The World Space Congress
Space Generation Summit Background
Space Generation Summit - General
Relevance to you
Web Discussion
Logistics
FAQ’s & Answers
The World Space Congress
What is the WSC?
It has been called the "meeting of the decade for space professionals." But the World Space Congress
2002, convening in Houston, is really much more than that because the words "space professionals" barely
describe the breadth and depth of space activities in the next 10 years. Like any new world, space offers
continually expanding resources for commerce, science, technology, and education. From the discovery of
distant planets to medical advancements, from geological exploration to urban planning, from water on Mars
to energy sources in developing nations, you'll find it all here. And you'll have an unprecedented look at
how advances in space can and does improve life on Earth.
Where: George R. Brown Convention Center in the heart of downtown Houston, Texas
When: 10-19 October 2002
Who: 13,000 scientific, technical, business and government leaders, representing every facet of the
international space community
What: The joint gathering of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), with its associates the
International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), and the
Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
Organized by: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) under the auspices of the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
Exhibit Space: 350,000 square feet (32,500 square meters), allowing ample room for models and full-size
space platforms. For details, see Exhibit Facts in the Exhibiting at WSC section.
Who will participate in the WSC?
- Scientists, Engineers, and Technologists
- Business and Commerce Professionals (Business Development, Market Analysis, Financial Analysis)
- Government and Academia (Policymakers, Administrators, Researchers, Space Agency Officials, Regulators)
The Space Generation Summit - Background
What is the SGS?
The Space Generation Summit (SGS) will bring together 250 international delegates between age 18 and 35 to
develop and contribute a youth vision of space to the World Space Congress. The Summit is facilitated by the
Space Generation Advisory Council, the body through which student and young professional views are brought
to the United Nation’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and builds on the success of the Space
Generation Forum at UNISPACE III.
Students and young professionals will attend four parallel sessions to discuss and brainstorm about future
visions and realistic strategies for the space development. The emphasis of the SGS will be on the strengths
of the youth: creativity, innovation, liberalism, imagination and the motivation to inspire a unified youth
vision for the future of space activities. Discussions in small groups will therefore be emphasized to provide
everyone the opportunity to discussions his/her ideas.
**SGS delegates will not represent the interest of their country! The SGS will be an amalgamation of people
from all around the world representing the global interests of youth in the future of space development.
What is the SGAC?
The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) was born in 1999 when the United Nations approved a recommendation
to create, within the framework of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, a consultative mechanism
to facilitate the continued participation of young people from all over the world, especially young people from
developing countries and young women, in cooperative space-related activities.
The Programme on Space Applications (PSA) is a part of the Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), which is
secretariat to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). It was decided that the SGAC would
report directly to the PSA. In June 2001 the SGAC was granted permanent observer status to the COPUOS and it’s
two subcommittees. This was a landmark in the development of the Council as it formalized our relationship with
the United Nations and provided a direct channel through which the SGAC can present the opinions and ideas of the
world’s youth on space related matters.
What is UNISPACE III?
UNISPACE is a United Nations conference, organized about every 15 years. The general topic is the future space
development. The third UNISPACE conference was held in 1999. Specific topic of the 3rd UNISPACE conference is
"Space Benefits for Humanity in the Twenty-first Century".
What is role of the UN in space activities?
The United Nations seeks to foster the peaceful use of space for the world humanity. It provides a legal framework
and a forum to discuss future development and cooperation for space activities.
Is the SGS an official part of the WSC?
The SGF is an integral part of the associated events of the WSC. Thirteen papers produced, as a by-product of the
SGS will be presented in technical sessions of the WSC.
Space Generation Summit - General
Who will participate?
The delegates of the Space Generation Summit are the next generation of space innovators and leaders. Drawn from
over 65 countries around the world, they represent the best of space-related academia, business, government, and art.
Building on networks established during UNISPACE III, SGS organizers have rigorously selected delegates from a diverse
range of countries, backgrounds, industries and professionals.
What will be discussed?
What are the topics?
The topic is "The new face of Space". The Summit will be based upon four parallel sessions:
- Pioneering Space (exploration-type groups)
- Youth Seeking Space (youth initiative groups)
- Commercialize Space
- Space to Enhance Earth
These sessions will be broken down into smaller discussion groups covering various topics, including but not limited to
those of the papers to be presented at the WSC. All SGS sessions are formed from the basis of the UN guidelines on space
applications detailed in the Vienna declaration.
What is the intended outcome?
The Space Generation Advisory Council is planning a suite of activities designed to engage and inspire all young people
at World Space Congress. The Space Generation Summit will be at the center of those activities. The SGS will establish a
unified youth vision for the future of space activities. SGS will take full advantage of the unique opportunities that
WSC offers to present the global youth perspective on space issues to world leaders. Output from the Summit will be presented
at 13 of the IAC Technical Sessions during WSC, as well as being available in a proceedings document following WSC.
Whom do we address?
The SGS has been initiated by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) and has since then received enormous interest,
from space agencies, companies and governments. These are the people we aim to address primarily. In addition the SGS will
also address the delegation of the WSC and through this forum and associated media, the general public.
How many people will come?
The WSC will gather in excess of 5000 people.
The SGS will have approximately 220 participants.
What will the official outcome be?
There will be four levels of outcome:
- Verbal and documented Space Generation input to the Space Policy Summit
- 13 papers to be presented in the WSC technical sessions
- SGS Official Report
- SGS Proceedings: Complete reference (appendix) of all presented material, discussion results, recommendations and the
SGS contribution to the WSC
The SGF Proceedings will be provided on the web and in printed form, if funding can be made available. If will summarize all
SGF conference activities and will be available to everyone.
What will happen to the outcome?
The reports will be distributed in paper and on the Internet. It shall be a reference and source for new and unconventional
ideas.
Relevance to you
Why should I contribute?
Space activities have been of great significance to the general public. The future of space however will greatly influence
humanities quality of life and eventually may determine it’s existence.
The WSC is about the future of space, a future that will impact the youth of today both in their careers and lifestyle.
It is your responsibility to help shape this future or accept it whichever direction it evolves.
How can I contribute?
There are two ways you can contribute:
- Post and discuss your ideas on this web site
- Apply to become SGF - Applications now closed!
The ideas and discussion results will be summarized and fed into the discussions during the Summit. Meet your delegates on
the web! Share your ideas with those who can represent you at the summit itself. Make proposals for recommendations and get
feedback to improve them.
What do we ask for?
Ideas! We ask you to use your strengths, innovation, imagination and creativity to formulate your ideas and opinions on the
future of space activities, but most of all we ask you to share them with us.
Who selects the SGS Delegates?
The delegates committee received over 400 applications to attend SGS. It was an incredibly competitive pool of highly
qualified applicants from over 70 countries. Four organizers then judged the applicants using pre-determined selection
criteria. The first 100 delegates were selected based on academic, professional and demographic criteria, as organizers
strived to achieve ethnic and cultural diversity among the selected delegates. The remaining 100 delegates were selected
purely based on their academic and professional credentials.
How much does it cost?
Costs for attendance to the SGS AND WSC include:
| WSC registration fee |
$100 (Students)
$400 (Young Professionals)
The SGS organizing committee guarantees these prices until the 31st August 2002. |
| Hotel Accommodation: |
New infomation will be posted shortly!
A reduced rate is currently being negotiated. ALL delegates will have a room reserved for them in the
Hotel unless otherwise specified. |
| Food: |
Formal dinners and receptions will be detailed upon arrival. The individual must pay for
all other meals. Discounts for particular local eating spots will be provided as a part of the welcome pack.
|
| Travel: |
Individual travel itineries and costs will have to be deduced by the delegates themselves. |
Fully sponsored delegated will have travel, accommodation and registration costs accounted for.
Partially sponsored delegated will have one or more of the above costs (not including food and miscellaneous costs)
accounted for.
Note that all delegates that have been selected as sponsored delegates will be allocated funds and informed of their
sponsorship status (full or partial) as and when funding is located by the SGS organizing committee.
Do I need specific qualifications?
No specific qualifications apply other than that you fall into the age group of 18-35. You should however have solid
background knowledge in your field of space activities and should have formulated you ideas and opinions prior to the
Summit.
How about national contributions and point of views?
The SGS is an attempt to overcome national borders and frontiers. It is an attempt to take away the burden of nationality,
which is created through political attitudes and positions.
The SGS however looks to the future. Space does not have any borders and frontiers.
We hope you will bring your experiences from your culture and your knowledge of your geographical region to present a
picture of how you feel space activities could best benefit your surroundings. This however is by no means meant to put
limits to your ideas. We hope that the unique backgrounds of all our delegates will serve to compliment mutual understanding
and the creation of a global youth vision for space.
The Internet discussion forums are provided as a practical implementation to this effort. It is therefore suggested you
provide continued updates of local discussions through regular postings in these forums.
How can groups contribute?
Local meetings and preparatory discussions are most welcome. Ideas and perspectives created in such events can be implemented
into the SGS in a number of ways: -
- Through postings in the discussions on the forums on this server.
- Through direct communication with the national delegates
- Through a live presentation or teleconference
It is recommended that all three options be seriously considered. Posting local discussion results in the discussion forums
on this server is the simplest solution and will give people around the globe to possibility to think about your ideas. This
will enable the discussions during the conference to reach a much deeper level and will raise the quality of our outcome.
Only a high quality outcome will create attention and recognition in the space community. This is hence one of the highest
goals of the SGS.
Web Discussion
Why a discussion on the web?
What's the idea?
The key ideas are the following: -
- Provide an ideal starting point for conference discussions
- Give everyone the opportunity to contribute (even those not attending the SGS)
- Absorbing and digesting ideas
- Identifying discussion topics
- Research for the SG WSC papers
The time for discussions during the SGF conference is very limited. To make best use of it, discussions on the topics
itself shall be initiated before the summit commences. This will also aid the selection of topics that will act as a guide
to the discussion forums of the Summit itself.
Two discussion leaders will moderate each online forum. Their contact information will be available online and any requests
for subsets of discussion topics should be made through them.
How can I contribute?
You are just two mouse-clicks away! Virtual discussion forums are provided on this server, based on a bulletin board system.
You will find them in the online discussions section. You can post messages and people can view and reply to them. Messages
can be posted and read 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Do I need to register?
You do not need to register for reading, but you need to register to post your ideas in the discussion area. Registering
takes just 5 minutes or less. Please do the following:
- Go to the discussion forum on the web page (use "Discussion Forums" on the header menu).
- On every Forum web page you find a link called 'Register' just under the headline.
- Click 'Register' and give at least a name, nickname or synonym AND your email address.
- Your password will be mailed automatically to this email address. Once you got it, you can start posting.
Logistics
Do I need a Visa and how do I get one?
Most delegates coming from countries outside of the US will need a visa. It is up to you to check with your local or
national US consulate to find out the requirements.
Most countries will have a US consulate and the number should be available both online and in the phone book.
Any requests for visas and details of what paperwork is needed should be directed to your local US consulate.
Please note that some US visas will take 5-7 weeks to be processes hence it is imperative that you initiate this
process in good time. Supporting materials, such as a letter of invitation from the SGAC will be sent to you before
the 11th Aug. The letter will be posted to the mailing address given on your application.
How do I get sponsorship?
There are basically 3 options for sponsoring:-
- Your Government
- A Company
- The Space Generation Advisory Council
In all three cases your initiative and dedication will be a key to success. Make people understand that you really
want to come and that you are the best candidate.
Government & Companies
The majority of companies and government science & technology or education departments will have been informed of the WSC and
know of it's value. A funding Pack is available in the funding and resources section of this website for you to download.
The funding pack is aimed to give potential sponsors background information on the SGS, it's vision and it's legitimacy.
Included is a letter of support from the UN office of Outer Space Affairs.
Also available online is a rough breakdown of delegates expenses from each continent.
These costs are a guideline only and will require some research on your behalf to produce a detailed personal
budget to present to your potential sponsor. You will also need to write a covering letter detailing you motivation
and desire to attend the SGS. It is advised that these are specific to each individual company that you approach.
The Space Generation Advisory Council
The SGAC made the selection of sponsored delegates on the 22nd July 02. Only those delegates that have been contacted
regarding their sponsorship will be considered. Funds are currently being located to provide sponsorship for these
individuals. The money will be allocated as and when it is received on a basis of need. You will be contacted
individually and the SGS organizing committee will work with you to arrange your travel.
To date (01/09/02) the SGS organizing committee has found full sponsorship for 30 delegates and has found partial
sponsorship for 40 delegates, this includes but is not extensive to the cost of accommodation for the duration of
the SGS and WSC. If you have NOT been contacted via e-mail and informed of this explicitly funding has not, as yet,
been found for you.
Sponsorship is still being sought for the delegates of the SGS who have been selected to be sponsored financially
however it is to be stressed that this is by no means guaranteed at this late stage. It is hence in your best interests
to look for funding yourselves also.
Where will I be staying?
New information will be posted shortly (Thu 26 Sept 2002)
Does registration for the SGS include registration for the WSC?
Yes - you will be eligible to attend all WSC events as described on the registration page of the WSC website at
www.aiaa.org/WSC2002/.
How do I register?
You may either register online at the above address or request that the SGS organizing committee register you.
Either way you MUST inform the SGS organizing committee via e-mail to sgsinfo@unsgac.org - see below. Note that if you
choose to register online you are no longer eligible for the reduced early bird registration fee. Should you register
through the SGS this early registration fee will be guaranteed until the 31st Aug 02 by the SGS organizing committee.
If you choose to register with the SGS organizing committee please inform us via e-mail at
sgsinfo@unsgac.org - include your full name, application ID number and either
the name of your university or employer and enter 'WSC registration through SGS' in the subject heading. Failure to
include one or more of the above will result in NO registration.
For payment details please see below.
How do I pay my WSC fees?
By post:
If you are not a sponsored delegate please send a cheque made payable to ‘The Space Generation Advisory Council’ for the
exact amount ($100 Student, $400 Young Professional) to the following address:
Space Generation Foundation
3700 Bay Area Blvd,
Suite 100,
Houston, TX
77058 USA
The deadline for this payment is the 12th September 2002.
By credit card:
Go to the front page of this website and use the PayPal system provided.
The deadline for this payment is the 12th September 2002.
How do I get there / which airport do I fly into?
There are two airports to fly into Houston, IAH and Hobby. Either airport is suitable.
Transport details to and from the airport will follow.
What is the Dress Code?
Smart. There will be a number of occasions where WSC participants will join SGS activities and vice versa. The majority
of the SGS participant will also stay on for the Duration of the WSC. Both events are highly official gatherings.
Appropriate clothing of the participants is therefore required.
Traditional national or regional clothing is very much encouraged from everyone!
What will the weather be like?
The temperatures in Houston in October will most likely be in the 80’s (Fahrenheit) during daytime, and only a little
cooler at night. In addition it will most likely be humid. However the conference facilities are air-conditioned and
tend to be on the cold side. For evening and outdoor activities light summer clothing is recommended.
Please email us if you have any further questions. We will be happy to reply and also to update this FAQ document.
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