The Space Association of Australia and the Sun Theatre proudly present: Cancelled Apollo 13 & Australia: 50th Anniversary Event The Prime Minister has advised that Cinemas along with other public venues will close from midday Monday, March 23. We are conscious of our role in the community and agree with the directive. As a result, the Sun Theatre and The Space Association of Australia we have reluctantly cancelled our event on the 18th. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have pre-booked any tickets online, they will be automatically refunded. If you have a ticket bought at the counter, please call or email the Sun (9362 0999 info@suntheatre.com.au) to arrange a refund. We can all still celebrate Apollo 13 (as well as Apollos 11 & 17) by following the mission as it happened 50 years ago! Check out this amazing real time site! https://apolloinrealtime.org/ We apologise for this and hope we can create something wonderful where we can all get together soon.

This is the free online celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13, presented by the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! You'll learn about the events that led to the inflight emergency, Australia's important role in the safe return of Apollo 13, hear from one of Australia's leading space historians and three 'trackers' who were actively involved! Guest presenters: Colin MacKellar (honeysucklecreek.net), John Saxon & Mike Dinn (Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station), Bruce Window (Parkes Radio Telescope) Explosion origins and events up to launch day Early historical context of man and moon, Australian space tracking and communications Honeysuckle, Apollo, MSFN, Preparations for Apollo 13 Australian mission support and role during the Apollo 13 rescue Coping with Lunar Module and Saturn third stage together Apollo 13 Re-entry, ground track & LM “final Los”. Q&A Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/join Meeting id: 890 694 323 Password: SAA

As previously announced, the Space Association of Australia has reluctantly cancelled its regular public meeting that was scheduled for Monday night, for public health reasons. However, the space news never stops so we are launching our very first virtual meeting! This will a bit of an experiment but should be loads of fun. To watch, simply click on the following link on Monday night, have some headphones or speakers ready to go and a microphone if you'd like to ask questions. You can watch via a web browser or download some software (Zoom). You'll be able to make comments and ask questions. If anyone misbehaves, you'll be kicked out. We suggest for those that are joining using your smartphones that you download the free Zoom app before the meeting. Those that are joining on their computer can just use their web browser. You can also choose to have your video camera active or off. In order to simulate the true SAA meeting don’t forget to have a chicken parmigiana for dinner! We'll have a short round up of SAA activities, local and global space news and some gorgeous videos, and maybe a few surprises! Date: Monday, 23 March 2020 Time: 19:30-21:30 AEDT Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/778776855?pwd=SHNEdy9jeE9HV1B4UllaR1cvV0I1dz09

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 24 February 2020 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HfB4PY10V0 and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV.   We'll be taking an in-depth look at NASA's Commercial Crew Program as it approaches its first crewed launch.  Also, an update on Russian space news with our in-house expert, Igor Rozenberg. The update will cover Russian launch vehicles, including Superheavy; new crewed spacecraft OREL; the Russian Moon program; ExoMars 2020 and the proposed space tug with a nuclear reactor.

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 27 January 2020 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV.   Join us for our first meeting of 2020! We'll be taking an in-depth look at the latest space industry news and what to expect in the coming year during our space news feature.  Also, an inside report from Expedition Boomerang with SAA member Dr Shane Usher, who participated in a two-week mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) analogue facility in Utah, owned and operated by the Mars Society.

Join us on 16 December for the final meeting of the Space Association of Australia for 2019, our 7th annual Space Trivia Night - all welcome!  DATE: Monday, 16 December 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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.  Our Space Trivia Night is open to all members, non-members, friends and family. These nights are loads of fun and have become a social highlight of the SAA calendar. For planning purposes, please register your attendance and how many will be in your party by clicking on the "Get Tickets" button to the right or bottom of the page. There is no charge to register, this just allows us to know how many to plan for. 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). We would also like you to place your meal orders prior to getting started so that meals can be delivered to your table. To plan your meal for the night, the menu can be found here. Note: "The Classics" menu items are only $15 on Monday nights - good value! So, dust off your space knowledge, get lots of sleep, eat healthily, get out and exercise and most of all, be ready for a fun night, we look forward to seeing you there!

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 25 November 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV.  

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 28 October 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl4RKKX2GM and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV.   Feature Presentation: Space Medicine 101 - A Primer on the Challenges and Pitfalls of the Human Body in Space with Dr Rowena Christiansen Dr Christiansen will provide an overview of what happens to the human body in space including the challenges for surgery and anaesthesia in the space environment and also take a look at the potential pitfalls of space tourism.   Dr Christiansen is not scared to ask the tough questions: Is space tourism a disaster waiting to happen from a medical perspective? Is my appendix useful, and should I take it with me if I'm going to Mars? These and other questions will be answered in this fascinating presentation. About the speaker: Dr Rowena Christiansen (BA Hons, LLB, Grad Dip Ed, MBA, MB BS, ACCAM, DCH, Master of Emergency Health, Grad Cert Space Studies) is a medical educator in the Melbourne Medical School, and also works as a prehospital emergency doctor. She has undertaken post-graduate training in emergency medicine and critical care, women and children’s health, aviation medicine and space studies, disaster health, and emergency management. Rowena enjoys sharing her knowledge as a BLS, ALS, and PALS instructor, and pursues special interests in disaster management, prehospital and wilderness medicine, extreme environments, and aerospace medicine.

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 23 September 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN30oqZixDo - and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV.  

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 26 August 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live here https://youtu.be/vMu29-VnUsc and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV. FEATURE: The Artemis program is an ongoing crewed spaceflight program carried out by NASA, U.S. commercial spaceflight companies, and international partners such as ESA, with the goal of landing "the first woman and the next man" on the lunar south pole region by 2024. Artemis would be the first step towards the long-term goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, laying the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy, and eventually sending humans to Mars. [Source: Wikipedia]

This is the free monthly meeting of the Space Association of Australia - all welcome! DATE: Monday, 22 July 2019 TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm 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. Take the stairs or lift 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 meeting will be streamed live and then made available on-demand via the Space Association's YouTube channel - SAA.TV. This meeting will include part 11 and final in our monthly feature series leading up to the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11: Footsteps to the Moon: Countdown to Apollo 11. This series provides monthly progress reports on the lead up to and execution of the Apollo 11 Moon landing that took place in July 1969. Each month we will summarise the key activities and missions flown in that month 50 years ago between September 1968 and July 1969. This will culminate at our July 2019 meeting, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.   ACRUX-1 Part 2: Into Orbit The meeting will also feature a special presentation on the successful launch and operation of the ACRUX-1 cubesat with Blake Fuller from the Melbourne Space Program.  On 29 June 2019 at 2.40pm AEST, the Melbourne Space Program’s student-built CubeSat, ACRUX-1, was launched from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 aboard an Electron rocket, on a mission entitled “Make It Rain”. Launch Complex 1 is located on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

This will be Melbourne's signature one-off event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. MOON LANDING LIVE lets you experience the complete Apollo 11 moonwalk, exactly as it happened 50 years ago, when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the Moon on the afternoon of July 21, 1969. MOON LANDING LIVE will transport you back in time to that historic moment and allow you to relive (or experience for the first time) this giant leap in human history. MOON LANDING LIVE lets you experience the Apollo 11 moonwalk through the eyes of the astronauts with photographs taken in sequence, the TV and colour film footage is shown in sync with the radio communications and with the photos, allowing you to see rare and unusual details of the historic event from multiple viewpoints. All the astronauts' communications are subtitled for clarity as a complement to the Air to Ground audio. Your ticket includes entry, finger food throughout the afternoon and your choice of two non-alcoholic drinks. The afternoon kicks off at noon and we'll wrap up after Neil and Buzz have closed the hatch at around 5 pm. Come dressed in your best 60's gear to go into the running for our best-dressed prize too! This will be an afternoon to remember and seating is very limited, so book now, bring your friends and relive history. MOON LANDING LIVE at the historic Sun Theatre in Yarraville on Sunday, July 21 to coincide with the actual moonwalk timeline: LM Hatch open 12:39 Armstrong: "I'm on the porch" 12:51 TV on 12:53:54 First Step 12:56:48 Buzz on surface 13:15 Plaque reading 13:24 Flag raised 13:40 President Nixon's phone call 13:48 Armstrong climbs ladder 15:09 The Sun Theatre is handling ticketing for our MOON LANDING LIVE event, with tickets being sold as part of their Moon Film Festival and open to the general public. The ticket price include finger food platters plus two non alcoholic drinks: $35 non-members (general public) $27 members (SAA members and friends can use the following link to book now!) Discount tickets on sale here now: MOON LANDING LIVE TICKETS MOON LANDING LIVE schedule: 12:00 -­ Introduction and welcome 12:30 ­- Powered Decent Insertion to landing on the big screen, showing the full Apollo 11 landing 12:53 - The Moonwalk "live" + 50 years (literally all of it as it happened) 15:09 ­- Continue with TV coverage to hatch close 16:00 -­ Post Moonwalk presentations 17:00 ­- End 19:10 - Post MOON LANDING LIVE session screening of APOLLO 11 * movie         * ticketed separately and not included in your MOON LANDING LIVE ticket 

The Glenroy Library is planning a week of activities to recognise the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The Space Association of Australia's Andrew Rennie will deliver a talk to the community about the mission. Andrew will present:     A short history of manned spaceflight     The Apollo 11 mission and the astronauts     A brief overview of Australia’s role in the Moon landing     Questions & Answers Come along to this facinating and informative free public event. Brought to you by the Space Association of Australia and Moreland City Council. For more deatils please phone: 8311 4100

Apollo 11 | Directed by Todd Douglas Miller Join with us to launch the Moon Film Festival and celebrate the liftoff of the first lunar landing mission with the gala premiere screening of Apollo 11, the stunning new film from director Todd Douglas Miller. Crafted from a newly discovered trove of 65mm footage, and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings, Apollo 11 takes us straight to the heart of NASA’s most celebrated mission—the one that first put men on the moon, and forever made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into household names. Immersed in the perspectives of the astronauts, the team in Mission Control, and the millions of spectators on the ground, we vividly experience those momentous days and hours in 1969 when humankind took a giant leap into the future. Tickets available here from the Sun Theatre, Yarraville.

The Sun Theatre, in partnership with the Space Association of Australia, proudly presents the Moon Film Festival: A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11. This July, 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the Moon. A defining moment in history that to this day, leaves people aghast at the audacity of the achievement. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the Sun Theatre presents the Moon Film Festival, from the 16th to 24th of July 2019, the same nine days that Apollo 11 embarked on her audacious mission. Opening night, with a magnificent full moon no less, will feature a 70mm presentation of Apollo 11 (2019) - the stunning new film by Tod Douglas Miller. In the years before and since, the Moon has featured in stories of exploration, especially so in the movies. The Moon Film Festival, curated by Adventurer of the Year Michael Smith, will showcase a selection of favourite, obscure, short and even the “cheesy” films as late shows, that feature our beloved Moon. There will be screening events within the cinema and the park in front of the Sun, to suit all ages. “We choose to show films of the Moon, and do the other things, not because it is easy, but because it is hard” quipped Michael Smith, cheekily paraphrasing JFK’s speech, that launched the Voyage to the Moon. Further details and tickets can be found on the Sun Theatre's Moon Film Festival page.