The inaugural InSpace Showcase was a hit! In just one hour, the ANU Institute for Space showcased three of our flagship missions through a multidisciplinary lens. Monday 21 November 2022 saw an audience of over 120 people arrive at the ANU Kambri to listen to the latest space news.
The Showcase began with music curated especially for the showcase by Head of the ANU School of Music, Professor Kim Cunio. ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt kicked things off, along with InSpace Director, Professor Anna Moore.
The presentations were dynamic and informative. First up was Fire and Water: Earth Observation and Climate Change presented by Associate Professor Marta Yebra, Associate Professor Kirk McKenzie, and Dr Doris Grosse. The talk focused on how climate action requires data than can only be gathered from space. Australia has the opportunity to be a leader in specific technologies for predicting and mitigating bushfires and for critical water management. As a nation dependent on these technologies, we have a moral obligation to advance them for our local, regional, and global climate needs and to consider how to protect the space environment in which they operate.
Next, we heard from Associate Professor Francis Bennett, Dr Kate Ferguson, and Dr Cassandra Steer about The Future of Communications: From Light to Quantum. The team talked about how Australia’s future depends on reliable, fast, and high-volume communication infrastructure to meet increasing demands, especially during natural disasters and health crises. The ANU is leading the development of an integrated ground station network for optical and quantum satellite telecommunications to enable next generation, secure communications for Australia’s nation-critical operations. This is an opportunity for Australia to assert itself as a space middle power.
The final presentation brought Professor Air Vice-Marshall Tracy Smart, Dr Emma Tucker, and Associate Professor Maria Racionero Llorente to the stage to cover Space Medicine for Earthlings. During the pandemic, we learned that not all Australians have access to proper healthcare. Space medicine research studies human health needs in a harsh environment, using remote technologies, which have applications on Earth for regional, rural, and remote Australians and for aged care in the home. ANU Mission Specialists are developing digital twin technology to support human space exploration and travel, and, at the same time, creating ground-breaking applications for Australians who will need them most in the next 10 years. This has positive implications for an optimum economy of public goods.
A drinks reception followed, co-sponsored by the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), giving representatives from the space industry, Commonwealth and ACT governments, researchers, and our Mission Specialists a chance to network.