Melbourne University, and a Bachelor in Social Science: Environment from RMIT University. He is also a Fellow of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership and a member of the St James Ethics Centre, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics and Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

Join us for the February 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 28 February 2022 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Don't forget you will need to be double-vaccinated to be allowed entry into the venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Place your meal order in the Coventry Room and have it delivered to your table - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register below to join us remotely via Zoom or watch the live stream on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/-s6qtxaEodM. Hypersonix Launch Systems - POSTPONED Hypersonix is Australia’s leading aerospace engineering, design and build company, specialising in hypersonic technology and scramjet engines. The company's scramjet engines and hypersonic vehicles are designed and engineered to disrupt the global market with New Space best practices. Hypersonix is leading the world in green scramjet engines and hypersonic aerospace design and engineering. About the speaker: A world leader in scramjet technology, Michael Smart spent 10 years as a Research Scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center: Scramjet Branch. A pioneer in scramjet engine and hypersonic vehicle design, Michael was awarded Australia’s top scholar in his field of Aviation & Aerospace Engineering in 2020. Michael is the vehicle and technology architect of DART AE, Delta Velos, Delta Velos Orbiter and the Wirraway satellite launch system. Results of an artificial gravity mitigated 60-day bed rest study Being an astronaut isn’t all fun and games. Due to microgravity, an astronaut’s gluteal muscles shrink and weaken due to decreased loading and use. This can seriously impair their mobility, especially on return to a gravity field. We see the same problem with people on Earth among ageing, disabled and sedentary populations, To study this problem, our research team studied the gluteal muscles of twenty-four volunteers who participated in a bed rest study for two months, simulating microgravity conditions. The participants received a daily treatment of ‘artificial gravity' in a centrifuge to mimic Earth gravity, and our team compared MRI scans of their gluteal muscles from before and after the trial. The results show that the gluteal muscles undergo atrophy and develop increased intramuscular lipid concentration during bed rest. However, the artificial gravity protocol was insufficient to mitigate these deteriorations. This study paves the way for many more artificial gravity studies in the future, which will become more important given that more people are going to space for a longer period of time. About the speaker: Dr Vienna Tran's research helps to verify the use of artificial gravity for the hip muscles of astronauts and terrestrial patients during a prolonged bed rest analogue. She holds a First-Class Honours degree from The University of Adelaide for her thesis in this area. During her clinical training, Vienna has undertaken postings with the aeromedical retrieval team at the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), as well as with the Institute of Aviation Medicine at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). In her day job, Vienna works in regional South Australia as a medical doctor to further her skills in healthcare for Earth and space.

Join us for the January 2022 meeting of the Space Association of Australia – all welcome!  Date: Monday, 24 January 2022 Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm AEDT Venue: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne Don't forget you will need to be double-vaccinated to be allowed entry into the venue! How to find us:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. Getting there: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). Meals available: Place your meal order in the Coventry Room and have it delivered to your table - the menu can be found here. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, please register below to join us remotely via Zoom or watch the live stream on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/YtzbGcRum6A.  

Join us on 13 December for the final meeting of the Space Association of Australia for 2021 – an in-person social night & space quiz – all welcome! NOTE: This is an in-person event only and will not be streamed live or recorded. DATE: Monday, 13 December 2021 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm AEDT VENUE: Golden Gate Hotel, 238 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne HOW TO FIND US:  The Golden Gate Hotel is on the north-western corner of the intersection of Clarendon and Coventry Streets in South Melbourne. Take the stairs up to level 1 - we'll be in the Coventry Room. GETTING THERE: By car: Car parking is best in Coventry Street west of Clarendon Street. By tram: Route 12 (via Collins Street), Stop 127 (York Street, then walk south) or Stop 128 (Dorcas Street, then walk north). MEALS AVAILABLE: Place your meal order in the Coventry Room and have it delivered to your table.  The Social Night is open to all members, non-members, friends and family.  For planning purposes, please register your attendance and how many will be in your party by clicking on either of the "Get Tickets" buttons at the top-right or bottom of the page. There is no charge to register, it's just to let us know how many to plan for. To plan your meal for the night, the menu can be found here.   Activities Space Quiz – To help the night flow, please arrive from 6.45 pm so that we can form teams and seat accordingly (we do like to mix the groups up, so please be open to the possibility of sitting with people you may or may not know). Silent Auction – Just for a bit of fun and maybe help you offload or pick up a space treasure, we propose to run a silent auction on the night. A silent auction is an auction held without an auctioneer. Items are set up on tables with a sheet of paper in front of them. On these sheets of paper, there is an item description, how much the item is worth, a starting bid (usually less than the retail price), and minimum bid increments. Bidders write their name, contact number and bid amount and, from 9 pm, all bids cease and the deals are done! We will limit to one item per person and it can be anything space-related. A book (signed/unsigned), a model, artifact, picture, souvenir, DVD/CD, T-shirt, etc. As neither the SAA nor the venue will be involved, we won't have credit card facilities and all transactions will be strictly cash (bring small notes and change). Please let us know by emailing spaceflight@space.asn.au if you plan to auction something and we will send you a bid sheet for you to print out and complete to bring along on the night. We look forward to seeing you there!